Latest Asian Carp Monitoring & Rapid Response Plan

May 23: The Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC) released its 2011 Asian Carp Monitoring and Rapid Response Plan (MRRP), outlining what they said was an aggressive set of actions to track and remove Asian carp in the Upper Illinois River and the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) to prevent this invasive species from establishing in the Great Lakes. 

    In 2010, Federal and state partners dedicating more than 16,000 hours to surveying and removing Asian carp in more than 200 miles of Illinois waterway. On-the-ground actions ranged from scientific analysis of water samples for Asian carp DNA to intensive use of traditional fishing methods such as electro-fishing and netting. These actions were part of the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework first released by the Obama Administration in May 2010. The 2011 MRRP summarizes the monitoring results from 2010, continues and intensifies the monitoring and sampling actions and outlines a strategy for rapid response in the event an Asian carp is found above the barrier system in the CAWS.

    John Goss, Asian Carp Director for the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) said, "This plan represents an intensive and collaborative response to Asian carp in Illinois waters and is a key part of the Obama Administration's comprehensive and long term strategy to protect our Great Lakes from Asian carp. By unifying Federal and state action, conducting vigilant monitoring, and developing and using cutting edge technologies, we are ensuring the most coordinated and effective response at all levels to safeguard the health of the Great Lakes and Great Lakes communities."

    The 2011 MRRP represents an estimated $7 million Federal investment and is designed with the flexibility to respond to new threats. Project plans can be categorized geographically as occurring either upstream or downstream of the electric dispersal barrier and grouped into the following five categories: Monitoring; Barrier Effectiveness Evaluations; Removal Projects; Technology Effectiveness Evaluations and Development Projects; and Alternative Pathway Surveillance.

    Access a release with further details (click here). Access the complete 111-page 2011 Monitoring and Rapid Response Plan (click here). Access the ACRCC website for more information (click here). [*GLakes]

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Great Lakes Regional Body & Compact Council To Meet

May 11: The Council of Great Lakes Governors (CGLG), which serves as Secretariat to the Regional Body and the Compact Council announced that the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Water Resources Regional Body (Regional Body) will meet on June 9, 2011, at 2:00 PM EDT. The conference call meeting will be open to the public and will include an opportunity for public comments. An agenda, materials to be discussed and call-in information for those wishing to participate are available on the website below. 

    Additionally, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Council (Compact Council) will meet the same day at 2:45 PM EDT. The conference call meeting will be open to the public and will include an opportunity for public comments. An agenda, materials to be discussed and call-in information for those wishing to participate are available on the website below.

    Access the announcement from CGLG (click here). Access the agenda and information for the Regional Body (click here). Access the agenda and information for the Compact Council (click here). Access the CGLG website for more information Access (click here).

Proceedings From Asian Carp Marketing Summit

May 11: An announcement from the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) indicates that even though Asian Carp is considered a nuisance by many in the Great Lakes and Mississippi regions, the fish have been a popular food in China for thousands of years. Because of this fact, experts who took part in IISG Asian Carp Marketing Summit (ACMS) have proposed that the invasive species be exported in high numbers back home to Asian markets. The ACMS was held so various stakeholder groups could discuss opportunities and impediments to commercial marketing of Asian carp as a way to slow the spread of these fish. In addition to exporting, participating experts agreed that another solution could be marketing high-value Asian carp fillets to restaurants and retailers. They also recommended converting Asian carp by-products into pet food or treats to eliminate waste and maximize profit opportunities. Attending the meeting were commercial fishers, processors, natural resource managers, marketers, researchers, conservation organizations, aquaculturists, distributors, and restaurateurs from eight different states.

 

    Access the IISG announcement (click here). Access a report that summarizes the background of the issue and lists the multiple solutions proposed by ACMS attendees (click here).

Great Lakes Commission Recommends GLRI Improvements

May 3: In a letter to Congress, Great Lakes Commission Chairman Jim Tierney has provided a series of recommendations for improving implementation of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and asked that it be incorporated as guidance in the Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations bills. In correspondence to the House and Senate appropriations committees, the Commission called for Congressional direction to U.S. EPA to strengthen coordination with the states and give them greater authority over how the GLRI is implemented. The Commission noted that the Great Lakes states know what the most important restoration priorities are and can direct resources to them efficiently.

 

    The Commission is urging Congress to direct U.S. EPA to: Strengthen coordination with the states and provide greater authority in implementing the GLRI; Administer GLRI funding in a way that minimizes transaction costs and maximizes efficiency and on-the ground results; Maintain the GLRI's focus on existing priorities and on-the-ground actions; Minimize non-Federal match requirements; and Maintain base funding for existing programs. The Commission also reiterated its FY 2012 funding priorities for advancing Great Lakes restoration and economic revitalization, urging Federal appropriators to maintain funding for the GLRI and provide funding for the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund programs.

 

    Access an announcement from the Commission (click here). Access the Commission recommendations (click here). Access more information on the Commission's regional advocacy program for the Great Lakes (click here).

 

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266 Applications Totaling $124 Million For GLRI

May 3: The U.S. EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) announced that its 2011 Request for Applications (Number: EPA-R5-GL2011-1) issued on February 25, 2011, received 266 applications totaling $124 million -- more than three times the $40 million offered. GLRI advises that all applicants should check the link below to verify that their submissions have been included in EPA's database. If an application does not appear to have been received, contact EPA immediately using the online form.

 

    Access the brief announcement from GLRI (click here). Access the website of applications received (click here).

HOW Coalition Praises Administration Water Framework

Apr 27: The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition (HOW) issued a release commenting on the Obama Administration release of its National Clean Water Framework which included what the Administration called "unprecedented attention to restoring iconic places like the Chesapeake Bay, California Bay-Delta, Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico and Everglades, investing in action and helping states, local governments and stakeholders find pollution control solutions that are tailored to their specific needs." [See WIMS 4/27/11].

 

    In their release, HOW indicated that the Framework was ". . .a strong affirmation of the Clean Water Act [that] proposed new instructions to federal agencies on how to interpret parts of the law in light of two Supreme Court decisions that essentially had stripped away protections from many U.S. water bodies, including those that play an integral role in the health of the Great Lakes. The actions by the Obama Administration represent a big step forward in the effort to restore the Great Lakes and protect water quality, public health, and recreational opportunities for millions of people in the region and across the country.

    Jeff Skelding, campaign manager for HOW said, "President Obama's investment to restore the Great Lakes is already producing results, and we expect that today's action will only bolster efforts to protect one of this country's most iconic waters—one that supplies drinking water to more than 30 million people. We encourage the Obama Administration to urgently move to implement a final rule that restores Clean Water Act protections to waters that millions of people in the Great Lakes region and across the country depend on for their drinking water, public health and recreational opportunities."

    Access the release from HOW (click here). Access a release from the White House Council on Environmental Quality (click here). Access the Obama Administration's Clean Water Framework (click here). Access the draft Clean Water Act guidance from U.S. EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with supporting documents and commenting instructions (click here).

Great Lakes Interbasin Study Newsletter & Updates

Apr 27: The Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) issued its first newsletter on the GLMRIS activities. Among other items, the newsletter reports on the recently completed Study National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) public scoping period ran from November 16, 2010 through March 31, 2011. The newsletter also reports on Interim Products and Other Recent Milestones. GLMRIS also announced recently that additional transcripts from scoping meetings are available for Cleveland (Jan. 13, 2011), Minneapolis (Jan. 20, 2011) and Green Bay (Jan. 25, 2011).

 

    The GLMRIS is being conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), in consultation with other federal agencies, Native American tribes, state agencies, local governments and other to explore options and technologies, collectively known as aquatic nuisance species (ANS), including Asian Carp, controls that could be applied to prevent ANS transfer between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins through aquatic pathways.

 

    Access the GLMRIS newsletter (click here). Access the available transcript (click here). Access the GLMRIS website for complete background and the latest information (click here).