I have to side with Sen. Durbin on this one. And believe me, I don't side with him often. Continuing to allow the Badger to dump coal ash into the lake is a blatant disregard to public health and safety. The owners of Badgers have had ample opportunity to make it less polluting, and decided to make an end run around existing regulations. If you want your boat to keep running, retro-fit it to burn a cleaner fuel, or figure out a way to limit its emissions. But continuing to allow Badger to dump TONS of coal ash a day into the lake has to stop.

I agree Patty, the owners had plenty of time to come up with something else, other than dumping the coal in Lake Michigan. Instead of moving forward with one of those choices, they decided to sit and wait like a lot of companies and be bailed out. T

The historic value of this vessel and the immense economic impact its absence would create far outweigh any issues regarding continued use of its powerplant as-is. The above commenters may benefit from a bit of study- the coal ash is harmless fine sand, practically inert. Anyone opposing the continued operation of the Badger on the basis of its environmental impact should investigate the actual chemistry involved first. Should we also outlaw sport fishing and pleasure boating? These activities put chemicals in the Lakes that are actually harmful. I say issue the permit, and take a ride on the badger to celebrate!

In my opinion the Badger is part of history. I am almost 40 and can remember my first sail across the great lakes.I was only 2 years old. it also brings in revenue for our little town of Ludington. Why make something good go away when there is so much more pollution going into our lakes daily for instance the yachts and fishing boats.