Another Asian Carp Meeting On February 17

Feb 8: The International Joint Commission (IJC), in cooperation with the other participating agencies will be hosting a public meeting in Ypsilanti, MI, on February 17, to discuss plans and get recommendations on Asian carp control efforts. According to IJC the following agencies will be represented: International Joint Commission; U.S. EPA; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Coast Guard; Great Lakes states, provinces, municipalities and tribes (invited); White House Council on Environmental Quality; and Scientific experts.

    The meeting will be held from 3:00 - 6:00 PM, Wednesday, February 17, at the Marriott Ann Arbor Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest, 1275 S. Huron, Ypsilanti, MI 48197. The meeting will also be available via live web stream (See below). Those who cannot attend the meeting in person can submit questions on the website. When available, the framework and a transcript of the meeting will be posted on the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee website (See below).

 

    On February 3, U.S. EPA, on behalf of the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee, announced a similar meeting in Chicago on February 12, at the Metcalfe Federal Building, to discuss plans and get recommendations on Asian carp control efforts [See WIMS 2/4/10]. The committee will answer questions and listen to comments from the public. That meet is also available via live interactive web stream.

 

    A meeting on the Asian Carp issue, scheduled for today, February 8 in Washington, DC with Great Lakes Governors and White House & agency officials was cancelled due to record snowfall in DC that have paralyzed the city. According to reports, the meeting between Governors Jennifer Granholm (MI), Jim Doyle (WI), and Pat Quinn (IL) and the Administration was to take place via teleconference.

 

    In a related matter, U.S. Representative Pete Hoekstra (R-Holland), introduced a bill (H.R. 4604) that would make the Army Corps of Engineers the lead agency and provide them with the authority to fight the invasion of Asian carp into the Great Lakes. Hoekstra said, "Asian carp pose a devastating threat to Michigan's environment and economy. The Asian Carp Action Plan will provide the Army Corps of Engineers with a host of tools to prevent the carp from establishing a habitat in the Great Lakes." Hoekstra's bill would authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite a number of measures to prevent the Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes, including applying fish poisons, fixing locks and installing new barriers that include electrical, air-bubble and sound barriers that disorient fish.

 

    In late January, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and U.S. Representative Dave Camp (R-MI) also introduced companion legislation, the CARP ACT (Close All Routes and Prevent Asian Carp Today, S. 2946, H.R. 4472) [See WIMS 1/22/10]. That bill would direct the Army Corps of Engineers to take immediate action to prevent the potential entry of Asian Carp into the Great Lakes.

 

Also, on February 9, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, Chaired by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) will be holding a hearing on "Asian Carp and the Great Lakes." Those scheduled to testify include: U.S. EPA; Army Corps of Engineers: Illinois DNR; Michigan DNRE; Wisconsin DNR; University of Notre Dame;  Great Lakes Fishery Commission; Canal Barge Company, Inc. on behalf of The American Waterways Operators; and Alliance for the Great Lakes. [Note: Continuing weather problems could prevent this hearing].

 

Access the announcement of the Feb. 17 meeting (click here). Access the website for the live web stream for both meetings (click here). Access a report on the cancellation of the Governors' meeting (click here). Access a release from Rep. Hoekstra (click here). Access legislative details for H.R. 4604 (click here). Access the Coordinating Committee website (click here). Access information on the House Asian Carp hearing including an 8-page briefing report (click here).

Agencies Meeting On Asian Carp Control Efforts

Feb 3: U.S. EPA, on behalf of the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee, announced it will hold a meeting in Chicago on February 12, to discuss plans and get recommendations on Asian carp control efforts. The committee will answer questions and listen to comments from the public. A second meeting will be scheduled in the near future elsewhere in the Great Lakes basin.

Attending the meeting will be: Senior representatives from EPA; Fish and Wildlife Service; Army Corps of Engineers; Coast Guard; State of Illinois and other Great Lakes states; City of Chicago; Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago; White House Council on Environmental Quality; and Scientific experts. The meeting is scheduled for 3:00 – 6:00 PM, Room 331, Metcalfe Federal Building, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., in Chicago. The meeting also will be available via live web stream (see link below). Those who cannot attend the meeting in person can submit questions on the website. EPA also said that, when available, the framework and a transcript of the meeting will be posted on the Coordinating Committee website (see link below). Comments on the framework may also be submitted online at the same website.

In related matters, officials in the Obama Administration and three Great Lakes governors, including are scheduled to meet to discuss the Asian carp threat to the Great Lakes on February 8. Also, on February 9, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, Chaired by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) will be holding a hearing on "Asian Carp and the Great Lakes."

Access a release from EPA on the Feb 12 meeting (click here). Access the live web stream website for the Feb 12 meeting (click here). Access the Coordinating Committee website (click here). Access information on the House Asian Carp hearing (click here).

Michigan Files New Supreme Court Motion To Stop Carp

Feb 4: Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox filed a renewed motion with the U.S. Supreme Court asking for a preliminary injunction to close Chicago-area locks because of new information that became available after the Court denied the original motion on January 19 [See WIMS 1/19/10 & 1/20/10]. Cox pointed to eDNA tests showing evidence of Asian carp in Lake Michigan that was available three days before the Court made its decision but not provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers until afterward.

Cox indicates that in the aftermath of this revelation, Michigan's motion questions the lack of action by Illinois and Federal authorities to increase efforts against the spread of Asian carp despite claims they made in earlier legal filings that they would "re-visit the conclusions related to lock closure" in the event new information became available. Additionally, Michigan's motion includes an economic study on the effects of the closure of the locks necessary to separate the Mississippi River basin from the Great Lakes basin. The study, conducted by a Wayne State University transportation expert, concludes Illinois' claim that "even a temporary closure of the locks will devastate the local economy" cannot be supported.

A release from the Attorney General indicates that, Statistics previously submitted to the Court by Illinois and the federal government on the potential economic costs of lock closure are "seriously exaggerated." The report says annual costs would amount to less than $70 million, much lower than the $190 million claim made by Illinois and the Federal government. This stands in contrast to the billions in economic activity and thousands of jobs at risk if Asian carp enter the Great Lakes.

Cox said, "We think the Court should take another look at our request to hit the pause button on the locks until the entire Great Lakes region is comfortable that an effective plan is in place to stop Asian carp. While we would like to see significant and immediate action as a result of next week's meeting between the governors and administration, that is an unknown at this time, so our battle to protect the Lakes will continue." Cox noted that Michigan's request to reopen the "Chicago Diversion" case, supported by Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Province of Ontario, remains before the Supreme Court and that briefs are due by February 19. That request seeks a long-term solution to the crisis that will protect the ecology and economy of the Great Lakes.

Access a release from AG Cox (click here).

Coalition Pushes To Restore Great Lakes Restoration Funding

Feb 2: In his FY 2011 budget, the President proposed to cut funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) from $475 million to $300 million. In their initial reaction the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes (HOW) Coalition said they were analyzing the President proposal, and indicated, "The level of funding that the President committed indicates that he understands the plight of the Great Lakes and the urgency to do something about it." However, they said, "This is not the amount of funding we had hoped for, but coupled with this year's historic investment, the President's request will continue to advance Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery."

Following their analysis, HOW has now issued a statement on February 3, urging Congress to restore funding to last year's level of $475 million." Jeff Skelding, campaign director for the HOW Coalition said, "Although President Obama's budget makes Great Lakes restoration a priority, the proposed funding will make it difficult to keep pace with the urgent threats facing the Lakes. We're going to work with Congress and the White House to restore funding to Great Lakes programs before the problems get worse and the solutions get more costly. "Fully funding Great Lakes restoration will benefit people, businesses and communities. We have the solutions to these urgent problems. It is time to use them."

In EPA budget documents the Administration provides and explanation for the reduction in funding and says, "In 2009, the President announced a new Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, committing the Federal government to significantly advance Great Lakes protection and restoration. In FY 2011, EPA is increasing the relative funding for the Invasive Species focus area in recognition of anticipated new demands such as fighting incursion of Asian Carp. FY 2011 funding has been reduced to reflect ramp up period, allowing time for the program to absorb the initial influx of FY 2010 $475 million in resources."

In a related matter, on February 9, 2010, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, Chaired by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) will be holding a hearing on "Asian Carp and the Great Lakes."

Access the original Feb. 1 release (click here). Access the Feb. 3 release (click here). Access a 102-page EPA FY11 budget-in-brief detail on the EPA budget (click here). Access further details on EPA's FY 2011 budget including the FY 2011 Congressional Justification (999-pages) and the Verification and Validation (257-pages) (click here). Access information on the Asian Carp hearing (click here).

Researchers Find Disinfection To Stop VHSV Transmission

Feb 2: A disinfection solution presently used for salmon eggs also prevents transmission of the virus that causes viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHS or VHSV) -- one of the most dangerous viral diseases of fish -- in other hatchery-reared fish eggs, according to new U.S. Geological Survey-led research. VHSV has caused large fish kills in wild fish in the U.S., especially in the Great Lakes region, where thousands of fish have died from the virus over the last few years. The disease causes internal bleeding in fish, and although in the family of viruses that includes rabies, is not harmful to humans. Thus far, the virus has been found in more than 25 species of fish in Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, St. Clair, and Ontario, as well as the Saint Lawrence River and inland lakes in New York, Michigan and Wisconsin. On January 27, 2010, researchers from Cornell University reported that VHSV had been discovered in for the first time in fish from Lake Superior [See WIMS 1/29/10].

Mark Gaikowski, a USGS researcher who led the USGS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service research team indicated that effective disinfection methods are critically important to natural resource agencies that collect eggs from wild fish stocks and private aquaculture because the spread of the virus to a fish hatchery "could be devastating." He said, "If VHS virus is introduced into the aquaculture industry, it could lead to trade restrictions, as well as direct economic losses from the disease."

USGS and USFWS researchers tested the effectiveness of using iodophor disinfection in walleye and northern pike eggs and found that it eliminated active virus from fertilized eggs. Iodophor disinfectant solutions contain iodine formulated for use on fish eggs. The researchers also found that although some of the disinfection treatments reduced hatch, iodophor treatment at 90 minutes after fertilization occurred did not alter egg hatch or fry development. USGS said in a release that experts fear the disease could potentially spread from the Great Lakes into new populations of native fish in the 31 states of the Mississippi River basin. Regulatory agencies in the United States and Canada have already placed restrictions on the movement of fish or fish products that could pose a risk for the spread of VHS virus to regions outside of the known geographic range.

Access a release fro USGS with links to more information on the VHSV (click here).

Lana Pollack Nominated To International Joint Commission

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).

Fish Virus Spreads To Lake Superior

Jan 27: Researchers from Cornell University are reporting that the fish virus, viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), that was first discovered in the Northeast in 2005 has been found for the first time in fish from Lake Superior. That means that the virus has now been documented in all of the Great Lakes. VHSV, which causes fatal anemia and hemorrhaging in many fish species, poses no threat to humans.

Paul Bowser, professor of aquatic animal medicine at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine and colleagues recently tested 874 fish from seven sites in Lake Superior in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Western Fisheries Research Center in Seattle. Fish from Paradise and Skanee in Michigan and St. Louis Bay and Superior Bay in Wisconsin tested positive. Some of the results have been corroborated by other laboratories; others have tests still under way. The researchers indicated that the virus, which has been identified in 28 freshwater fish species in the Great Lakes watershed, has reached epidemic proportions in the Great Lakes.

Bowser, noting that the virus has also been found in a few inland waters as well, including lakes, streams and a family-owned earthen pond said, "People come from all over the eastern United States to fish the Great Lakes. The economy of many of these areas ebbs and flows with the season and perceived value of outdoor recreational opportunities. The value of these opportunities is dependent on how successful we are at managing the health of wild fish. On a worldwide basis, VHSV is considered one of the most serious pathogens of fish, because it kills so many fish, is not treatable and infects a broad range of fish species."

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (MDNRE) and the Wisconsin DNR issued a release which seemed to downplay the Cornell findings and said the "traces" of VHS in fish "would not lead to any immediate regulation changes for anglers or boaters." MDNRE Director Rebecca Humphries said, "We appreciate the efforts of Cornell University to help better understand this disease, but we also want to caution anglers and others who enjoy Lake Superior that this does not mean there has been a widespread outbreak of VHS in those waters. What this study does indicate is that VHS has been observed in four locations in Lake Superior, but it is not everywhere. Based on this limited finding, Michigan is not planning to make any changes in its regulations at this time."

VHSV experts Drs. Gael Kurath and James Winton from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Western Fisheries Research Center provided independent confirmation of the Cornell findings. Winton said, “VHS is one of the most important diseases of finfish. It not only affects the health and well-being of populations of several important native fish species, but it can also impact trade, and, should it spread into the U.S. aquaculture industry, could do substantial damage as happened in Europe and parts of Japan.” USGS indicated that Experts fear the disease could potentially spread from the Great Lakes into new populations of native fish in the 31 states of the Mississippi River basin.

Access an article from Cornell University (click here). Access the release from MI & WI (click here). Access a release from USGS and link to their VHSV website (click here).