Jul 28: The slides from the presentations being given by the U.S. EPA at the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Stakeholder Meetings [See WIMS 7/14/09] are now available online. The slides provide background information about the Great Lakes, the Initiative, Proposed Programs for implementation in Fiscal Year 2010, and the Great Lakes Multi-Year Action Plan Outline (Fiscal Years 2010 thru 2014). The Great Lakes Multi-Year Restoration Action Plan Outline is also available at the link below and stakeholder feedback may be submitted until by August 19, 2009 online.
Access the presentation slides (click here). Access the GLRI Action Plan (click here). Access the GLRI website for links to additional information and background (click here).
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Eleven Soil Erosion & Sediment Control Grants
Jul 23: The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) recently announced eleven grants totaling almost $300,000 were recently announced by the Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control. The awards went to applicants in six of the eight Great Lakes states and were selected by GLC's Sediment Task Force from 84 applications received during this year’s application cycle. Over $2 million was requested by 84 applicants but budget constraints limited total funding.
Basin Program grant awards included $30,000 to the Ullr Mountain Gully Erosion and Sediment Control Project in Grand Marais, MN; $35,000 to the Menomonee River Erosion Control Project in Milwaukee, WI; $30,000 to the Silver Creek Super Project in Grayling, MI; $12,459 to the St. Joseph River Watershed Soil Erosion/Sediment Control Project in Hillsdale, MI; $29, 891 to research on “Stabilizing Nutrient-Rich Cropland with Cover Crops and Targeted Zone-Tillage” by Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI; $30,000 to the “Cover it Green” project in Norwalk, OH; $10,500 to Lorain County Erosion and Sediment Control in Elyria, OH; $30,000 to Cascade Creek Watershed Improvements in Erie, PA; $30,000 to Eighteenmile Creek Streambank Restoration and Erosion Control in East Aurora, NY; $30,000 to the Genesee River Watershed Soil Erosion Control Project in Rochester, NY; and $24,200 to the St. Lawrence and Franklin County Ag Soil Erosion Sediment project in Canton, NY.
Access an announcement from GLC and link to further details on the projects (click here). Access the GLC Soil Erosion and Sediment Control program website for more information (click here).
Basin Program grant awards included $30,000 to the Ullr Mountain Gully Erosion and Sediment Control Project in Grand Marais, MN; $35,000 to the Menomonee River Erosion Control Project in Milwaukee, WI; $30,000 to the Silver Creek Super Project in Grayling, MI; $12,459 to the St. Joseph River Watershed Soil Erosion/Sediment Control Project in Hillsdale, MI; $29, 891 to research on “Stabilizing Nutrient-Rich Cropland with Cover Crops and Targeted Zone-Tillage” by Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI; $30,000 to the “Cover it Green” project in Norwalk, OH; $10,500 to Lorain County Erosion and Sediment Control in Elyria, OH; $30,000 to Cascade Creek Watershed Improvements in Erie, PA; $30,000 to Eighteenmile Creek Streambank Restoration and Erosion Control in East Aurora, NY; $30,000 to the Genesee River Watershed Soil Erosion Control Project in Rochester, NY; and $24,200 to the St. Lawrence and Franklin County Ag Soil Erosion Sediment project in Canton, NY.
Access an announcement from GLC and link to further details on the projects (click here). Access the GLC Soil Erosion and Sediment Control program website for more information (click here).
Thursday, July 23, 2009
$5 Million RFP For Atmospheric Deposition Network Operations
Jul 22: U.S. EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) is requesting applications for an estimated $5 million in funding over five years for the management and operation of the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network (IADN) and to potentially conduct additional special studies and enhancements to IADN. Applications for the funding are due by August 17, 2009 by midnight, CDT.
GLNPO expects to make funding available for the management and operation of IADN October 1, 2009, to September 30, 2014, and for potential additional special studies and enhancements to IADN. EPA is requesting that applicants submit applications for up to $760,000 for Year 1, followed by four more years of funding, adjusted roughly for inflation, for an estimated total of up to $5 million over five years.
IADN is called for in Annex 15 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) and the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. IADN is a binational cooperative effort between EPA and Environment Canada aimed at estimating atmospheric deposition of Persistent, Bioaccumulative, Toxic substances (PBTs) to the Great Lakes. It is used as a platform for conducting research, monitoring, and surveillance activities to assess the atmospheric deposition of PBTs to the Great Lakes. IADN presently collects data on the deposition of toxic pollutants (PCBs, PBDEs, organochlorine pesticides, and PAHs) to the Great Lakes at 15 sites (5 in the U.S.) through wet and dry deposition and gas exchange.
Access links to the complete application and related background information (click here).
GLNPO expects to make funding available for the management and operation of IADN October 1, 2009, to September 30, 2014, and for potential additional special studies and enhancements to IADN. EPA is requesting that applicants submit applications for up to $760,000 for Year 1, followed by four more years of funding, adjusted roughly for inflation, for an estimated total of up to $5 million over five years.
IADN is called for in Annex 15 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) and the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. IADN is a binational cooperative effort between EPA and Environment Canada aimed at estimating atmospheric deposition of Persistent, Bioaccumulative, Toxic substances (PBTs) to the Great Lakes. It is used as a platform for conducting research, monitoring, and surveillance activities to assess the atmospheric deposition of PBTs to the Great Lakes. IADN presently collects data on the deposition of toxic pollutants (PCBs, PBDEs, organochlorine pesticides, and PAHs) to the Great Lakes at 15 sites (5 in the U.S.) through wet and dry deposition and gas exchange.
Access links to the complete application and related background information (click here).
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
$1.2 million For Two Clean Diesel Great Lakes Marine Vessels
Jul 21: U.S. EPA Region 5 announced that it awarded more than $1.2 million to the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) to put cleaner diesel engines in two Great Lakes self-unloading bulk carrier marine vessels. Bharat Mathur, acting regional administrator said, "Investing in clean diesel projects in the Great Lakes region will protect public health, bolster the economy and create green jobs.These Recovery Act funds will move us one step closer to a clean energy future."
The funds are provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. Under this funding competition, EPA Region 5 alone received 81 grant applications requesting $211 million to help fund clean diesel emissions projects. The announced awards were chosen to maximize both economic impact and emissions reductions. ARRA allotted the National Clean Diesel Campaign a total of $300 million, of which the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program received $156 million to fund competitive grants across the nation. ARRA also included $20 million for the National Clean Diesel Emerging Technology Program grants and $30 million for the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program grants. In addition, under the Act's State Clean Diesel Grant program, a total of $88.2 million has been provided to states for clean diesel projects through a noncompetitive allocation process.
According to a release from GLC, four 30-year-old generators on two Great Lakes bulk carriers will be repowered next winter with cleaner, more fuel-efficient diesel engines with help from a $1.2 million federal stimulus grant recently awarded to the Great Lakes Commission. The grant will support a $1.6 million project to be carried out at a Wisconsin shipyard on two self-unloading vessels owned and operated by the American Steamship Company (ASC) of Williamsville, NY. The 900-horsepower diesel generator sets, two on each vessel, were original equipment on the 770-foot M/V St. Clair built in 1976 and the 1,000-foot M/V Indiana Harbor built in 1979. The units are used to supply electrical power to the vessels. The two ASC vessels operate primarily in the iron ore, coal and stone trades between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes.
Access a release from EPA with links to more information on ARRA and the clean diesel initiatives (click here). Access a release from GLC with further details on the project (click here).
The funds are provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. Under this funding competition, EPA Region 5 alone received 81 grant applications requesting $211 million to help fund clean diesel emissions projects. The announced awards were chosen to maximize both economic impact and emissions reductions. ARRA allotted the National Clean Diesel Campaign a total of $300 million, of which the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program received $156 million to fund competitive grants across the nation. ARRA also included $20 million for the National Clean Diesel Emerging Technology Program grants and $30 million for the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program grants. In addition, under the Act's State Clean Diesel Grant program, a total of $88.2 million has been provided to states for clean diesel projects through a noncompetitive allocation process.
According to a release from GLC, four 30-year-old generators on two Great Lakes bulk carriers will be repowered next winter with cleaner, more fuel-efficient diesel engines with help from a $1.2 million federal stimulus grant recently awarded to the Great Lakes Commission. The grant will support a $1.6 million project to be carried out at a Wisconsin shipyard on two self-unloading vessels owned and operated by the American Steamship Company (ASC) of Williamsville, NY. The 900-horsepower diesel generator sets, two on each vessel, were original equipment on the 770-foot M/V St. Clair built in 1976 and the 1,000-foot M/V Indiana Harbor built in 1979. The units are used to supply electrical power to the vessels. The two ASC vessels operate primarily in the iron ore, coal and stone trades between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes.
Access a release from EPA with links to more information on ARRA and the clean diesel initiatives (click here). Access a release from GLC with further details on the project (click here).
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Restoration Initiative Interagency Funding Guide
Jul 20: In connection with U.S. EPA's recently announced Great Lakes Restoration Initiative meetings and comment opportunities on the Multi-Year Restoration Action Plan Outline [See WIMS 7/14/09], the Initiative has also released an Interagency Funding Guide, developed in order to provide one-stop-shopping for applicants interested in applying for over $250 million in grants and project agreements which would be expected to be available through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (if the full $475 million for the Initiative is appropriated). The comment period on the Restoration Plan extends until August 19.
These grants and project agreements are intended to jump-start achievement of the Initiative’s long term goals: safely eating the fish and swimming at our beaches, assuring safe drinking water, and providing a healthy ecosystem for fish and wildlife.
Access the Interagency Funding Guide (click here). Access the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative website with links to plan documents, commenting instructions and related information (click here).
These grants and project agreements are intended to jump-start achievement of the Initiative’s long term goals: safely eating the fish and swimming at our beaches, assuring safe drinking water, and providing a healthy ecosystem for fish and wildlife.
Access the Interagency Funding Guide (click here). Access the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative website with links to plan documents, commenting instructions and related information (click here).
Monday, July 20, 2009
U-M Article: Great Lakes Amazing Ecological Transformation
Jul 16: The current edition of Michigan Today, an online magazine for University of Michigan (U-M) alumni includes a magazine-length story and slide show about the diporeia project. According to researchers, the Great Lakes are in the midst of a "remarkable ecological transformation, driven largely by the blitzkrieg advance of two closely related species of non-native mussels." Though the zebra mussel is better known to the public, over the past decade it has largely been displaced in Lake Michigan by the quagga mussel, which can thrive far from shore in deep, mud-bottomed waters. David Jude, a research scientist at the U-M's School of Natural Resources and Environment said, "Fundamental, amazing change is happening in the Great Lakes right now, and it's being propagated throughout the food web, from the bottom up."
Recently, Jude and several colleagues cruised Lake Michigan aboard the 80-foot R/V Laurentian, investigating the links between the invasive mussels' spread and the recent sharp decline of a tiny, shrimplike creature called diporeia. The algae-feeder has for millennia been one of the pillars supporting the base of the Great Lakes food web. According to a release, "The study of diporeia's decline is no esoteric academic pursuit. Nearly every fish species in the Great Lakes feeds on diporeia at some point in its life cycle. The diporeia downturn is already impacting Great Lakes commercial fisheries and a sport-fishing enterprise valued at more than $4 billion per year."
Jude, a fishery biologist who has studied the Great Lakes for more than 30 years said, "A decade ago, there were no quagga mussels in Lake Michigan. Now you can find them across the entire lake, and this invasion has happened faster than anyone thought it would. We're really grappling with some of the changes that are going on in the Great Lakes as a result. We're going to lose a big chunk of that sport fishery. That will have a tremendous economic impact and will result in dramatic changes to the fisheries people have relied on in the past."
Access a release and link to the article, a video and pictures (click here).
Recently, Jude and several colleagues cruised Lake Michigan aboard the 80-foot R/V Laurentian, investigating the links between the invasive mussels' spread and the recent sharp decline of a tiny, shrimplike creature called diporeia. The algae-feeder has for millennia been one of the pillars supporting the base of the Great Lakes food web. According to a release, "The study of diporeia's decline is no esoteric academic pursuit. Nearly every fish species in the Great Lakes feeds on diporeia at some point in its life cycle. The diporeia downturn is already impacting Great Lakes commercial fisheries and a sport-fishing enterprise valued at more than $4 billion per year."
Jude, a fishery biologist who has studied the Great Lakes for more than 30 years said, "A decade ago, there were no quagga mussels in Lake Michigan. Now you can find them across the entire lake, and this invasion has happened faster than anyone thought it would. We're really grappling with some of the changes that are going on in the Great Lakes as a result. We're going to lose a big chunk of that sport fishery. That will have a tremendous economic impact and will result in dramatic changes to the fisheries people have relied on in the past."
Access a release and link to the article, a video and pictures (click here).
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Groups Remind Of Great Lakes 2009 Meetings
Jul 14: The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, consisting of more than 100 environmental, conservation, outdoor recreation organizations, zoos, aquariums and museums representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes, issued a release reminding of the upcoming public comment meetings on the State of the Great Lakes 2009 report [See WIMS 6/19/09].
Jeff Skelding, campaign director for the HOW Coalition said, “This report clearly shows the need for Congress to act to restore the Great Lakes. Toxic pollution, invasive species and climate change threaten not only our health and quality of life, but the region’s economy. The U.S. House and Senate can advance Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery by fully funding the $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.” President Obama this year introduced a $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative [See WIMS 6/29/09], which has been passed in Senate committee and the full House of Representatives.
Next week, the EPA will kick-off a series of public comment sessions in the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to examine the initiative. The hearing schedule is: July 21, Milwaukee, WI; July 22, Chicago, IL; July 23, Merrilville, IN; July 27, Cleveland, OH; July 28, Erie, PA; July 29, Rochester, MI; August 3, Lansing, MI; and August 4, Duluth, MN.
Access an announcement from HOW and link to additional information and meeting specifics (click here). Access the Great Lakes Restoration website for more information (click here).
Jeff Skelding, campaign director for the HOW Coalition said, “This report clearly shows the need for Congress to act to restore the Great Lakes. Toxic pollution, invasive species and climate change threaten not only our health and quality of life, but the region’s economy. The U.S. House and Senate can advance Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery by fully funding the $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.” President Obama this year introduced a $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative [See WIMS 6/29/09], which has been passed in Senate committee and the full House of Representatives.
Next week, the EPA will kick-off a series of public comment sessions in the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to examine the initiative. The hearing schedule is: July 21, Milwaukee, WI; July 22, Chicago, IL; July 23, Merrilville, IN; July 27, Cleveland, OH; July 28, Erie, PA; July 29, Rochester, MI; August 3, Lansing, MI; and August 4, Duluth, MN.
Access an announcement from HOW and link to additional information and meeting specifics (click here). Access the Great Lakes Restoration website for more information (click here).
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
NWF Report On Great Lakes Wetlands
Jul 8: A new report by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) illustrates how gaps in state and Federal policy threaten Great Lakes wetlands. Marc Smith, state policy manager for NWF's Great Lakes Regional Center said, “Great Lakes wetlands remain threatened. States play a vital role in protecting our wetlands, water quality and economy -- and this report illustrates that they can be doing more. Successful restoration of our Great Lakes depends on the protection and restoration of the region’s wetlands.”
The report examines state wetland policies in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota. It assesses how well each state is protecting wetlands, identifies the barriers to better protection, and offers recommendations for improvement. According to the report, state efforts to protect and restore wetlands are hampered by incomplete wetland inventories, inadequate staffing, insufficient public engagement, and a lack of priorities to protect and restore wetlands.
Gaps in state law also undermine protection efforts. Exemptions which allow for the destruction of wetlands are generally not tracked by state agencies. Further, the quality of wetland mitigation projects is not often tracked, allowing for the destruction of high quality wetlands that are replaced with wetlands of less value to people and wildlife. The report notes that one acre of wetlands provides $10,573 of ecosystem services, according to recent estimates. Great Lakes wetlands are threatened by development. The region has lost more than 50 percent of its historic wetlands. Some coastal areas have lost more than 95 percent of wetlands.
Access a release with comments from the states (click here). Access links to the complete 114-page report and a summary (click here).
The report examines state wetland policies in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota. It assesses how well each state is protecting wetlands, identifies the barriers to better protection, and offers recommendations for improvement. According to the report, state efforts to protect and restore wetlands are hampered by incomplete wetland inventories, inadequate staffing, insufficient public engagement, and a lack of priorities to protect and restore wetlands.
Gaps in state law also undermine protection efforts. Exemptions which allow for the destruction of wetlands are generally not tracked by state agencies. Further, the quality of wetland mitigation projects is not often tracked, allowing for the destruction of high quality wetlands that are replaced with wetlands of less value to people and wildlife. The report notes that one acre of wetlands provides $10,573 of ecosystem services, according to recent estimates. Great Lakes wetlands are threatened by development. The region has lost more than 50 percent of its historic wetlands. Some coastal areas have lost more than 95 percent of wetlands.
Access a release with comments from the states (click here). Access links to the complete 114-page report and a summary (click here).
5th Annual Great Lakes Restoration Conference
Jul 7: The Healing Our Waters - Great Lakes Coalition 5th Annual Great Lakes Restoration Conference will take place September 10-12, in Duluth, MN at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Downtown Waterfront. The Coalition will reunite with friends, celebrate successes, and develop strategies to achieve the Great Lakes restoration goals for 2010 and beyond. The conference agenda will address critical issues such as linking Great Lakes restoration to economic recovery, working with the Obama administration to fulfill the $5 billion Great Lakes commitment, and securing Congressional funding for on the ground restoration work.
Access details and online registration (click here).
Access details and online registration (click here).
Rep. Stupak's Great Lakes Compact Resolution
Jun 23: U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) introduced a resolution, H. Res. 551, in the U.S. House of Representatives which he says is designed to clarify that in ratifying the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Compact last fall, Congress expressly prohibited Great Lakes water from being sold, diverted or exported outside of the Great Lakes basin. When the Great Lakes Compact was considered in the U.S. House in September 2008, Stupak raised concerns that the wording of the compact was not strong enough to protect against water diversions through privatization, commercialization and exportation. Because his concerns were not addressed, Stupak opposed ratification of the compact [See WIMS 11/19/08].
Representative Stupak said, "I continue to have concerns that the Great Lakes Compact is not strong enough to protect the Great Lakes against diversions through privatization, commercialization and exportation. There is no question that Congress intended for the compact to protect Great Lakes water but the wording of the compact leaves some question. That is why I have introduced this resolution to put Congress on record in opposition to the exploitation of Great Lakes waters. While the potential removal of millions of gallons of Great Lakes water in the form of bottled water is alarming, of much greater concern is a potential trade dispute between the United States and any multi-national corporation or foreign government interested in diverting our water. The Great Lakes make up the largest body of freshwater in the world. We owe it to the people of Michigan and the entire Great Lakes Basin to ensure that Great Lakes Compact preserves and protects the quality and quantity of Great Lakes water.”
In a release, Stupak said the intent of the Great Lakes Compact, when Michigan and the seven other Great Lakes states began crafting the agreement more than seven years ago, was to protect Great Lakes water from large-scale diversions. He said he has continually raised concerns over the compact’s so-called "bottled water loophole." He said he is troubled by the prospect of passing legislation that would treat Great Lakes water as a "product" that could then be subject to international trade laws [See WIMS 9/26/08 & 9/23/08]. Stupak represents Michigan’s First Congressional District, which has more shoreline -- 1,613 miles -- than any other congressional district in the continental United States and is the only congressional district in the nation to border three of the five Great Lakes -- Superior, Michigan and Huron.
Access a release from Rep. Stupak (click here). Access legislative details for H.R. 551 (click here).
Representative Stupak said, "I continue to have concerns that the Great Lakes Compact is not strong enough to protect the Great Lakes against diversions through privatization, commercialization and exportation. There is no question that Congress intended for the compact to protect Great Lakes water but the wording of the compact leaves some question. That is why I have introduced this resolution to put Congress on record in opposition to the exploitation of Great Lakes waters. While the potential removal of millions of gallons of Great Lakes water in the form of bottled water is alarming, of much greater concern is a potential trade dispute between the United States and any multi-national corporation or foreign government interested in diverting our water. The Great Lakes make up the largest body of freshwater in the world. We owe it to the people of Michigan and the entire Great Lakes Basin to ensure that Great Lakes Compact preserves and protects the quality and quantity of Great Lakes water.”
In a release, Stupak said the intent of the Great Lakes Compact, when Michigan and the seven other Great Lakes states began crafting the agreement more than seven years ago, was to protect Great Lakes water from large-scale diversions. He said he has continually raised concerns over the compact’s so-called "bottled water loophole." He said he is troubled by the prospect of passing legislation that would treat Great Lakes water as a "product" that could then be subject to international trade laws [See WIMS 9/26/08 & 9/23/08]. Stupak represents Michigan’s First Congressional District, which has more shoreline -- 1,613 miles -- than any other congressional district in the continental United States and is the only congressional district in the nation to border three of the five Great Lakes -- Superior, Michigan and Huron.
Access a release from Rep. Stupak (click here). Access legislative details for H.R. 551 (click here).
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