Jun 24: The International Joint Commission (IJC) is inviting the public to comment on its proposed functions, structure and member competencies for its two advisory boards under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement 2012. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement 2012 directs the Commission to create a Great Lakes Water Quality Board (WQB) to be its principal advisor, and a Great Lakes Science Advisory Board (SAB) to inform the Commission and the WQB on scientific issues related to the Agreement. In keeping with the Commission's view that transparency and public input are valuable to guide its decisions, the Commission is giving the public an opportunity to comment on the proposed detailed functions (i.e., mandate), structure and the competencies required for membership on these two boards. The detailed functions proposed by the Commission are subject to the approval of the two federal governments. The public has 30 days to review and comment. Comments will be accepted until midnight July 24, 2013.
IJC indicates in a release that the United States and Canada are extraordinarily fortunate to share the Great Lakes, a world-class resource containing one-fifth of all the fresh surface water on earth. The importance of this international treasure was recognized over 40 years ago when the United States and Canada first signed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, committing our two countries to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem. An updated Agreement was signed in 2012 and went into force earlier this year and provides a new set of goals that will guide future actions to protect and restore this vital asset.
Access a release from IJC (click here). Access the consultation materials and provide comments (click here). [#GLakes]
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