John Flesher

AP Environmental Writer
Latest in Home
Row of yellow school buses parked in a line with bare trees in background
Blue Bird to Invest $300M to Make More Buses in Georgia
October 21, 2026
Industrial manufacturing facility with blue CNC machines and Sena CutSend signage on warehouse wall
SendCutSend Announces Another U.S. Factory; 309 New Jobs
October 21, 2026
Man drinking from a Pepsi bottle against a cloudy sky with Manufacturing Now branding
PepsiCo Shuts Down Tennessee Bottling Plant
October 21, 2026
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from coastal launch pad with bright engine flames and white smoke clouds against cloudy sky
SpaceX Records Big Profits as Musk Hints at Possible Tesla Merger
October 21, 2026
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More from John Flesher
A road bisects a wetland on June 20, 2019, near Kulm, N.D. The Supreme Court has made it harder for the federal government to police water pollution. The decision from the court on Thursday, May 25, 2023, strips protections from wetlands that are isolated from larger bodies of water. It’s the second ruling in as many years in which a conservative majority has narrowed the reach of environmental regulations.
Energy
SCOTUS Limits Law Intended to Protect Wetlands
Industry and farm groups praised the ruling.
May 26, 2023
Water
Safety
Toxic PFAS Chemical Plume Detected in Green Bay
Scientists detected 17 different PFAS chemicals in the bay.
January 4, 2023
Oil titan BP reached a $2.75 million settlement Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, over air pollution from its largest refinery after environmentalists complained of repeated emissions violations at the Whiting facility in Indiana.
Operations
BP Reaches $2.75M Deal Over Indiana Refinery Pollution
The 133-year-old refinery processes around 440,000 barrels of crude oil daily.
September 16, 2022
Chemtool Fire Ap
Chemical Processing
Chemical Plant Defends Use of PFAS on Fire
They say crews took steps to contain the material.
June 24, 2021
Chemtool Fire Ap
Safety
Ill. Fire Extenguished with 'Forever Chemicals'
A private contractor sprayed the foam for about three hours Tuesday at the Chemtool Inc. factory.
June 18, 2021
This file photo shows an aboveground section of Enbridge's Line 5 at the Mackinaw City, Mich., pump station.
Laws & Regulations
Company Defies Michigan Governor's Order to Close Pipeline
Enbridge has been warned that continuing to operate the line would be trespassing — and that the state would claim its profits.
May 13, 2021
In this October 2016, file photo, is an aboveground section of Enbridge's Line 5 at the Mackinaw City, Mich., pump station. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is threatening to go after Enbridge's profits from a Great Lakes oil pipeline if it isn't shut down. The Democratic governor issued the warning Tuesday, May 11, 2021, in a letter to Enbridge, a Canadian oil transport company.
Energy
Mich. Gov. Threatens Profit Seizure if Pipeline Defies Shutdown
Enbridge repeated its intention to defy Whitmer's demand.
May 11, 2021
This June 2020, file photo shows damage to anchor support EP-17-1 on the east leg of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline within the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan.
Energy
Pipeline Disputes Raise US-Canada Tensions
Canada is warning of job losses, fuel shortages and traffic nightmares if millions of gallons of liquids transported daily through Line 5 are shifted to trucks and rail.
April 29, 2021
In this Dec. 13, 2019, file photo, thousands of snow geese take flight over a farm field at their winter grounds, in the Skagit Valley near Conway, Wash. The Biden administration on Monday, March 8, 2021, reversed a policy imposed under former President Donald Trump that drastically weakened the government's power to enforce a century-old law that protects most U.S. bird species. Trump ended criminal prosecutions against companies responsible for bird deaths that could have been prevented.
Laws & Regulations
Biden Revokes Trump Bird Policy
Trump ended criminal prosecutions against companies responsible for bird deaths that could have been prevented.
March 9, 2021
This July 19, 2002, file photo, shows the Mackinac Bridge that spans the Straits of Mackinac from Mackinaw City, Mich. Michigan's environmental agency said Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, it had approved construction of an underground tunnel to house a replacement for a controversial oil pipeline in a channel linking two of the Great Lakes.
Energy
Michigan Approves Great Lakes Oil Pipeline Tunnel Permits
The tunnel “will make a safe pipeline even safer,” a spokesperson said.
January 29, 2021
This Oct. 20, 2008 file photo shows, one of many signs that have popped up in yards, on trees and along roads in the Lake Township, Mich., section of Menominee County, where the proposed Aquila Resources Inc. mine would be located. Administrative Law Judge Daniel Pulter has overruled state regulators who granted a permit required for construction of the open-pit mine in the Upper Peninsula, in a decision released Monday. Jan. 4, 2021, creating another delay for a project that has been debated for nearly two decades.
Energy
MI Judge Invalidates Crucial Mine Permit
It's another setback for a project that's been debated nearly two decades.
January 5, 2021
Shot from a television screen shows damage to anchor support EP-17-1 on the east leg of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline within the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan.
Energy
Opposition Team Criticizes Enbridge Plans for Oil Tunnel
Two geologists say they found numerous shortcomings with the company's proposals.
September 29, 2020
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Laws & Regulations
New Rule May Strip Pollution Protections from Popular Lakes
A little-noticed provision classifies cooling ponds as parts of waste treatment systems.
September 28, 2020
Shot from a television screen provided by the Michigan Department of Environment.
Energy
Pipeline Tunnel Supporters, Foes Clash Before Mich. Panel
The proposed Great Lakes tunnel would be drilled beneath the Straits of Mackinac.
August 25, 2020
New Hampshire Rep. Nancy Murphy, D-Merrimack.
Laws & Regulations
Thousands Allowed to Bypass Environmental Rules in Pandemic
Governments eased enforcement over smokestacks, medical waste, sewage plants, oilfields and chemical plants.
August 24, 2020