Officials are searching in Lake Michigan for two suburban men who had been passengers on a boat Friday.

A man jumped into the water to swim about 2:30 p.m. near Whiting, Indiana, but began to struggle, leading another man to jump in to help him, said Conservation Officer Alex Neel of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Neither wore a life jacket.

A third man put on a life jacket and jumped in to help rescue them, but could not reach them. The three men became separated from the boat because of 2-to-5-foot waves caused by windy conditions, Neel said.

Officials found the boat, which had been carrying 12 people, including the three men who went into the water, Neel said.

Shortly after that, the man wearing the life jacket was rescued by the Coast Guard around two miles offshore, Neel said. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated and released.

The other two men remained missing Friday night. One is from Elk Grove Village, the other from Mount Prospect, according to Neel.

Officials suspended their search about 10 p.m., but plan to resume Saturday morning, he said.

DETROIT – Methane gas is leaking from Michigan landfills and it poses an environmental threat that goes far beyond our state.

But there’s good news: technology is already available to help fix the problem – it’s just not being used.

At 80 times the potency of carbon dioxide, methane is a potent greenhouse gas. A new study found significant methane leaks at landfills across the country, “including several in Michigan,” according to Katherine Blauvelt, campaign director with Industrious Labs, the nonprofit environmental group that conducted the study. Blauvelt told Local 4 her organization’s in-depth study of landfill methane leaks revealed significant discrepancies between what the landfill operators themselves reported versus what the EPA found.

In Michigan, there are about 60 landfills, and according to the federal Clean Air Act, landfills self-report methane leaks. The EPA is not required to inspect landfills, but occasionally the EPA does conduct landfill inspections. Industrious Labs reviewed numerous EPA landfill inspection reports- including for several Michigan landfills. The group discovered that the EPA found many methane leaks than the landfills reported to the agency.

For example, at Brent Run landfill in Montrose Township, the EPA found excessive methane leaks along with potentially cancer-causing hazardous air pollutants. And at Pine Tree Acres Landfill in Macomb County, an unannounced inspection by the EPA found failures of the landfill’s gas collection system and 19 excessive methane leaks.

The problem, according to Industrious Labs, is that federal rules for reporting leaking methane are seriously out-of-date. Landfills are only required to self-report the invisible methane leaks four times each year, using a handheld device.

Blauvelt offered a technical comparison: “I’d say the EPA standards are sort of like a Windows 2000 operating system.”

Carbon Mapper conducts airborne and satellite observation of methane leaks. The group documents the size and location of methane “plumes,” using special photography. Carbon Mapper’s documentation is available to the public; the group provides it for free to decision-makers.

“We can use known technologies to reduce these emissions. So why would we not want to do that,” Scarpelli said.

Landfills are the third biggest source of methane leaks in the U.S. Of all the environmental problems we face, Katherine Blauvelt says the issue of landfill methane leaks is “very solvable.” “It simply takes action by our federal regulators to make it happen,” she said. Local 4 emailed the EPA and asked whether the federal agency has plans to change anything it’s doing with regard to detecting landfill methane leaks. In response, the EPA said:

“Municipal Solid Waste Landfills are a primary focus of the National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative for mitigating climate change. By inspecting landfills, identifying excess emissions, and taking enforcement actions against noncompliant landfills, the Agency is reducing emissions in the sector. When EPA inspectors find exceedances of the surface methane standard during inspections, facilities are obligated to correct and re-monitor these exceedances according to the timelines under the landfills New Source Performance Standards.”

More information about EPA’s NECI plans can be found here.

Scientists who spoke with Local 4 said food waste is the number one cause of landfill methane, because it decays quickly, releasing methane in the process. Food waste makes up about 25 percent of everything that winds up in Michigan landfills.

Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith and his coaching staff have had plenty of difficulties since arriving in East Lansing. In addition to revamping the team’s roster after many players entered the transfer portal earlier this offseason, Coach Smith and his coaching staff eventually formed a formidable transfer portal class. 

Coach Smith’s ability to quickly make up for lost ground in the transfer portal was arguably the best example of the difficulties he and his coaching staff have faced this offseason. Michigan State’s eventual success in the transfer portal gives Michigan State a chance to be competitive this season. However, as his first season at the helm approaches, Coach Smith arguably has a more challenging obstacle: Michigan State’s schedule.

During his first season at Michigan State, Coach Smith will likely not face a more significant challenge than successfully navigating the team’s schedule. While his experience at Oregon State has prepared him for some of what to expect, he is undoubtedly facing more of a challenge in East Lansing than in Corvallis.

Grant Hughes of 247Sports recently ranked the hardest schedules in the Big Ten. Coach Smith and Michigan State had the fourth-most challenging schedule in the conference. The only teams Hughes ranked with a more difficult strength of schedule than Michigan State were Illinois, Washington, and Purdue.

Michigan State has home games against Ohio State, Iowa, Purdue, Indiana and Rutgers. It will also play Boston College, Maryland, Oregon, Illinois and Michigan on the road. Michigan State’s schedule is undoubtedly one of the toughest in the Big Ten and the country. 

Hughes noted that Michigan State plays three teams ranked in the preseason top five, which puts into perspective how difficult its schedule is this upcoming season. Not only does Michigan State play three teams ranked in the preseason top five, but they play those teams in five weeks.

“New head coach Jonathan Smith will face a trial by fire,” Hughes said. “Michigan State faces three of the four best teams in the Big Ten next season, and two of those games (Oregon and Michigan) are on the road. The Spartans could face upwards of five conference losses before the calendar hits November.”

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