The ferry, which runs between Ludington, Michigan and Manitowoc, dumps an estimated 500 tons of waste ash into the lake each year. The EPA had previously set a December 2012 deadline for them to stop the practice.

Lynda Matson with Lake Michigan Car Ferry, which owns the ship, says the decision comes after the ash was tested and found to be benign. She says it is mixed with lake water and put back into Lake Michigan, but the dilution level is so high it has no effect on drinking water.

Matson says they are cooperating with the EPA in converting the ship to burn natural gas. She says a new permit will give them more time to develop the infrastructure and design needed to complete that process.

Matson adds the Badger is a historic vessel that provides over 200 jobs in both communities.

Both sides are scheduled to meet in the next few weeks.

Brian Norton, WOMT

AUDIO: Senator Neil Kedzie (5:30)

Kedzie says he’s reaching out to the tribes in the area, particularly the Bad River Band, whose reservation is nearest the proposed mine site. “We will be listening to their concerns, we will be having personal meetings,” he says. “We will approach this from the perspective that they have valuable input, they have vested interests in what happens, and we should listen to that.”

The Assembly passed its mining bill largely at the behest of Gogebic Taconite, which proposes a massive open pit iron ore mine in the Penokee Hills region of Iron County. That bill has been seen as a nonstarter in the Senate, where Republicans hold a slight one vote majority.

The bill being considered by the Assembly Natural Resources Committee would create a hunting season for gray wolves running from October thru February. Permits would be issued in the same way the state’s bear hunting season is currently handled, with a preference system used to determine who receives a limited number of licenses.

State Representative Roger Rivard (R-Rice Lake), a sponsor of the bill, says a wolf hunt would be an effective tool to help the state manage a growing population, estimated at over 800 wolves. Supporters argue the wolf population should be down around 350 animals, which was the goal established when the animals were added to the federal endangered species list.

However, UW-Madison wildlife ecologist Tim Van Deelen testified that the state should shy away from setting a low population goal. He says that could be used by groups planning to file federal lawsuits against the recent delisting.

State Representative Nick Milroy (D-South Range) says Wisconsin should approach the issue carefully, or federal officials could again take over management of the wolf population. The animal was only recently removed from the endangered species list.

Al Lobner of Milladore was among advocates of a wolf hunt who say a season is needed to get the population down and to protect livestock and pets that have been attacked by wolves. Over 30 attacks by wolves on domesticated animals were reported to the state last year. Lobner says nobody wants to see wolves extinct, but “we need to do what is necessary to get these animals under control.”

A committee vote on the bill could come later this month.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:19)

The report done by the interstate Great Lakes Commission shows three specific ways to separate that connection. It’s part of an effort to prevent invasive species including the Asian Carp from entering the Lakes.

Environmental groups say the expense would be worth it in the long run to keep the carp from ruining the Great Lakes and connecting waterways. The voracious feeders can grow up to 90 pounds destroying ecosystems which the Alliance for the Great Lakes says will lead to lost tourism and fishing related dollars.

Changes at the Mississippi River/Lake Michigan connection have been a contentious issue. Suggestions to close Chicago lock system have been met with opposition by Illinois officials who cite major economic loss from the heavily traveled shipping channel.

Legislation from state Representative Scott Suder (R-Abbotsford) would create a wolf hunting season running from October through February. The Abbotsford Republican says a hunt will allow the state to effectively manage the animals, preventing attacks on livestock and pets that have been reported around the state in recent years.

The move comes less than a week after gray wolves were removed from the list of federally endangered species. The state now has the power to manage the size of the population, which the DNR estimates at about 800 animals.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:12)

The removal of the federal protections means the state can now issue permits to landowners to remove animals that attack private property. Proponents of a wolf hunt argue that will not be enough to bring the population down to a more manageable number, which Suder says would be around 350 wolves.

Permitting would be set up similar to how the state currently handles bear hunting, where a preference system is used to determine who receives a license. Fees would be used to compensate the owners of animals attacked by wolves.

An Assembly committee will hold a hearing on the bill later this week.

DNR Fisheries Supervisor Ron Bruch cites “public ownership” as a reason for the program’s popularity. He says the agency sets policy based largely in input received through the Winnebago Citizens’ Sturgeon Advisory Committee and Sturgeons for Tomorrow.

Bruch adds the sturgeon population is as robust as it’s been since the 1800s with DNR assessments showing a number of 200-pounders in the water.

With spotty winter conditions this year, Bruch advises spearers to be extra cautious when cutting into the ice.  Due to an algae bloom earlier this winter he says water clarity in the system is “marginal right now but they look to be improving.”

The season begins February 11 to February 26 or until spearers reach the harvest caps.

(Photo: WDNR)

Starting today, the state Department of Natural Resources now has greater authority to manage Wisconsin’s grey wolf population.

Wisconsin’s grey wolves are no longer considered a federally endangered species, and DNR mammal ecologist Adrian Wydeven says that will allow the state to have more control. While the state is still very concerned about the conservation of wolves, he says the change gives them more authority to balance those issues with controlling problem animals.

The DNR is ready to issue permits to landowners who have been dealing with wolf attacks. Wydeven several have already been notified that they can apply to remove wolves that have been attacking or threatening livestock and pets, or if a landowner lives near an area where attacks have occurred.

The state is also establishing control areas where attacks have frequently occurred which will also allow landowners to apply for permits.

Wydeven believes the tools they have in place right now will be adequate for taking over management of the wolf population, especially considering the DNR has had no real authority in years past.

The most recent DNR estimates put the state’s wolf population at about 800 animals.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:10)

AUDIO: Rep. Scott Suder (:45)

The Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters is running a statewide television ad campaign, highlighting concerns that the legislation enabling an open-pit iron ore mine will damage the state’s groundwater resources. “It specifically states in the bill, that contamination of our groundwater supplies – in Wisconsin this is where we get our drinking water – it’s permissible by a mining company,” says the league’s Ann Sayers. “It specifically states that the state of Wisconsin must approve a project, even if we know that it endangers public health.”

Suder is disputing claims from environmental groups that the measure strips away water protections. “We’re making sure that not only is the aquifer in the area protected, but also making certain that local units of government are able to not only able to negotiate with the mining company but will be able to have a part of the process in terms of the environmental impact, and making certain that they are heard,” he says.

The bill rewrites and streamlines the process by which the Department of Natural Resources grants mining permits in the state. It’s seen as a neccessary first step, for Gogebic Taconite to apply for a permit to operate an open-pit iron ore mine in Iron County. Suder is confident the bill will pass, with or without the support of northern Wisconsin Democratic lawmakers. “I fail to understand how someone, especially from that area, could vote against a job creation bill, for their own people, for northern Wisconsin,” he says.

Sayers says it’s the hope of her organization, and the intent of the television ad, to halt progress on the mining legislation in the state Senate. “It shouldn’t be the case that one out state mining company gets to avoid all of the conservation laws that we hold dear, while all other companies in the state must obey them,” she says.

WIBA’s John Colbert contributed to this report

AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (1:15) 

But Greendale Republican Jeff Stone says mine revenues are no different from how income and sales taxes are handled. “Those go into a pot, and then they come to Madison and we figure out how to use that general purpose revenue, and that’s what will happen here,” says Stone. “But I think the state will have some questions about the impacts of the mine, and I’m sure that as we move into the future we’ll be addressing those impacts, and we’ll be having some discussions as to how to allocate those dollars.”

The legislation, which rewrites and streamlines the process for granting mine permits in Wisconsin, is expected to pave the way for a massive open-pit iron ore mine proposed by Gogebic Taconite in the Penokee Range area of Iron County. The amended version of the bill (AB 426) passed the Assembly jobs committee on a 9-to-5 vote Tuesday, and now heads to the full Assembly for a vote on Thursday.

AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (:60)

Tuesday’s committee action is expected include action on an amendment which would increase the amount of tax revenues to be allocated to local governments near the mine site in Iron County. to clear the way for a vote by the full Assembly on Thursday. “We’re talking about the largest mine proposal ever in the state. Phase One alone is more than six square miles of open pit, and mine waste, with something to the effect of seven or eight million tons every year coming out of the ground for thirty years,” says Molepske.