ATSDR Report On Chemical Releases In The Great Lakes Region

Jan 27: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), announced the official availability of the report, ATSDR Studies on Chemical Releases in the Great Lakes Region [74 FR 4751]. The report responds to a request from the International Joint Commission (IJC), the binational organization that works to implement the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) between the U.S. and Canada. The GLWQA calls for the two nations to define "the threat to human health from critical pollutants" found in the Great Lakes basin.

The report summarizes previously-published public health assessment products and chemical release information for the 26 U.S. Areas of Concern (AOCs) and 54 counties that are in close geographic proximity to those AOCs. ATSDR says, "It is a descriptive report that does not make associations between health outcomes and chemical exposures." The compilation of environmental data, gathered by ATSDR and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is intended to help decision-makers set future priorities.

The originally controversial report, which had been suppressed for nearly a year was revealed on February 7, 2008, by the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) which announced that a massive 400-page study, originally entitled, Public Health Implications of Hazardous Substances in the Twenty-Six U.S. Great Lakes Areas of Concern [AOCs], and completed in July 2007, was being withheld [See WIMS 2/8/08]. The suppression of the study was the subject of an inquiry and investigation from Representatives John Dingell (D-MI), then Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Bart Stupak (D-MI), the Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee [See WIMS 3/14/08].

Access the FR announcement (click here). Access links to the final report and extensive background information (click here).

Great Lakes Protection Fund Announces Cutbacks

Jan 23: The Great Lakes Protection Fund (GLPF) issued an announcement saying that it is "making changes to its operations to adapt to the challenges of our contracting economy. As a permanent endowment, we remain committed to supporting our current project teams and to making new grants in support of our mission. However, out of economic necessity, we have made some substantial operational changes. We have reduced our operating budget significantly and the level of support for new projects will be reduced in 2009. We are committed to openly communicating any changes that might be necessary in light of the ongoing economic volatility. We will keep our website up to date and encourage you to check in periodically."

GLPF is a private, nonprofit corporation formed in 1989 by the Governors of the Great Lakes States. It is a permanent environmental endowment that supports collaborative actions to improve the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. The Fund's Board of Directors is comprised of two governor appointed representatives from each member state. The Board of Directors meets quarterly and governs the Fund's operation. To date, the Fund had made 221 grants and program related investments representing more than $56.5 million in regional projects to improve the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Access the announcement (click here). Access the GLPF website (click here).

Bipartisan, Bicameral Great Lakes Restoration Bills

Jan 14: U.S. Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and George Voinovich (R-OH), the co-chairs of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, introduced a bipartisan Great Lakes restoration bill (S. 237)that would help reduce the threat of invasive species in the lakes, restore fish and wildlife, clean up contaminated sediments, and coordinate water quality management in the Great Lakes basin. The senators introduced similar legislation in the last Congress but hope to make further progress this year given President-elect Obama’s commitment to invest significant funding in Great Lakes restoration. In 2005, numerous groups – including more than 1,500 people – joined forces to create the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration (GLRC), which was tasked with devising a cohesive Great Lakes restoration plan. The goal of the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act (GLCIA) being introduced today is to implement many of the recommendations made by the collaboration.

On the House side, Representative Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) introduced a companion bill. The Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act (H.R. 500) follows recommendations developed by federal, state, and local officials, as well as hundreds of non-government officials, in the GLRC. The plan for protecting and restoring the lakes was developed in 2005.

Among other items the bills would establishing mandatory ballast water management rules; create a screening process for importation of live organisms; and provide critical research, education and outreach programs; increase funding for the Great Lakes Legacy Act to $150 million per year; establish a grant program in which the EPA could award up to $10 million per year for mercury cleanup efforts; reauthorize the State Revolving Loan Fund for $20 billion over five years; authorize funding for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to restore Great Lakes waterfront areas; reinstate wetland protection by clarifying Congress’s original intent that the Clean Water Act should protect all waters of the United States; Enhance Great Lakes research and monitoring; and increase funding for NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab and the U.S. Geological Survey’s Science center.

Access a release from Senator Levin (click here). Access a release from Representative Ehlers (click here). Access the GLRC website more information (click here). Access WIMS-Great Lakes Environment blog posts on the GLRC (click here). Access legislative details for S. 237 (click here). Access legislative details for H.R. 500 (click here).

Great Lakes Recreational Boating = $9.4 Billion/Yr & 60,000 Jobs

Jan 12: Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) released the results of a study conducted by the Detroit District of the Army Corps of Engineers estimating the annual economic impact -- both direct and secondary -- of recreational boating on the Great Lakes at $9.4 billion, including $5.1 billion in sales and $1.8 billion in personal income. According to the report, an average of 911,000 boaters visit the Great Lakes annually, supporting 60,000 jobs.

Levin said, “This study clearly demonstrates that hundreds of thousands of recreational boaters come to the Great Lakes every year because the lakes are such a treasure, and they bring with them billions of dollars in economic activity and jobs. Recreational boating is an important part of our economy in Michigan and around the Great Lakes and this study provides further support for federal funding to keep this economic engine running.”

The Great Lakes Recreational Boating Report, prepared in accordance with Public Law 106-53, the Water Resources Development Act of 1999 (WRDA), Section 455(c), analyzes the economic importance of recreational boating to the Great Lakes states by tracing the flow of spending throughout the regional economy. In particular, the report finds that the nearly one million recreational boaters on the Great Lakes spend $2.44 billion each year on boating trips and $1.44 billion each year on boats, equipment and supplies.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s registration data for 2003 indicated that there were almost 4.3 million recreational boats in the eight Great Lakes states (including boats registered both within and outside the Great Lakes basin) that year. This comprised a third of all U.S. recreational vessels, and represented a 1.3 percent increase over the five-year period between 1999 and 2003. Michigan is first among Great Lakes states having nearly one million registered recreational boats, less than half of which belong to people living in coastal counties.

It is estimated that there are more than a quarter million marina slips available in Great Lakes states. About 51 percent of the slips are located in counties fronting the Great lakes and 89 percent are seasonal rental slips. An average of 93 percent of the
accessible seasonal slips in the counties that border the Great Lakes were occupied during the summer of 2003. About 107,000 boats were kept in Great Lakes marinas during the boating season. These boat owners spent $665 million on trip-related expenses and $529 million on craft-related items.

Access a release from Senator Levin (click here). Access the complete 103-page report (click here).

New NOAA Great Lakes Research Laboratory & Acting Director

Jan 7: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that a larger facility to focus on Great Lakes issues opened following a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) in Pittsfield Township, MI. Richard Spinrad, NOAA assistant administrator for oceanic and atmospheric research said, “GLERL starts the new year with a new building. This laboratory is a leader on many Great Lakes issues, such as invasive species, lake levels, and the use of biofuels for its research ships. In its new space, the laboratory will expand its efforts to serve the Great Lakes region through research and partnerships.” Spinrad also announced Marie Colton as the acting director of the lab and acting lead of the NOAA Great Lakes regional team. She succeeds Stephen Brandt who is leaving Michigan to be the director of Oregon Sea Grant in Corvallis, OR.

The new 40,225 square-feet facility has modern wet and dry laboratories, conference facilities, a library, marine instrumentation shop, and office space to accommodate about 120 federal and cooperative institute employees. NOAA will lease the building for 20 years. Office and laboratory space will also be provided to partner organizations, including Michigan Sea Grant Extension, The Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystem Research, the International Association for Great Lakes Research, the NOAA National Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health, NOAA National Center for Research on Aquatic Invasive Species, and the Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Office.

Access a release from NOAA (click here). Access the GLERL website for more information (click here).

WIMS. . . December 24, 2008

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

 

From WIMS

 

We're on our Holiday break right now.

 

But, we'll be back on January 5, 2009

 

We wish you a happy Holiday Season!

New Vessel General Permit Compliance Delayed Until Feb. 6

On December 18, U.S. EPA announced a new 2008 Vessel General Permit (VGP) that would reduce releases of 26 types of discharges from vessels operating in U.S. waters [See WIMS 12/19/08]. The regulation affects, approximately 61,000 domestically flagged commercial vessels and 8,000 foreign flagged vessels that will need to comply with the permit. The VGP was to take effect on December 19, 2008; however, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California signed an order providing that "the exemption for discharges incidental to the normal operation of a vessel, contained in 40 C.F.R. § 122.3(a), is vacated as of February 6, 2009." Therefore, the regulated community need not comply with the terms of the new permit until February 6, 2009. More information on how the court order affects the "effective date" and other dates in the permit is available from the prepublication copies of the Federal Register Notices available from the website below.

Access extensive information on the Final Vessel General Permit including prepublication copies of the regulations and a fact sheet (click here).