Oil sheen appears on Lake waterway

Officials set up floating barriers in the Cady Marsh Ditch Thursday to try to slow an oil slick that appeared in the waterway.

Oil sheen appears on Lake waterway

Highland and Griffith hazmat officials join EPA officials at Ross Road and the Cady Marsh Ditch to try to figure out the origin of an oil spill.

Cady Marsh Ditch oil spill

Highland and Griffith hazmat officials join EPA officials at Ross Road and the Cady Marsh Ditch to try to figure out the origin of an oil spill.

Cleaner gas rule would mean higher price at pump

WASHINGTON | The Obama administration's newest anti-pollution plan would ping American drivers where they wince the most: at the gas pump. That makes arguments weighing the cost against the health benefits politically potent.

IDEM head says ozone suit against EPA could take years

PORTAGE | Indiana's lawsuit against the U.S. EPA over Lake and Porter counties not meeting Clean Air Act rules for ozone could take years to resolve, the head of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management said Thursday.

Some see federal ruling as opportunity to revisit canceling trash-to-ethanol contract

A recent federal ruling paints a picture of the national alternative-fuels scene that closely mirrors what Lake County has experienced for four years in its trash-to-ethanol plan: lots of promises and no results.

Steel projects helping boost region's environmental profile

HAMMOND | Kevin Doyle said he began having discussions within ArcelorMittal seven years ago about steps that could be taken to have no process wastewater discharges from facilities into the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal or Lake Michigan.

Hammond Sanitary District appeals U.S. EPA fines

HAMMOND | The Hammond Sanitary District is appealing $1.4 million in fines by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, claiming that delays in construction projects to prevent sewage overflows into the Grand Calumet River aren't the district's fault.

Illinois AG's office gives Sauk Village deadline

SAUK VILLAGE | Local officials have until Thursday to submit a plan that complies with three points stressed by the state attorney general's office in a meeting Tuesday with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Sauk Village board.

NWI environmentalists hail 'restoration revolution'

GARY | There was a time when bringing industry, government and citizens together to agree on an environmental direction for Northwest Indiana was unheard of.

OFFBEAT: Joan Lunden launching Twizitt line of 'safe' cookware

Phil Potempa's daily entertainment news column.

U.S. cities struggle to control sewer overflows

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. | Twice in recent summers, visitors to parts of Michigan's western coast were greeted by mounds of garbage strewn along miles of sandy beach: plastic bottles, eating utensils, food wrappers, even hypodermic syringes.

EPA issues new rules on toxic pollutants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday issued stiff new rules for limiting mercury and other toxic emissions from the nation's power plants, but will give utilities up to four years to comply.

State: Michigan City latex solution spill contained

Formaldehyde-contaminated water sits in a drainage ditch outside of Fiber Bond Corp. in Michigan City on Friday.

State: Michigan City latex solution spill contained

Michigan City Fire Department Captains James Young, left, and Mike Moss remove sandbags from a culvert at the Michigan City Municipal Golf Course on Friday. A release of 1,500 gallons of a latex solution containing formaldehyde into a ditch at the Fiber Bond Corp. near the golf course contam…

State: Michigan City latex solution spill contained

A worker from SET Environmental, Inc. sucks up formaldehyde-contaminated water in a ditch outside of Fiber Bond Corp. in Michigan City on Friday. A release of 1,500 gallons of a latex solution containing formaldehyde contaminated the area Thursday.

Lake County rises on broad back of industry

A restoration project at Marquette Park in Gary will focus on dredging the East Lagoon and renovating a pavilion. Restoration of lakefront property has been a focal point of development in the region in recent years.

Marquette Park restoration garners EPA grants

Visitors tour Marquette Park after a news conference Friday about the awarding of federal grants at the Gary park.

Marquette Park restoration garners EPA grants

U.S. Rep. Pete Visklosky, D-Ind., talks about a restoration project at Marquette Park on Friday during at a news conference at the Gary park.

Marquette Park restoration garners EPA grants

A group takes a short tour of Marquette Park on Friday after a news conference at the Gary park to announce the awarding of federal money to a restoration project.