Rep. Camp Amendment To Close Chicago Locks Fails

Feb 17: In the midst of the House debate over the FY 2011 Continuing Resolution, Michigan Republican Representative David Camp offered an amendment numbered 516 to prohibit funds to be used for the opening of the locks at the Thomas J. O'Brien Lock and Dam or the Chicago River Controlling Works. Representative Camp said, " I offer an amendment that is long overdue. Last June, a live bighead Asian carp was discovered 6 miles from Lake Michigan, north of the locks and well past the electric barrier. This discovery shows that Asian carp, one of the world's most rampant invasive species, are at the doorstep of the Great Lakes. . . To prevent this catastrophe, ecological experts have said that closing the locks that separate the Illinois River from Lake Michigan is the single most important step we can take to prevent these species from entering the Great Lakes." Upon consideration, the amendment failed by a vote of 137-292 with 89 Republicans and 48 Democrats voting for the measure.

 

    Access the complete consideration of the amendment in the Congressional Record (click here). Access the roll call vote on the amendment (click here).

HOW Comments On FY12 & FY11 GLRI Funding Levels

Feb 14: The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes (HOW) Coalition issued a release commenting on funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) contained in the President's Fiscal Year 2012 budget and in the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations Continuing Resolution (CR) to complete the current Fiscal Year 2011 (ending September 30, 2011) [See WIMS 2/14/11]. The President's FY12 budget contains $350 million for the GLRI – a reduction of $125 million from the FY 2010 budget of $475 million and an increase of $50 million from the amount the President requested for the FY11 budget. The CR provides $225 million for GLRI -- a reduction of $250 million from FY 2010 levels and $75 million below the amount the President requested in FY11. Congress needs to complete a budget for FY11 by March 4, at which time the current continuing resolution expires.
 
    Jeff Skelding, campaign director for HOW said, "We appreciate President Obama's ongoing support [of] the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, even in a difficult budget climate. We are concerned, however, that while the President's $350 million request will allow us to make progress, it will be less than what we could achieve had the GLRI been funded at the higher level provided two years ago. The House faced a similar choice and even with strong support from the Great Lakes congressional delegation, the House Committee on Appropriations disappointedly chose to cut important Great Lakes funding even further from what the House and Senate supported last year.
 
    "Great Lakes restoration faces a steep climb -- steeper in the House's budget than in the President's. Cutting successful efforts to protect drinking water, safeguard public health, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of people is the wrong way to go.  Investing in efforts to restore the Great Lakes, a resource that more than 30 million depend on for drinking water, results in some of the best returns on the dollar in the federal budget. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has consistently advocated for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to be funded at $475 million since it was introduced in 2009 to confront the urgent threats of toxic pollution, invasive species such as the Asian carp and habitat destruction. . . . Now that the President has released his 2012 budget request, we will turn our focus to the U.S. Congress who must enact funding levels that support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $475 million in 2012 to protect our drinking water, jobs and way of life."
 
    Access a release from the HOW Coalition (click here).

Groups Fearful Of Great Lakes Funding Cuts

Feb 7: The Healing Our Waters (HOW)-Great Lakes Coalition called on the U.S. Congress to maintain funding for successful Great Lakes programs that protect drinking water, safeguard public health, create jobs and uphold a way of life for millions of people. Jeff Skelding, campaign director for HOW said, "Great Lakes restoration efforts supported by the federal government are improving the lives of millions of Americans in the Great Lakes region. Restoration programs deliver results and offer some of the best returns on the dollar in the federal budget. Cutting Great Lakes funds only stalls action making the problems worse and more costly to solve. We urge Congress to fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) at $300 million in 2011 to protect our drinking water, public health, jobs and way of life." In 2010 with support from Congress the GLRI was funded at $475 million. President Obama requested $300 for the current fiscal 2011 year, which runs through September 30.

     The group indicated that the GLRI has been widely hailed as kick-starting the nation's effort to restore the Great Lakes -- a resource that more than 30 million people depend on for their drinking water. The initiative funds solutions to some of the most urgent threats to the lakes, including toxic contamination, polluted run-off, aquatic invasive species, and loss of habitat and wetlands. According to a release, "As Congress works to finalize its budget, the stakes are high for the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin -- which stand to lose thousands of jobs and face more environmental and economic challenges if the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is cut. Currently, the region's states are putting people to work as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and are starting to see results from activities to restore the Lakes . . ."

    The Coalition, which consists of over 115 organizations, cited a number of examples of GLRI projects and indicated that Great Lakes restoration activities produce $2 for every $1 investment, according to the Brookings Institution. Restoration projects employ people in a variety of fields, from hydrologists to engineers, landscape architects to truck drivers and more. Restoration projects create jobs now and lay the foundation for long-term prosperity.

    Access a release from HOW (click here).

USGS Warns Of Local Water Shortages In Great Lakes Basin

Feb 7: A new basin-wide water availability assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) indicates that although the Great Lakes are the largest freshwater system on Earth, the basin has the potential for local shortages. For example, though groundwater pumping has had relatively little effect on water in the basin as a whole, pumping in the Chicago and Milwaukee areas has caused local groundwater levels to decline as much as 1,000 feet. Moreover, if pumping were to increase as anticipated in the region, water levels in these areas are estimated to decline an additional 100 feet by 2040.

    Howard Reeves, USGS scientist and lead author on the assessment said, "While there is an abundance of water in the region, we may see local shortages or conflicts because water is not distributed evenly. In some areas, the physical quantity of water may be limiting, and water availability in most of the Great Lakes Basin will be determined by social decisions about impacts of new uses on existing users and the environment." Water availability in the Great Lakes Basin is a balance between storage of surface water and groundwater in the system, flows of water through the system, and existing, sometimes competing, human and ecological uses of water.  

    Water use has a relatively minor effect on regional water availability, because of the large volume of water in storage, large annual flows and abundant, high quality groundwater. Development in the Great Lakes region also has had relatively little effect on basin-wide water availability, though surface-water diversions and pumping of groundwater have affected some flow patterns over large areas of the basin. Tim Eder, Great Lakes Commission Executive Director said, "This Great Lakes Basin study on water availability and use provides important information for restoration and protection of regional water resources and for guiding appropriate economic development of these resources. USGS information on consumptive water use also will be useful to the Great Lakes states and provinces to understand and estimate the cumulative impact of water use on regional water resources."

    Understanding the impact of climate variation on water use, lake levels, streamflow and groundwater levels was part of this five-year investigation. Results of the study will improve the ability to forecast the balance between water supply and demand for future economic and environmental uses. Reeves said, "The Great Lakes are a dynamic system responding primarily to short- and long-term variations in climate. Understanding the potential for local shortages or conflicts within this dynamic system is important for sound decision making.

    USGS water availability studies like this one examine water flow and storage in surface-water and groundwater systems and compile water-use information for the region. Studies are designed to quantify the effects of past development and examine the effects of future growth on flows and storage in the system. This type of comprehensive analysis shows how competing uses and demands interact over time across a region. Because most water-management decisions are made at the local level, this information is valuable for managers at state and local levels in making informed decisions regarding the potential effects of future water use on existing water users, aquatic ecosystems and the public.

    Access a release from USGS and link to a podcast, reports associated with the project, additional information on USGS water availability studies in the Great Lakes Basin,  and the USGS Groundwater Resources Program (click here).

Great Lakes Workshop: Ecological Effects Of Wind

Feb 7: The Great Lakes Wind Collaborative has announced the upcoming State of the Science Workshop on the Ecological Effects of Wind which is being co-hosted by the Richard G. Lugar Center for Renewable Energy at IUPUI. The Workshop will be held March 9-10, 2011, IUPUI Campus Center, Indianapolis, IN. Registration for the Workshop on is now open. Register by February 11 to take advantage of the early bird registration rate. The purpose of the workshop is to enhance the understanding of wind development effects on the biota and ecosystems of the Great Lakes region, including birds, bats, fisheries and both terrestrial and aquatic habitats.

    Access complete details and online registration (click here).

RFP For Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response Plan

Jan 31: The International Joint Commission (IJC) announced the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the completion of a Binational Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response Planning Project for the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Basin. The successful contractor will conduct a jurisdictional analysis for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin and prepare a pilot Binational Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Rapid Response plan for the boundary waters connecting Lake Huron and Lake Erie. Funding for the initiative was made available through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by an expert review committee including representatives from the IJC's Binational AIS Rapid Response Workgroup. All proposals are to be submitted by March 1, 2011 at 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time (EDST).

 

    Access a posted announcement from IJC (click here). Access additional information and the RFP documents from the IJC (click here).

New MI Attorney General Continues Asian Carp Legal Actions

Jan 13: Michigan's new Attorney General Bill Schuette announced he will renew and continue efforts to protect Michigan's environment and economy by continuing Michigan's lawsuit initiated by former Attorney General Mike Cox that is aimed at stopping the march of Asian carp into the Great Lakes. Schuette was joined by the Office of the Great Lakes Director Patty Birkholz and the Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC). Schuette said, "Standing by and letting Asian carp invade the Great Lakes would be an unprecedented ecological and economic disaster. We must defend Michigan's unique environment and fight to keep Michigan jobs." 

    Schuette indicated that he met with leaders of Michigan's environmental and sportsmen's communities this week to form a united front in the fight to block Asian carp. These groups included MUCC, Trout Unlimited, Michigan Steelhead and Salmon Fishermen's Association, National Wildlife Federation, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, Nature Conservancy, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Birkholz said, "The imminent invasion by Asian carp through the Chicago area waterways is one of the most significant threats ever to the Great Lakes. As a state, we must join with others and take all necessary actions to stop the invasion. The Office of the Great Lakes and others in the Department of Natural Resources and Environment stand ready to help any way possible."

    Schuette's suit calls for both long-term and immediate actions by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Schuette is asking the Court to force the Army Corps of Engineers to shorten their planning to create a permanent ecological barrier between the Mississippi and Great Lakes from five years to 18 months. This is vital to stopping not only the flow of invasive species into the Great Lakes, but to stop their movement down into the Mississippi basin.

 

    While the study is being completed, Schuette is asking for increased activity in a number of areas to stop the Asian carps' advance, including: Operating locks in a way that limits the movement of the fish; Installing other interim physical barriers to fish passage; Increased monitoring for evidence of the fish beyond current electrical barriers using the best available techniques, including environmental DNA (eDNA)testing; and Targeted poisoning and netting in Chicago-area waterways. 

    The repeated discovery of Asian carp eDNA beyond electrical barriers in Chicago, in addition to the discovery of a live carp beyond the barrier, brought together a coalition of five Great Lakes states in the suit, with Michigan being joined by Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania on July 19, 2010. The most recent district court action on the case occurred on January 7, 2011 in which the Court considered plans to schedule the ongoing suit.In addition, Michigan has filed an appeal of a December 2, 2010 ruling that denied Michigan's motion for a preliminary injunction that would put immediate remedies in place, such as closing locks and increasing monitoring, as the underlying case goes forward. Michigan's brief supporting its request for the preliminary injunction is due to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit by January 26, 2011.

 

    Access a release from the MI Attorney General (click here).