Friday, July 31, 2015

GAO Report: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Improved Data Collection and Reporting Would Enhance Oversight

<> GAO Report: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Improved Data Collection and Reporting Would Enhance Oversight - GAO-15-526, Published: Jul 21, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 30, 2015. This, 100-page report examines the (1) amount of federal funds made available for the GLRI and expended for projects; (2) process the Task Force used to identify GLRI work and funding; and (3) information available about GLRI project activities and results.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Asian Carp makes way into Lake Ontario

<> Asian Carp makes way into Lake Ontario - Ontario officials said in a statement that Asian carp, which is considered as the vanquishers of native aquatic species, has been recently found into Lake Ontario. 

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

NWF to Sue DOT over Oil Pipeline Oversight Failures

<> NWF to Sue DOT over Oil Pipeline Oversight Failures - The National Wildlife Federation filed a notice of intent to sue the U.S Department of Transportation for the agency's failure in regulating oil pipelines -- the notice of intent to sue is the first legal action in the effort to protect the Great Lakes from two pipelines under the Straits of Mackinac 

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Rising Lake Erie damages property, swallows beaches

<> Rising Lake Erie damages property, swallows beaches - Its depth ballooned in June and July because of as much as 400 percent more rainfall in some areas of the Great Lakes watershed this spring and summer.

Monday, July 27, 2015

Great Lakes Fishery Commission Advisors Call For Strengthening Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Funding

<> Great Lakes Fishery Commission Advisors Call For Strengthening Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Funding - The U.S. and Canadian Advisors to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission passed a resolution urging Congress to create legislation permanently establishing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) as a funded program -- they also called upon the Government of Canada to increase its commitment to Great Lakes restoration, commensurate with the U.S. initiative.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Regional commissions seek funding for aggressive Asian carp protection

<> Regional commissions seek funding for aggressive Asian carp protection -Protecting the Great Lakes from Asian carp and other aquatic nuisance species is a top priority for regional stakeholders, and the President's budget should reflect this sense of urgency -- the message was conveyed this week to President Obama in a joint letter from the Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission urging funding for a robust and aggressive program to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp in the FY 2017 federal budget, now being prepared.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

COMMENTARY: Waukesha has alternatives to Lake Michigan water

<> COMMENTARY: Waukesha has alternatives to Lake Michigan water - Waukesha's reliance on state planning laws to justify a request that has neither the best interest of its residents nor the Great Lakes region at heart is irresponsible at best.

Friday, July 17, 2015

COMMENTARY: "It's the manure, stupid"

<> COMMENTARY: "It's the manure, stupid" - Sandy Bihn, of Lake Erie Waterkeeper, says the core problem with toxic algae in Lake Erie is animal waste -- there is no legal TMDL — total maximum daily load — set for manure -- we need a TMDL, then we need to enforce it. [second of 2 parts]

Thursday, July 16, 2015

2015 Briefing Recap: Asian Carp Framework 2015

<> 2015 Briefing Recap: Asian Carp Framework 2015 - NEMWI hosted a Capitol Hill briefing on June 30, 2015, on monitoring, management, and research related to combating Asian Carp in the Great lakes, Ohio River, and Upper Mississippi River Basins. 

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

A Bad Year for Lake Erie

<> A Bad Year for Lake Erie - Donald Scavia, University of Michigan discusses ways to predict how ecosystems will react to changing environmental conditions -- the emerging tools, if used effectively, can help reduce pollution to our waterways -- i.e. forecasting dead zone and toxic algae 

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Corps of Engineers to conduct treatment of hydrilla in the Erie Canal

<> Corps of Engineers to conduct treatment of hydrilla in the Erie Canal - To control and eradicate the aggressive aquatic plant hydrilla, (Hydrilla verticillata) present in Tonawanda Creek/Erie Canal, New York the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District will conduct a treatment with the aquatic herbicide, endothall (Aquathol K) in the Erie Canal -- Hydrilla is a highly invasive aquatic plant species

Monday, July 13, 2015

NOAA and Partners Issue Fourth Seasonal Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast

<> NOAA and Partners Issue Fourth Seasonal Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast - The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) issued its fourth seasonal harmful algal bloom (HAB) forecast for western Lake Erie at an all-day press event at The Ohio State University's Stone Laboratory on July 9, 2015 -- the forecast predicts a severe bloom for this summer, with the potential to equal or exceed 2013's bloom.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Monday, July 6, 2015

Scott Walker signs bill banning microbeads

<> Scott Walker signs bill banning microbeads - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed legislation on Wednesday that bans manufacturers from using tiny plastic beads in products after studies showed they are turning up in the Great Lakes and other waterways.

  • Senate Bill 15, 2015 Wisconsin Act 43 - An Act to amend 299.97 (1); and to create 299.50 of the statutes; Relating to: the manufacture and acceptance for sale of products containing microbeads.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Great Lakes line 5 oil pipeline safety study nears

<> Great Lakes line 5 oil pipeline safety study nears - The Great Lakes Petroleum Pipeline Task Force, a high-level state panel, is poised to release a long-awaited report on the safety of Line 5, a 62-year-old pipeline that transports up to 540,000 barrels of oil a day across a deep, 8-kilometer-wide (5-mile-wide) strait at the top of Lake Michigan

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee Releases 2015 Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework

<> Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee Releases 2015 Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework - The release of the 2015 Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework outlines the steps federal, state, and provincial partners will take in the fight again Asian carp.