We will be taking our Spring publication break this week.
We will resume publication on Monday, April 23, 2012.
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Monday, April 16, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
EPA OIG Says GLNPO Should Improve Internal Accounting Controls
Apr 10: U.S. EPA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report entitled, Great Lakes National Program Should Improve Internal Controls to Ensure Effective Legacy Act Operations (No. 12-P-0407, April 9, 2012). OIG indicated that it conducted the audit to determine whether U.S. EPA has adequate controls over various financial aspects of the Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2002 (GLLA) funding and payments, and to determine whether project agreements contain goals that tie to the Agency's strategic plan, hold parties accountable, and ensure that nonfederal sponsors meet their obligations.
Under GLLA, the Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) performs sediment remediation using partnerships with nonfederal sponsors to accomplish the work. The nonfederal sponsor is required to provide a minimum of 35 percent of the effort in cash or in-kind contributions to the project.
GAO found that the GLLA program funding has increased five-fold over the last 7 years; however, the program has not established needed internal controls to ensure effective operations. For example, while GLLA project agreements contain environmental goals that tie to EPA's strategic plan:
Under GLLA, the Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) performs sediment remediation using partnerships with nonfederal sponsors to accomplish the work. The nonfederal sponsor is required to provide a minimum of 35 percent of the effort in cash or in-kind contributions to the project.
GAO found that the GLLA program funding has increased five-fold over the last 7 years; however, the program has not established needed internal controls to ensure effective operations. For example, while GLLA project agreements contain environmental goals that tie to EPA's strategic plan:
- GLNPO is not timely forwarding project agreements to the EPA Finance Center.
- EPA is not tracking and recording actual in-kind contributions.
- GLLA project agreements do not always include exact due dates and amounts for payments from nonfederal sponsors.
- GLNPO has not been performing final accounting timely and does not keep adequate documentation of the reviews.
- GLNPO does not verify a nonfederal sponsor's financial capability or whether the nonfederal sponsor maintains an adequate accounting system prior to entering into a cost-sharing agreement.
Because of limited staffing at the beginning of the program, GLNPO's initial strategy was to focus on hiring essential technical staff (engineers and scientists) and leveraging the resources of other offices to help administer the program. The program has grown in terms of resources and staffing, but the focus on programmatic over financial activities negatively affected GLNPO's development of internal controls and led to many of the findings in this report. Without adequate internal controls, funds owed from nonfederal sponsors may not be collected timely, costs invoiced on GLLA projects may not be reasonable and allowable, and nonfederal sponsors with whom GLNPO enters into project agreements may not be able to meet their commitments.
GAO recommended that EPA develop and implement policies and procedures for GLNPO that address the establishment of accounts receivable, recording of in-kind contributions, completion of final accounting, and reviews of the financial capability of nonfederal sponsors. EPA took action to address most of the recommendations and provided an action plan to address the remaining recommendation.
Access the complete report (click here).
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32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Kathryn Buckner To Head Council Of Great Lakes Industries
Apr 10: The Board of Directors of the Council of Great Lakes Industries (CGLI), an association of major U.S. and Canadian companies and business associations committed to the sustainable development of the Great Lakes Region, announced that Kathryn Buckner, an experienced environmental lawyer, will take over as president. George Kuper, who has been president since 1994, will become chairman. He has been acting chairman since the death of former chairman Robert Stempel last year. Access a release from CGLI (click here). Access the CGLI website for additional information (click here).
CGLI works with regional stakeholders on environmental policy initiatives that benefit from a sustainable development focus. The organization seeks policy that is ecologically sustainable, promotes economic progress and utilizes the water-enriched assets of the region to support global competitiveness.
Buckner is an experienced environmental professional with expertise in environmental stewardship, corporate social responsibility and environmental law. In addition to holding a law degree from the University of Illinois, she graduated from the University of Michigan's Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, receiving a MBA with high distinction from the Ross School of Business and a Master of Science in Sustainable Systems from the School of Natural Resources and Environment. She currently is working to develop a strategic private sector partnership program for the Great Lakes Observing System. In a previous role as a research advisor to CGLI, she engaged members and external stakeholders in CGLI's strategic planning process.
GET THE REST OF TODAY'S NEWS (click here)
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
Monday, April 9, 2012
FY 2012 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Funding
Apr 6: In a preliminary announcement U.S. EPA indicated that in April, it expects to announce its Request For Applications (RFA) seeking the submission of competitive assistance applications for FY 2012 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding. EPA expects to award approximately $20 million of GLRI funding through this competitive RFA process. Complete applications will be due approximately 35 days after release of the announcement.
The implementation of projects submitted and selected pursuant to the RFA process is expected to provide numerous benefits, including:
The implementation of projects submitted and selected pursuant to the RFA process is expected to provide numerous benefits, including:
- -An increase in on-the-ground/in-the-water restoration or protection actions;
- -A reduction in phosphorus loading from agricultural and urban lands that contributes to harmful algal blooms and water quality impairments;
- -A reduction in the amount of toxic substances entering the Great Lakes;
-Safer Great Lakes beaches; and - -Additional invasive species control
Funding under the RFA will support work under four of the five Focus Areas of the GLRI Action Plan. GLRI projects principally pertaining to Area of Concern restoration, Asian carp, or habitat and wildlife protection and restoration will not be covered under the RFA, as those areas are being addressed through other GLRI funding mechanisms. EPA notes that, "If your organization anticipates submitting an application pursuant to the RFA, but you do not currently have an authorized official representative (AOR) registered with Grants.gov, we encourage you to register now. The RFA application process requires that AORs be registered." EPA indicates that registration can take from three business days to as long as four weeks.
Access more information on the 2012 RFA (click here). Access more information on getting registered at Grant.gov (click here, click on "Get Registered"). Access the EPA Great Lakes mailing list registration to receive further information as it becomes available (click here).
GET THE REST OF TODAY'S NEWS (click here)
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
RFP For GLC Soil Erosion & Sediment Control Grants
Apr 9: The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) announced the 2012 Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control grant programs. This year under the watershed grant program GLC offers two grant options -- a small scale grant project; and a larger watershed scale grant project. The due date for grant applications under either option is June 1, 2012. GLC notes that Congress has not authorized funding for either of these programs and the number and amount of the grants will be made based on the level of funding received by the Commission.
Access the GLC Basins website for background information on the Soil Erosion and Sediment Control (click here). Access the 2012 RFP (click here).
GET THE REST OF TODAY'S NEWS (click here)
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
Friday, March 30, 2012
Feds & Great Lakes States Sign Wind Energy MOU
Mar 30: A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on offshore wind in the Great Lakes was signed by the heads of 10 Federal agencies and the governors of Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania. The purpose of the MOU is to promote the efficient, orderly and responsible evaluation of offshore wind proposals for the Great Lakes. The agreement was modeled after a similar MOU signed between 10 east coast states and the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2010. The Great Lakes MOU, however, carries additional significance because states own the bottomlands of the Great Lakes and ultimately have the primary authority about what can and cannot occur in those state waters.
Numerous Federal laws and interests are also at play in the Great Lakes. For example, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has Federal authority to approve or deny placement of structures in navigable waters. Nine other Federal agencies who signed the MOU also have regulatory roles or Federal interest in whether and how offshore wind gets permitted in the Great Lakes. The MOU establishes a Great Lakes Offshore Wind Energy Consortium (GLOWEC) that will make the regulatory and permit review processes transparent and provide insight into potential improvements to ensure that proposal reviews are clear and expeditious. With so many agencies involved, there is high potential for duplication and protracted review times that can be unnecessarily costly to both prospective developers and relevant state and federal government agencies.
The MOU does not create any new laws¸ call for new regulations or change existing authorities. Rather, it empowers the state and Federal agency signatories to coordinate and share information concerning how offshore wind proposals are reviewed and evaluated with the goal of improving coordination among all of the relevant agencies and ultimately the efficiency of such reviews.
The cooperation produced by the MOU is aimed at improving efficiencies in the review of proposed offshore wind projects by enabling simultaneous and complementary reviews, and avoiding duplicative reviews. The MOU will send a market signal to prospective developers and investors that the Great Lakes region is ready to consider offshore wind proposals and that the regulatory process will be timely and efficient. The concentrated efforts made possible by the MOU will also shore up existing investments in offshore wind technologies by ensuring a regulatory environment that inspires innovation and helps to bring clean energy solutions to market.
Numerous Federal laws and interests are also at play in the Great Lakes. For example, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has Federal authority to approve or deny placement of structures in navigable waters. Nine other Federal agencies who signed the MOU also have regulatory roles or Federal interest in whether and how offshore wind gets permitted in the Great Lakes. The MOU establishes a Great Lakes Offshore Wind Energy Consortium (GLOWEC) that will make the regulatory and permit review processes transparent and provide insight into potential improvements to ensure that proposal reviews are clear and expeditious. With so many agencies involved, there is high potential for duplication and protracted review times that can be unnecessarily costly to both prospective developers and relevant state and federal government agencies.
The MOU does not create any new laws¸ call for new regulations or change existing authorities. Rather, it empowers the state and Federal agency signatories to coordinate and share information concerning how offshore wind proposals are reviewed and evaluated with the goal of improving coordination among all of the relevant agencies and ultimately the efficiency of such reviews.
The cooperation produced by the MOU is aimed at improving efficiencies in the review of proposed offshore wind projects by enabling simultaneous and complementary reviews, and avoiding duplicative reviews. The MOU will send a market signal to prospective developers and investors that the Great Lakes region is ready to consider offshore wind proposals and that the regulatory process will be timely and efficient. The concentrated efforts made possible by the MOU will also shore up existing investments in offshore wind technologies by ensuring a regulatory environment that inspires innovation and helps to bring clean energy solutions to market.
Tim Ryan, president of Apex Offshore Wind, noted that his company is excited to see the commitment to cooperation among the states and Federal agencies. "It is a good sign for the future of offshore wind in the Great Lakes. The MOU should yield lower costs and improve processing of permit applications, as each government unit learns from others' experiences." Mark Clevey, manager of the Michigan Energy Office and co-chair of the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative (GLWC), said he hopes that the agreement will lead to greater innovations related to sustainable development of windpower in the binational Great Lakes region. Victoria Pebbles, Great Lakes Commission (GLC) program director and staff liaison for GLWC said, "It's gratifying to see cooperation among our state and Federal partners that will hopefully improve the regulatory process and benefit all involved."
Access a release from GLC (click here). Access more on the specific MOU including a fact sheet and multiple releases (click here). Access more information on the GLWC (click here).
Access a release from GLC (click here). Access more on the specific MOU including a fact sheet and multiple releases (click here). Access more information on the GLWC (click here).
GET THE REST OF TODAY'S NEWS (click here)
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
$125,000 For Two Great Lakes Protection Fund Grants
Mar 30: The Great Lakes Protection Fund announces grant awards totaling $125,000 made to project teams working to improve the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. At its March, 2012 meeting, the Board of Directors awarded two grants that further the Fund's mission to identify, demonstrate, and promote regional action to enhance the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. The Great Lakes Protection Fund is a private, nonprofit corporation formed in 1989 by the Governors of the Great Lakes states. To date, the Fund had made 243 grants and program related investments representing more than $62.6 million in regional projects to improve the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. The latest grants include:
Improving Water Management in the Great Lakes Basin: A grant of up to $75,000 was awarded to a team (comprised of 10 organizations) led by the Great Lakes United to complete a planning and design phase for a project to identify the ecological benefits and explore the financial rationale for pursuing water conservation and green infrastructure practices, and test how this information -- when combined with effective knowledge transfer techniques—can drive better water management throughout the Great Lakes basin. The award furthers the Great Lakes Governors' priority of adopting sustainable use practices that protect environmental resources and may enhance the recreational and commercial value of our Great Lakes.
Founders Film: A Look Back to Go Forward: A grant of up to $50,000 was awarded to Ravenswood Media to produce a short-format film documenting the Fund's founding governors, their vision for the Great Lakes, and the steps they took to put that vision into action.
Access a release from the Great Lakes Protection Fund with links more information on the grants and related information (click here).
Improving Water Management in the Great Lakes Basin: A grant of up to $75,000 was awarded to a team (comprised of 10 organizations) led by the Great Lakes United to complete a planning and design phase for a project to identify the ecological benefits and explore the financial rationale for pursuing water conservation and green infrastructure practices, and test how this information -- when combined with effective knowledge transfer techniques—can drive better water management throughout the Great Lakes basin. The award furthers the Great Lakes Governors' priority of adopting sustainable use practices that protect environmental resources and may enhance the recreational and commercial value of our Great Lakes.
Founders Film: A Look Back to Go Forward: A grant of up to $50,000 was awarded to Ravenswood Media to produce a short-format film documenting the Fund's founding governors, their vision for the Great Lakes, and the steps they took to put that vision into action.
Access a release from the Great Lakes Protection Fund with links more information on the grants and related information (click here).
GET THE REST OF TODAY'S NEWS (click here)
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
32 Years of Environmental Reporting for serious Environmental Professionals
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