Stay out of the scum, warns NOAA's latest bulletin on Lake Erie's Harmful Algal Bloom

<> Stay out of the scum, warns NOAA's latest bulletin on Lake Erie's Harmful Algal Bloom - Lake Erie's annual summer bloom is underway, and it's shaping up to be one of the most severe in the past decade.

'All hands on deck' Enbridge oil spill drill planned for Mackinac straits

Subscribers Note: WIMS will be on summer break for the next two weeks. We will resume publication on August 31, 2015.   During the break you can stay on top of many news events and issues with our WIMS Environmental News Blogs which are continuously, automatically updated with the latest news and information from various WIMS sources.   White House News   Congressional News   Federal Agencies News   Industry News   Enviro Group News   Air Quality News   Hazardous Waste News   Transportation News

 

<> 'All hands on deck' Enbridge oil spill drill planned for Mackinac straits - The "mother of all exercises" to gauge Enbridge Inc.'s ability to respond to an oil spill under the Mackinac straits will happen next month -- Sept. 22-25 and involve hundreds of responders, more than a dozen boats, multiple helicopters, drones, underwater vehicles, wave gliders and other equipment designed to gauge real-time wind, wave and current data in the heavily trafficked waterway.

Halting Asian carp advance 'stymied' by Illinois interests, says MI senator

<> Halting Asian carp advance 'stymied' by Illinois interests, says MI senator - "There's just not the same sense of urgency," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow. "We're stymied because we can't get support, frankly, from Illinois or Chicago. Their senators and representatives won't support doing something."

Activists: 62-Year-Old Pipeline Poses Threat to Straits of Mackinac

<> Activists: 62-Year-Old Pipeline Poses Threat to Straits of Mackinac - Two aging pipelines carry 20 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas a day under the Straights of Mackinac -- if you shut them off on both sides of the bridge, you still have 325,000 gallons in each of those lines that could spill. . .

MI Senator Stabenow Announces Legislation to Require International Review of Canadian Plans to Store Nuclear Waste on Great Lakes

<> MI Senator Stabenow Announces Legislation to Require International Review of Canadian Plans to Store Nuclear Waste on Great Lakes - U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow announced legislation -- Stop Nuclear Waste by Our Lakes Act -- to require the State Department to invoke the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 and mandate that the International Joint Commission (IJC) study the risks to the Great from the proposed Canadian nuclear waste site on Lake Huron -- the measure is a companion resolution to one introduced by Congressman Dan Kildee (D-MI) in the U.S. House.

Funding Opportunity: Coalition Grants Available

<> Funding Opportunity: Coalition Grants Available - The Healing Our Waters- Great Lakes Coalition and Freshwater Future are pleased to offer a new round of funding specific to the Eastern Lake Michigan watershed -- funding of up to $15,000 is available on a first-come, first-served basis, to help groups prepare for federal Great Lakes restoration grants.

Senate Passes H.R. 212: Drinking Water Protection Act

<> Senate Passes H.R. 212: Drinking Water Protection Act - The bill which passed the House earlier, amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to provide for the assessment and management of the risk of algal toxins in drinking water, and for other purposes. Congressman Latta Applauds Senate Support Of H.R. 212 Senate Greenlights Latta Bill to Protect Great Lakes Drinking Water

Register: 11th Annual Great Lakes Restoration Conference

<> Register: 11th Annual Great Lakes Restoration Conference - Healing Our Waters - Great Lakes Coalition; September 29-October 1, 2015; Chicago, Illinois -- conference is again being held in collaboration with U.S. and Canadian federal environmental agencies, the International Joint Commission, the Great Lakes Commission, and many major funders in the region -- the collective gathering -- known as Great Lakes Week

Algae bloom, the sequel, spells big trouble for Lake Erie

<> Algae bloom, the sequel, spells big trouble for Lake Erie - Lake Erie's 2015 expected algae bloom, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned recently, could be "among the most severe in recent years" and rival that of 2011. NOAA: Lake Erie Harmful Algal Bloom Early Season Projection

HOW Coalition Says GAO Report Affirms GLRI Efforts

<> HOW Coalition Says GAO Report Affirms GLRI Efforts - The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition issued a release indicating that the recently released GAO report affirms that money spent on federal Great Lakes restoration efforts are in-line with goals of the program and need to continue." [see WIMS 7/31/15]