Collaborative research effort shows pollution top concern for citizens around Great Lakes

The Ford School joined a research team including faculty and graduate students from Ryerson University in Toronto and Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania to survey public opinion on issues related to the Great Lakes basin.

"The survey finds that water pollution remains the biggest environmental concern in the basin and that support varies markedly for different kinds of new energy options," says Professor Barry Rabe, director of the Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy. "Renewable energy development has a broader base of support than do oil, gas and nuclear sources."

The findings are presented in three reports: one focusing on environmental policy, another on wind energy, and a third on hydraulic fracturing. The team presented the findings on April 16th at the Wilson Center's Canada Institute in Washington, D.C.

Listen to metro-Detroit's April 21 WDET interview with Professor Rabe. For a full review of the conclusions of the survey, see the University News article. To see more of the ongoing research at the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, see their webpage.