Michael Hawthorne

Michael Hawthorne is a Pulitzer-finalist investigative reporter who focuses on the environment and public health for the Chicago Tribune. A downstate Illinois native, Hawthorne joined the Tribune in 2004 after covering the environment and state government in Ohio, Illinois and Florida.

Study finds airborne concentrations of PFAS are higher near Chicago, other urban centers, but when carried by rain, urban and rural Great Lakes areas have consistent levels.

Environment |
Toxic forever chemicals are on the rise in Lake Michigan and have been detected in all of the Great Lakes

June 5, 2024 at 3:26 p.m.

Study finds airborne concentrations of PFAS are higher near Chicago, other urban centers, but when carried by rain, urban and rural Great Lakes areas have consistent levels.

Under contract until 2035 to buy a share of Prairie State's electricity and help pay off $5 billion in debt, towns are now being asked to extend to 2050.

Environment |
Naperville, St. Charles, Winnetka and dozens of other communities urged to double down on coal

May 28, 2024 at 12:14 p.m.

Under contract until 2035 to buy a share of Prairie State's electricity and help pay off $5 billion in debt, towns are now being asked to extend to 2050.

New regulations require coal-fired power plants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 90% and clamp down on toxic metals dumped into lakes and rivers.

Environment |
Biden administration aims to speed up the demise of coal-fired power plants

May 23, 2024 at 8:28 p.m.

New regulations require coal-fired power plants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 90% and clamp down on toxic metals dumped into lakes and rivers.

Biden EPA declares two forever chemicals are hazardous, making it easier to force polluters to pay for toxic waste cleanups

April 20, 2024 at 3:57 p.m.

For the first time polluters could be forced to clean up sites contaminated with a pair of forever chemicals that build up in human blood, cause cancer and other diseases...

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin's bill also would attempt to prevent corporations from seeking protection under bankruptcy laws to avoid lawsuits seeking compensation for health damages.

Environment |
Legislation would ban most uses of toxic forever chemicals within a decade

April 18, 2024 at 5:06 p.m.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin's bill also would attempt to prevent corporations from seeking protection under bankruptcy laws to avoid lawsuits seeking compensation for health damages.

More than 100 million Americans are expected to benefit, including at least 660,000 in Illinois who get their drinking water from a utility that violates the new standards for PFAS.

Environment |
Biden EPA limits toxic forever chemicals in drinking water for the first time

April 10, 2024 at 4:21 p.m.

More than 100 million Americans are expected to benefit, including at least 660,000 in Illinois who get their drinking water from a utility that violates the new standards for PFAS.

Regulations would require commercial sterilization operations to reduce EtO emissions by 90%, largely by installing pollution-control equipment already required in Illinois.

Environment |
EPA moves to set stricter rules for Sterigenics, other sterilization companies using cancer-causing ethylene oxide

March 14, 2024 at 6:19 p.m.

Regulations would require commercial sterilization operations to reduce EtO emissions by 90%, largely by installing pollution-control equipment already required in Illinois.

Nearly 300,000 Illinoisans rely on utilities where PFAS in well water exceed the state's proposed standards, according to a Chicago Tribune analysis.

Environment |
Illinois moves to limit toxic forever chemicals contaminating wells throughout the state

March 8, 2024 at 11:17 a.m.

Nearly 300,000 Illinoisans rely on utilities where PFAS in well water exceed the state's proposed standards, according to a Chicago Tribune analysis.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration vowed Friday to take a more rigorous look at polluters before allowing them to operate or expand in low-income communities.

Illinois agrees to tougher oversight of polluters in low-income communities, resolving civil rights complaint about Chicago scrap shredder

February 23, 2024 at 10:13 p.m.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration vowed Friday to take a more rigorous look at polluters before allowing them to operate or expand in low-income communities.

Studies have determined that reducing soot pollution would particularly benefit low-income Black and Latino communities near highways, railways and industrial facilities.

Environment |
EPA’s proposed limits on soot would lead to cleaner factories and vehicles in Chicago and other cities

February 7, 2024 at 11:40 a.m.

Studies have determined that reducing soot pollution would particularly benefit low-income Black and Latino communities near highways, railways and industrial facilities.

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