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CAPE opposes the granting of a licence for the DNNP site, citing the lack of a chosen reactor design, the absence of historical data for small modular reactors (SMRs), and the high risks associated with locating nuclear facilities in densely populated areas near Lake Ontario. The submission highlights the failure to release the Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan (PNERP) Technical Study and argues that the 2009 site licence application is obsolete due to population growth and climate change. CAPE advocates for a transition to renewable energy over untested SMR technology.

The document outlines the difficulties small rural communities encounter when attempting to access federal disaster preparedness funding and mapping programs due to limited local government capacity. It highlights specific governance challenges in repairing critical infrastructure, using the Midland dam floods as an example, and discusses the need for workforce development and watershed management to build flood resilience.

A 2019 survey of Michigan voters reveals significant concern over climate change and infrastructure, with strong support for a transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050 and the expansion of electric vehicle infrastructure. The findings indicate that climate change is a top-tier priority for Democratic voters in the state and that a majority of voters would be more likely to support political candidates who champion renewable energy funding and carbon taxes.

A coalition of environmental and health organizations expresses grave concern over the reported plan to eliminate the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO) via Bill 57, arguing that the office's independent, evidence-based analysis is essential for environmental accountability and public health.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) asserts that Ontario's nuclear emergency plan is insufficient because it is designed for accidents less severe than the 2011 Fukushima disaster. The briefing highlights risks to the Great Lakes drinking water and the high population density near the Darlington and Pickering stations, calling for improved health professional training, expanded iodine pill distribution, and a plan for clean water provision.

Agricultural runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus is a primary driver of water contamination and eutrophication in the U.S., particularly affecting the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. While the Clean Water Act does not regulate water leaving farmers' fields, various state-level initiatives and federal programs, such as the USDA's Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), promote voluntary best management practices to reduce nutrient loading. Climate change is expected to worsen these issues by increasing the frequency of extreme weather events that trigger higher runoff.

Agricultural runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus is a primary driver of water contamination, leading to eutrophication and hypoxic zones in the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes. Climate change is expected to worsen this by increasing the frequency of heavy rains and subsequent nutrient runoff. While the Clean Water Act does not regulate water leaving farmers' fields, various state-level voluntary and mandatory programs, alongside the federal Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), aim to reduce nutrient loading through best management practices like cover crops and no-till operations.

The author highlights the environmental and health risks posed by coal ash disposal in Michigan, where 65 dump sites—including 48 earthen dams—threaten the Great Lakes and groundwater. The text details the toxicity of heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and mercury found in coal ash and criticizes the lack of liner requirements for dams and the ability to dump waste directly into aquifers. It concludes by urging opposition to H.R. 1734, a bill that would weaken EPA safety protections established in the 2014 coal ash rule.

The document asserts that U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006 effectively broke the Clean Water Act by interpreting its protections as applying only to "navigable" waters. This interpretation has allegedly led to the loss of safeguards for up to 60 percent of streams and rivers and 20 percent of wetlands, affecting watersheds that supply drinking water for over 110 million Americans. The author advocates for the Clean Water Restoration Act, which would replace the term "navigable" with "waters of the United States" to restore broad federal protections. The text notes that since 2001, an estimated 10,000 water bodies have been polluted or destroyed without federal limits, and the EPA has failed to pursue over 300 pollution cases following the 2006 ruling.

The document argues that coal-fired power plants are the largest unregulated source of mercury in the U.S., contributing significantly to the contamination of fish in the Midwest. It details how mercury bioaccumulates in aquatic food chains, posing severe risks to the central nervous system of fetuses and children, as well as harming wildlife like common loons and otters. The report highlights the economic threat to the regional fishing industry and advocates for stringent federal and state emission limits and better regulation of coal combustion waste.

The report provides a comprehensive list of public laws from 2017 to 2022 that address climate adaptation, focusing heavily on national security, disaster relief, and infrastructure resilience. Key legislative trends include the integration of climate risk into Department of Defense (DoD) planning, the expansion of pre-disaster mitigation funding through the Disaster Recovery Reform Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and targeted conservation efforts for forests, wetlands, and the Arctic. The document details specific mandates for flood mapping, sea-level rise projections for military installations, and the creation of specialized funds for community resilience and drought management.

The Mississippi River Restoration & Resilience Initiative (MRRRI) is proposed as a federal framework to address ecological decline, flood vulnerability, and pollution in the Mississippi River basin. Modeled after the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, MRRRI would direct the EPA to collaborate with states, tribal nations, and local governments to implement an action plan focused on reducing runoff pollution, managing flood risks, and restoring wildlife habitats. The proposal highlights the economic importance of the river, which supports a $500 billion-a-year economy and 1.5 million jobs, while noting that inaction leaves communities—particularly low-income, rural, and Indigenous populations—vulnerable to environmental and financial risks.

The IISD Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) is a research facility in northwestern Ontario consisting of 58 lakes and their watersheds used for whole-ecosystem experiments. For over 50 years, the facility has provided long-term data sets used for global climate modelling and has influenced environmental policies, such as those restricting phosphorus to prevent algal blooms. Current and past research focuses include the impacts of climate change, oil spills (specifically diluted bitumen), microplastics, pharmaceuticals (such as synthetic estrogen), and other contaminants like mercury and acid rain.

The IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA) responds to Ontario's Environment Plan by urging the government to integrate more rigorous scientific evidence, expanded monitoring, and new technologies into its freshwater protection strategies. Key recommendations include extending air pollutant monitoring to water bodies, researching the impacts of salinity and plastics, setting a specific 18.4 per cent phosphorus reduction target for Lake of the Woods, and utilizing the Internet of Things for real-time sewage flow monitoring.

The document details how a warming climate will increase the frequency and severity of heat waves and heavy precipitation in the Midwest, leading to higher mortality, infrastructure damage, and agricultural losses. It highlights specific risks to the Great Lakes shipping industry due to falling water levels and the threat to public health from water-borne diseases and combined sewer overflows in cities like Chicago and Milwaukee.