John Flesher

AP Environmental Writer

Smiling man wearing PRIMARY branded black jacket at indoor event or trade show

Is the Gig Economy Coming for Manufacturing?

October 7, 2026

Industrial facility tour with group in orange safety uniforms on yellow metal stairs and platforms

First Magnet-Grade High-Purity Iron Plant Opens in Texas

October 9, 2026

Worker operating blue industrial drum lifter with safety equipment for material handling

Power-Propelled Drum Handlers Help Operators Move, Lift, Position, Weigh and Pour Drums

October 8, 2026

Hyundai Transys modern corporate headquarters building with glass facade and landscaped grounds under blue sky

Hyundai Affiliate's $560M Georgia Expansion to Include New Plant

October 8, 2026

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.

SCOTUS Limits Law Intended to Protect Wetlands

Industry and farm groups praised the ruling.

May 26, 2023

Water

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.

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 Plant Defends Use of PFAS on Fire

They say crews took steps to contain the material.

June 24, 2021

Chemtool Fire Ap

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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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.

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.

Thousands Allowed to Bypass Environmental Rules in Pandemic

Governments eased enforcement over smokestacks, medical waste, sewage plants, oilfields and chemical plants.

August 24, 2020