Feb 16: Environmental organizations are warning that the public is at risk of being shut out of renegotiation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the landmark policy that, since 1972, has driven critical public health and water quality improvements in the region. In a letter sent to the governments three weeks ago [See WIMS 1/28/10], over 30 groups expressed concern that "this oversight would seriously undermine confidence in the final Agreement, depriving the governments of public input now and public support later." They said, to date, government negotiators have failed to acknowledge the letter and its recommendations.
John Jackson, Director of Clean Production and Toxics with Great Lakes United said, "Canada and the United States have created a process that stifles public involvement and shuts out constructive input. Ultimately, this will fail their citizens, fail the communities dependent on the lakes for their livelihood, and fail the Great Lakes themselves." The groups said in a release that the letter of concern was sent after the governments outlined steps for the renegotiation that would rush the process through by the end of the year. The first step of that process, a "governance" comment period, closed yesterday -- giving the public just a month's notice to offer input on a complex set of issues and no hint of what either nation is proposing.
In comments on governance issues submitted on February 15, to the governments, the groups argued that "if we fail to reform governance issues -- the rules and systems by which the U.S. and Canada and their agencies work together on Great Lakes challenges -- then our ability to make genuine progress on specific issues such as toxics, invasive species, and climate change will fall far short of what the lakes need." The groups said they are concerned that if this comment period is any example, the whole process of renegotiating the Agreement could fail. The Agreement has been renegotiated twice in the past and they point out that in each instance, public and scientific input has been critical in better defining the agreement's scope, and in setting strong obligations that have "dramatically improved the health of the Great Lakes." They cite, for example, in 1987, more than 30 citizen hearings were held across the region.
The letter to the governments included six recommendations to improve the process: (1) Release a draft government position or options paper on governance issues. (2) The release of the draft government position or options paper should set off a 60-day public comment period. (3) Once the governments have negotiated draft language on governance, release it again for a public comment period. (4) For the "issues" consultations, follow a process similar to recommendations 1-3, with the release of a draft position or options paper followed by a 60-day public comment period followed by another opportunity for comment after the governments have completed their first round of negotiations on the topic. (5) Compile a web-posted summary of comments received from public input at each stage of the consultations. (6) Release a final draft of the complete revised Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement for comment prior to completing negotiations and hold public hearings in both countries on this draft.
Access a release from the groups with links to more information on the recommendations and the letter (click here).
Jan 29: President Obama announced his intent to nominate Lana Pollack, as a Commissioner on the International Joint Commission (IJC). Pollack was the President of the Michigan Environmental Council (MEC) for 12 years through the end of 2008 and is a former Democratic Michigan State senator (1983-1994). The IJC has three commissioners each from the United States and Canada and is designed to facilitate cooperation, resource protection and resolve disputes and treaty enforcement over boundary waters including the Great Lakes between the two countries. It assists the two countries in the protection of the transboundary environment, including the implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the improvement of transboundary air quality
Pollack currently chairs the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board. She earned a BA in political science from the University of Michigan (U-M) in 1965, and an MA in Education from U-M in 1970. Pollack’s nomination must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to become official.
Access an announcement and biography from the White House (click here). Access the IJC website for complete background information (click here).
Jan 27: As the United States and Canada work toward a new Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, 34 environmental and conservation groups are telling the governments that their timeline does not allow for proper public consultation, and that this could seriously undermine the final Agreement, its implementation, and ultimately the health of the Great Lakes. John Jackson, Director of Clean Production and Toxics with Great Lakes United (GLU) said, “The governments began consulting on thinking about the Agreement in March of 2006. They only finally announced their intent to renegotiate last June, and have proceeded to sit on their hands for the past eight months. Now, they want to jam this process through by the end of the year. I’m sorry, but that’s just not good governance.” The dissatisfaction was expressed in a letter sent to the governments earlier this week by the groups. It is a response to a presentation by Environment Canada and U.S. EPA in a web conference earlier this month [See WIMS 1/14/10]. At that time, the government agencies revealed their process for the renegotiation. Currently, they are inviting public comment on the issue of governance until February 14 -- exactly one month from the announcement. The governments have given no indication how future public comment periods will operate. The groups, which include formal government advisors, offer six recommendations to improve the process: (1) Release a draft government position or options paper on governance issues. (2) The release of the draft government position or options paper should set off a 60-day public comment period. (3) Once the governments have negotiated draft language on governance, release it again for a public comment period. (4) For the “issues” consultations, follow a process similar to recommendations 1-3, with the release of a draft position or options paper followed by a 60-day public comment period followed by another opportunity for comment after the governments have completed their first round of negotiations on the topic. (5) Compile a web-posted summary of comments received from public input at each stage of the consultations. (6) Release a final draft of the complete revised Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement for comment prior to completing negotiations and hold public hearings in both countries on this draft. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was first signed by Prime Minister Trudeau and President Nixon in 1972, and subsequently revised in 1978 and 1987. The Agreement committed the two countries to protecting the health of the ecosystem, prohibiting the discharge of pollution in toxic amounts, and to virtually eliminating dangerous, persistent toxic substances.
Access a release from the groups and link to access the letter (click here). Access a Binational website on Amending the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement with further details, contacts and background information (click here).
Jan 14: Late yesterday (January 13), U.S. EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) announced that today, January 14, from 2:00 - 4:00 PM EST, Environment Canada and the EPA will be holding a binational webinar for Great Lakes partners, stakeholders and the public. The purpose is to inform all of the process for negotiations between the governments of the United States and Canada to amend the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The webinar will provide opportunity for questions and answers and hopefully will be archived. Access a Binational website on Amending the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement with further details, contacts and background information (click here).
Nov 3: The International Joint Commission (IJC) is inviting comments on a series of reports it released in September on its 2007-09 Priorities under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canada and the United States. The reports, developed by work groups of the IJC advisory boards, address critical issues of the nearshore, eutrophication, beaches and recreational water quality, chemicals of emerging concern, binational aquatic invasive species (AIS) rapid response, and the benefits and risks of Great Lakes fish consumption. Commissioners of the IJC are encouraging persons to provide comment on the Work Group Reports during an open public comment period running now through November 30th. The Commission is developing its 15th Biennial Report on Great Lakes Water Quality based on the reports and comments received from the public at its Biennial Meeting in Windsor last month and during this open comment period [See WIMS 10/6/09].
Access the reports and provide your comments online conveniently (click here).
Access links to the key documents for the review of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) between Canada and the United States (click here).
Jun 13: At a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Boundary Waters Treaty between Canada and the U.S. in Niagra Falls, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the two countries have agreed to update the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. She said we have "to update it to reflect new knowledge, new technology, and, unfortunately, new threats."
She said, "The Agreement was last amended in 1987 and since then, new invasive species have appeared in our lakes, new worrisome chemicals have emerged from our industrial processes, our knowledge of the ecology of the region and how to protect it has grown considerably. In its current form, the Great Lakes Agreement does not sufficiently address the needs of our shared ecosystem. So I’m pleased to announce that Canada and the United States have agreed to update the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. We look forward to working closely with state, provincial, and local governments throughout Canada, as well as other stakeholders, in the coming months to produce an agreement that reflects our best knowledge and our unshakable commitment to preserving this vital natural resource. "Now, as we work together on this, we must also strengthen our response to other environmental threats, especially climate change, one of the most urgent problems facing our world which endangers our world’s water sources, the safety of coastal regions, the future of agriculture and health, and the stability of communities everywhere. It is a paramount threat, and it demands effective and bold action, which can only be achieved through partnership. . ."
Great Lakes United applauded the announcement. John Jackson, Director of Clean Production and Toxics at Great Lakes United said, “Citizens and organizations from across the region have been calling on the Canadian and United States governments to truly commit to the binational protection of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. With this announcement I’m more optimistic than ever that our governments will reinvigorate their dedication to shared responsibility and stewardship over these vital waters. Any renegotiation must involve the public, and it must build a framework for addressing the issues that the Great Lakes will face over the coming years and decades. Making the announcement is the easy part. The real work has only just begun.” Access the full text of Secretary Clinton's comments (click here). Access the press conference Q&A text (click here). Access a release from GLU (click here). Access a report on Great Lakes Governance from the Centre for Engineering and Public Policy at McMaster University (click here).
Nov 7: The State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) 2008 was held October 22–23, 2008, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada [See WIMS 10/17/08]. Emphasis was on "The Nearshore." In 1996, SOLEC focused on the nearshore lands and waters of the Great Lakes where biological productivity is greatest and where humans have maximum impact. In 2008, the conference concentrated on what has changed with respect to the nearshore environments since 1996. The conference attracted over 300 attendees in Niagara Falls and several hundred on-line viewers who accessed a live video webcast. Conference slides, speaker's notes and video are available for each plenary presentation. EPA notes that playing the video together with the slides or notes allows a more complete experience. Access the SOLEC 2008 website for links to available information (click here). Access the Binational SOLEC website for additional information (click here).
Oct 17: The State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) on October 22 - 23, will be video webcast live (Windows Media Player required). The SOLEC conferences are hosted by the U. S. EPA and Environment Canada on behalf of the two Countries every two years in response to the binational Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The conferences are intended to provide a forum for exchange of information on the ecological condition of the Great Lakes and surrounding lands. A major purpose is to reach a large audience of people in the government (at all levels), corporate and not-for-profit sectors who make decisions that affect the lakes. Held in even numbered years, the conferences are the focal point of a process of gathering information from a wide variety of sources and engaging a variety of organizations in bringing it together. In the year following each conference the Governments have prepared a report on the state of the Lakes based in large part upon the conference process.
Highlights for Wednesday, October 22, "State of the Great Lakes" (starting at 9 AM Eastern time): Contaminants, Biotic Communities and Invasive Species; Coastal Zones and Aquatic Habitats; Human Health, Land Use, Resource Utilization, and Climate Change; Keynote Speaker – Thomas Homer-Dixon; Impacts of Changing Land Use; Nearshore Terrestrial Ecosystems Coastal Wetlands; and Nearshore Waters - biological, physical, chemical features.Highlights for Thursday, October 23 "Ecosystem Status Reports: Lakes and Connecting Channels" (starting at 7:30 AM Eastern time): Lake Superior – Non-native species; Lake Michigan – Botulism; Lake Huron – Beaches and Recreational Water Quality; St. Clair-Detroit River Connecting Channel - Nutrients and algal blooms; Lake Erie – Nutrients and Harmful Algal Blooms; Niagara River – Contaminants; Lake Ontario – Impacts of Water Levels; and Keynote Speaker Peter Annin – "Great Lakes Water Wars."
Access a detailed agenda and webcast information (click here). Access the SOLEC website for more information (click here). Access the Binational SOLEC website for additional information (click here).
Jan 15: Great Lakes United (GLU) released a report describing how governance structures have stalled progress on protecting and restoring the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River ecosystem. The report outlines a series of recommendations that GLU says will improve leadership and accountability across the basin and enhance leadership from key institutions. The report, A Way Forward: Strengthening Decision-Making and Accountability under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, focuses on the role and actions of the federal governments (with a particular emphasis on the Canadian government), the Binational Executive Committee, and the International Joint Commission. The report is viewed principally through the lens of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the historic pollution prevention document signed by Canada and the United States. The report calls for the two governments to reinvigorate leadership on clean-up and protection through the present review and possible renegotiation of the Agreement, and to fully involve the public throughout this process. The report was co-authored by John Jackson, Clean Production Coordinator for Great Lakes United, and Karen Kraft Sloan, a former Member of Parliament and previously Canada’s Ambassador for the Environment. Key recommendations in the report include: (1) That Canada and the United States empower the Binational Executive Committee to create a comprehensive binational, basin-wide workplan to achieve the goals of the GLWQA and fully include the public in this process. (2) That the Prime Minister identifies or creates a Ministerial position with direct and specific responsibility for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basin and give a Parliamentary Standing Committee special responsibility for commenting on Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basin matters. (3) That the responsible minister in Canada and the director of the U.S. EPA regularly undertake a government-wide review of basin-related programs and funding trends to ensure alignment with the basin-wide plans’ objectives. (4) That an All-Party Great Lakes Caucus be formed by members of Canada’s House of Commons and Senate. (5) That there be a more open appointment process for IJC commissioners. (6) That the public be more fully included in IJC board activities, including the appointment of a wider array of the Great Lakes community members to the IJC’s boards. (7) That legislative hearings in Parliament and Congress be held after the release of the IJC’s biennial reports to lead to more public accountability by the federal governments. Access a release from GLU (click here). Access the complete 66-page report (click here).
