Henry Henderson

Last week must have looked like a dismal week for the folks overseeing...

Lost in all the discussions of economic possibility from natural gas drilling in downstate Illinois are the economic and environmental liabilities of fracking.

Despite cavalier statements from boosters of this newly popular drilling technique -- made possible, in part, by pumping millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals...

It is official. Chicago is in the grips of the highest gas prices in its history. With that reality firmly shoved up our noses, you would think that lawmakers would do everything they can to help the...

After decades of pushing back against public fury, basic economics, and the...

Good news for human health and a clean energy economy out of Ohio yesterday: an announcement that FirstEnergy is closing units at six of the nastiest coal plants in the nation. Four of...

I was truly pleased to see President Obama visit with the beleaguered staff at the Environmental Protection Agency last week. Given the withering and unfair attacks launched at the EPA from some in Congress who would undo the protections that Americans have come to rely on for their health and...

This week sees the release of a very important book by visionary architect Jeanne Gang, Reverse Effect: Renewing Chicago’s Waterways. The book sprouts from the collaboration between Jeanne Gang, her excellent colleagues at Studio...

Chicago is filled with remnants of days gone by; buildings and infrastructure created to serve people and the economy, some still in service, some no longer used, and some serving a new purpose of helping us remember and focus on...

Illinois Senator Mark Kirk released the first of what is promised to be an annual “Report Card for Lake Michigan” this week. Senator Kirk is a long-time Great Lakes advocate, having targeted sewage management, beach water quality,...

At this time last year, I was a very unhappy man. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil were speeding down the Kalamazoo River towards the Great Lakes from southwest Michigan after a pipeline burst in the wee hours of...

When NRDC decided to open an office in Chicago, one  of the first issues that we tackled was the sorry state of the waterway system that runs through the glittering city’s heart. I am...

In recent weeks a couple of high-profile boat rides have been used to highlight giant problems facing this region. The first, a cruise taken by Illinois Senators Durbin and Kirk to...

This week, I cannot help but think back to one of the most infamous water pollution stories in Chicago’s history -- the Dave Mathews Band. You may remember that their tour bus emptied its toilet tanks into the...

Today is the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. To commemorate the disaster, and draw attention to the fact that the disaster continues to unfold for those living in Chernobyl, Jim Krantz has produced a powerful set of photographs, published as a book of images and essays entitled Homage:...

The success of Mayor Richard Daley's sustained campaign to make Chicago into a Global City has been an embrace of green policies to transform the city experience for residents and visitors alike. In Mayor Daley's Green Agenda, Chicago's environmental quality has not been marginal "decoration" or...

Sometimes those of us outside the Beltway need reminders about how the battles in DC impact...

More than two decades ago, a new mayor took the reins of...

We people are a forgetful bunch. We need reminders. Out of sight; out of mind. It’s why we pay attention to birthdays and anniversaries. We sometimes need a little calendar jolt to remind us of what is important. And the...

I have been struck by the flap over Rep. Fred Upton’s seemingly new take on utilities and climate change. Congressman Upton, a Michigan Republican who is taking over the House energy and commerce committee, is...

The Asian Carp Coordinating Committee put out their updated “control strategy framework” this afternoon. It is basically the playbook from which the Army Corps of Engineers, USEPA, and other governmental stakeholders are supposed to...