Minnesota has its own carbon emissions reduction goals in place but under a changing federal Environmental Protection Agency, it is an open question how stalled pollution enforcement will affect the Great Lakes region.

The Trump administration and congressional Republicans are taking steps to limit the reach of the EPA, including loosening regulations for laws like the Clean Air Act, along with staffing cuts. Watchdogs said new federal cases targeting pollution violators have ground to a halt.

Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center and a former environmental crimes prosecutor who worked under both Republican and Democratic leadership, said it is unusual.

"The environmental laws require EPA, working with the states, to protect the environment," Learner explained. "Those laws apply regardless of who the president is."

States can try to fill gaps but Uhlmann noted history has shown the federal government sets the tone in going after violators. He argued diminished enforcement hurts communities' health and creates a competitive disadvantage for companies complying with federal orders. The agency's new leaders have said overhauls save taxpayers money and align with the President's promise to "unleash American energy."

Minnesota is one of six states in the EPA's Region Five, which Uhlmann described as one of the more active parts of the country for enforcement. He pointed out the Great Lakes have come a long way from their reputations as big, polluted waterways in the 1970s.

"Year in and year out, there's more enforcement cases brought in Region 5, and some of the biggest cases are brought in Region 5," Uhlmann emphasized. "Not because Region 5's more polluted than the rest of the United States, but EPA has committed more resources to the area. The population density is significant, the amount of industry is significant."

The Environmental Law and Policy Center said public polling indicates most Americans want clean air and water. Uhlmann underscored the bipartisan sentiments trace back to the Nixon White House creating the EPA. But with political forces now a factor, he urged private companies to hold firm.

"They need not to take advantage of this moment and put us at even greater risk," Uhlmann asserted. "They need to step up and say, 'You know what? The private sector has a responsibility here, too.' They need to be good stewards of the environment."


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Environmental advocates are urging Washington state lawmakers to require cargo ships to plug in while in port.

The Port of Seattle will require all cruise ships to use shore power by 2027, but cargo ships face no such requirement. One ship idling for 40 hours emits 30 tons of carbon dioxide and sends 22 pounds of toxic soot into the air, which can harm port workers and adjacent neighborhoods.

Teresa Bui, climate policy director for the group Pacific Environment, said the sheer volume at regional ports requires action.

"The Northwest Seaport Alliance saw visits from 1,700 cargo vessels in 2023," Bui pointed out. "While the port is vital to the state economy, there is both a climate and a public health imperative to transition away from diesel and require these ships to plug in."

A 2023 study found diesel exhaust contributes more than 80% of the cancer risk from toxic air pollutants in the Seattle-Tacoma area.

Legislation to require shore power was introduced in the state House in January but did not make it out of committee. The legislation would apply to any terminal with more than 20 vessel visits per year. State lawmakers have committed more than $50 million toward port electrification.

With the third-largest container ship complex on the West Coast, Bui anticipates strong job creation.

"The additional benefit of requiring ships to plug in is there's job growth potential," Bui emphasized. "The TOTE terminal created 55 local jobs. IBEW supported this measure when it was introduced in the legislature."

A Maritime Administration estimate anticipates 100% shore power at the Port of Seattle would create hundreds of jobs over 30 years.

Environmental and wildlife conservation in Montana took hits during this year's state legislative session, including vetoes from the governor on bills that received bipartisan support.

Among bills Gov. Greg Gianforte vetoed was House Bill 477, which would have phased out some single-use Styrofoam food containers in favor of those made from Montana agricultural byproducts.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Marilyn Marler, D-Missoula, called it "discouraging" when such a bipartisan effort is vetoed.

"Because it seems to me he did not listen to a wide variety of people, even in his own party," she said. "I think that with this particular bill, it just didn't send the right message about what our values are."

Tourism and recreation are important and growing industries in the state, and as Marler put it, "People don't come here to see trash."

Constituents can see how their lawmakers voted on conservation this session on the Montana Conservation Voters 2025 legislative scorecard.

Marler also voiced concern about weakening the Montana Environmental Policy Act, which was designed to uphold Montanans' constitutional right to a clean environment. While there was a win for habitat funding, Marler added she is seeing continued privatization of wildlife.

"It was not a great session for conservation and it was not a great session for Montana hunters," she explained. "It is becoming very hard to keep commercialization of wildlife off the books."

In renewable energy news, Gianforte vetoed the Montana Solar Shares Act, which would allow Montanans to buy shares in an energy-generating solar array. But a veto override poll for lawmakers is currently underway by mail.


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Conservationists are celebrating the protection of five miles of river frontage along the White Salmon River. The 174-acre site was purchased by The Conservation Fund more than a decade after the removal of Condit Dam. The dam was breached in 2011, draining the former Northwestern Lake. The lakebed makes up much of the acquisition.

Gates Watson, vice president of The Conservation Fund, said the removal restored a 44-mile free-flowing river.

"The dam's presence had an impact on the migration route for fish, including regional salmon populations, and disrupted Yakama Nation's right to fish and gather and hunt along this land, and with this transition that will be restored," he explained.

The land was purchased from PacifiCorp, which operated the hydroelectric dam. The site is located in the ancestral territory of the Yakama Nation. The acquisition will be managed by The Conservation Fund temporarily, before being acquired by Yakama Nation on a permanent basis.

Planning for the long-term restoration brought together PacifiCorp, Yakama Nation, The Conservation Fund and an owners association whose cabins sat near the shores of Northwestern Lake. Cabin owners had been leasing land from PacifiCorp. Site surveys were conducted to establish individual lots so owners could acquire the land under their buildings.

Watson said site planning also included a conservation easement and more.

"The vision for the completed White Salmon Corridor project is five miles of connected riparian habitat and a foot trail along the White Salmon River that is owned and managed by Yakima Nation, restoring opportunities for tribal members to access the river and fish," he continued.

The river is a breeding habitat for steelhead, Chinook and coho salmon, and researchers have found juvenile fish are returning in strong numbers.