Healthy Water Solutions Coalition Formed To Stop Asian Carp

Oct 24: More than a dozen Illinois organizations announced the formation of a new coalition committed to stopping the two-way transfer of invasive species -- including Asian carp -- between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basin. Robert Hirschfeld of Prairie Rivers Network, a founding member of the new Healthy Water Solutions (HWS) coalition said, "Stopping Asian carp and other invasive species is an economic and ecological imperative. But it is also just one piece of a greater plan for improved water quality, flood control, recreation and transportation in Illinois."

 

   HWS was formed in response to the need for Illinois residents and organizations to promote locally focused solutions, rather than wait for Federal agencies and regionally contentious lawsuits. Jared Teutsch of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, also a HWS coalition member said, "HWS exists to complement the work of federal and state agencies, while recognizing the importance of local action to help move issues like invasive species forward when they are stalled by outside forces. We encourage the state of Illinois, the city of Chicago and other governmental groups to work with the rest of the region to fashion a modern solution to the growing problems of invasive species and decaying water infrastructure."

    According to a release, the new coalition will advocate for reinvestment in the Chicago River system, a critical piece of infrastructure that affects the waters of the entire state. Jack Darin, director of the Sierra Club's Illinois Chapter said, "The Chicago River system can be so much more than a conduit for our wastewater. The threat posed by the Asian carp and other aquatic invaders is also an opportunity to restore the Chicago River and make it a clean, healthy resource that attracts wildlife, people and economic development."

    Invasive species protection promises to provide benefits to Chicago and Lake Michigan, as well as businesses and communities around the state. Invasive species cost the economy hundreds of millions annually. The spread of Asian carp threatens the Great Lakes fishery -- calculated at $7 billion annually, with billions more generated through tourism and recreation. The groups said that while Asian carp are the public face of invasive species, they are among 39 species labeled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as "high-risk" to transfer between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins and inflict significant damage to new habitat.

 

    HWS re-envisions the Chicago River as a system that not only prevents the transfer of all aquatic invaders, including Asian carp, but better serves its functions of moving people and goods and managing stormwater -- all while improving water quality. Henry Henderson, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Midwest Program and a former commissioner of the environment for the city of Chicago said, "Chicago and the rest of the region will not thrive until we address its failing water infrastructure. Re-imagining Chicago's waterways is at the core of the vision that the HWS coalition will bring to help move us all toward a modern system that enhances our environment, economy and quality of life."

 

   Margaret Frisbie, executive director of Friends of the Chicago River said, "The Chicago River is the lifeblood of the city. And it flows through so many urban and suburban communities playing the role of natural and recreational resource and catalyst for community revitalization. Through HWS we are committed to improving and protecting the Chicago River at the same time we solve the aquatic invasive species problems we face." HWS will work with the region's leaders on a plan for separation that satisfies public needs without severing Chicago's vital connection to the lake.

    Access a posted release from HWS including a listing of initial members (click here). Access the HWS website for more information (click here). [#GLakes]

 

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NWF Report Details Major Pipeline Threat to Great Lakes

Oct 18: The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) released a report warning of a pipeline hazard located beneath the Straits of Mackinac. Just west of the 5-mile long Mackinac Bridge, below the water's surface, lie two 20-inch pipelines, called Line 5, that carry a total of 20 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas fluids each day from Superior, Wisconsin east through the Upper Peninsula to the bridge, then south through to Michigan and another Great Lakes crossing at Port Huron, Michigan to Sarnia, Ontario. The pipelines were placed in the Straits of Mackinac in 1953. The aging pipelines are operated by Enbridge Energy -- the Canadian company responsible for the worst inland oil disaster in U.S. history. NWF said the report comes as Enbridge faces increasing scrutiny for safety lapses both in the U.S. and Canada.

    The report, Sunken Hazard: Aging oil pipelines beneath the Straits of Mackinac, an ever-present threat to the Great Lakes, documents how an oil spill from the pipeline -- commonly referred to as Line 5 -- would have devastating consequences for people, fish, wildlife and the economy. Andy Buchsbaum, director of the NWF Great Lakes office in Ann Arbor said, "This is a recipe for disaster. This toxic oil pipeline is 60 years old, runs beneath the Straits of Mackinac, and is operated by a company with a terrible record of spills and ruptures. Now they want to increase pressure and temperature in the line by pumping an additional 50,000 barrels -- 2.1 million gallons -- per day. This is a BP oil spill scale catastrophe waiting to happen."

    Enbridge Energy, according to the report, has been responsible for more than 800 pipeline spills in the United States and Canada from 1999-2010, including the biggest inland oil spill in U.S. history, in which more than 1 million gallons of oil spilled into the Kalamazoo River. NWF indicated, "Despite its shoddy safety record, Enbridge Energy is now trying to expand Line 5. This project is part of a system wide expansion that will have massive impacts throughout the entire Great Lakes region as Enbridge gears up to push incredible amounts of toxic tar sands oil through our waters to refineries that dot the lakes. In addition, that oil is not likely to stay here. Enbridge is also expanding their pipeline network east of Michigan to push tar sands oil to New England and possibly out for export through the Portland-Montreal pipeline.

    Beth Wallace with NWF said, "We are extremely concerned about all of Enbridge's plans to expand and what this will mean for the Great Lakes, but we are especially concerned about Enbridge getting approvals to expand pumping through Line 5. It would be a serious mistake for federal officials to rubber stamp this project based on Enbridge's track record of devastating oil spills that have harmed our communities, economy and environment. There is very little known about the integrity of Line 5 because Enbridge, and agencies charged with pipeline oversight, refuse to provide the pubic maintenance records or inspection history. What we do know is that Enbridge's emergency response plans for this location are abysmal. The overall line is nearly 60 years old and has had its fair share of spills. And there is no margin for error when it comes to preventing oil spills in the Great Lakes: the Lakes provide drinking water for 30 million people in the U.S. and Canada, support a $7 billion fishery, a $16 billion recreational boating economy and are the backbone of one of the world's largest regional economies."

    The report makes the following recommendations to address the sunken hazard of Enbridge's Line 5:

• PHMSA [U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration] should deny the proposed 50,000 barrels per day expansion of the Enbridge pumping rate. PHMSA has authority under a federal corrective action agreement to regulate Enbridge activities anywhere along the Lakehead system, which includes Line 5. The higher pressures, and possibly temperatures, in a 60-year old line are too great a risk to the Straits, one of the jewels of Michigan and the Great Lakes.
• Enbridge should be required to install additional response centers on either side of the Straits to speed their response to any spills or ruptures.
• The 60-year old pipeline should be replaced, but only to its current size. Michigan should not have even more oil running through the Great Lakes.
• The federal agency, PHMSA, should declare a moratorium on any new or expanded pipelines that transport a highly toxic form of crude -- tar sands derived oil that contains diluted bitumen -- until after the National Academy of Sciences completes an ongoing study on this type of crude and new regulations are promulgated.
• Passage of the proposed ballot measure to increase clean energy from utilities, Proposal 3, would reduce the diesel gasoline used to transport coal into the state and promote the type of technological innovation that increases fuel economy in vehicles and decreases the demand for gasoline.

    Access a release from NWF (click here). Access the complete 17-page report (click here). [#Energy/Pipeline, #GLakes]

 

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Universities Team Up On Great Lakes Futures Project

Oct 15: According to a release, the University of Michigan and 20 other U.S. and Canadian research institutions will join forces to propose a set of long-term research and policy priorities to help protect and restore the Great Lakes and to train the next generation of scientists, attorneys, planners and policy specialists who will study them. The Great Lakes Futures Project of the Transborder Research University Network will use a cross-disciplinary, cross-sector approach to outlining alternative Great Lakes futures through science-based scenario analysis.

    Donald Scavia, director of U-M's Graham Sustainability Institute said, "With the recent release of the revised Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement [See WIMS 9/7/12], this is a critical time to bring together scholars and practitioners from across the region to chart a more protective future for this precious resource."

    The release indicates that the Great Lakes basin is home to more than 35 million people -- 30 percent of the Canadian population and 10 percent of the U.S. population. The economic output of the basin is one of the largest in the world (more than $4 trillion gross regional product), and the area is expected to grow by 20 million people over the next 20 years. While the basin contains more than 80 percent of the water in North America and 21 percent of the world's surface fresh water, demands from within and outside the basin are substantial and escalating.

    The Great Lakes Futures Project will be led by Irena Creed of Western University, Gail Krantzberg of McMaster University, Kathryn Friedman of SUNY at Buffalo and U-M's Scavia. The project will be managed by Katrina Laurent of Western University. This unprecedented collaboration of U.S. and Canadian academics, governments, nongovernment organizations, industry and private citizens will address questions such as "How can this water and watershed be managed?" and "What are the environmental, social, economic and political impacts of those management plans?"

    The assessment will begin with development of white papers outlining critical drivers of change in the Great Lakes basin over the past 50 years and the next 50 years, including climate change, the economy, biological and chemical contaminants, invasive species, demographics and societal values, governance and geopolitics, energy and water quantity. The papers will be developed by teams of graduate students from Canadian and U.S. universities under the mentorship of leaders in Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin research and presented at a workshop at U-M in January. The assessments will drive scenario analyses and policy briefs that will be communicated to residents and government officials in both Canada and the U.S.

    The Great Lakes Futures Project will also produce scholarly and popular publications and will conduct public events with schools and community groups. In addition, it has the potential to create a binational academic forum, research collaborations and a think tank. This initiative has also laid the foundation for two major Federal grant opportunities for training of highly qualified personnel who will work on improving the status of the Great Lakes.

    Eighteen U.S. and Canadian universities and colleges have provided cash support to the project including: University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Wayne State University, SUNY at Buffalo, Guelph University, McMaster University, Queens University, Trent University, University of Toronto, University of Windsor, Ryerson University, Waterloo University, Western University, York University, McGill University, Seneca College, Université de Montréal and the Université du Québec à Trois Rivière.
Funding was also provided by the Group for Interuniversity Research in Limnology and Aquatic Environment, Michigan Sea Grant and New York Sea Grant.

    Project officials will recruit students for the next phase of the scenario analysis this fall. The Transborder Research University Network expands and supports cooperation among research universities in the border region of Canada and United States through collaborative/ consortial research; joint applications for external funding; cooperative academic programs; faculty and student exchanges; shared facilities, library materials and electronic resources; and joint conferences, symposia and workshops.

 

    Access a release from U-M and link to more information on TRUN (click here).

 

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$3 Million In U.S. Forest Service GLRI Grants

Oct 11: The U.S. Forest Service announced nearly $3 million in grants to improve tree canopy, forest cover and ultimately, water quality in six Great Lakes states, including Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, Illinois and Indiana. The grants are part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), a cooperative effort between Federal, tribal, state and local partners. The GLRI is the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades. USDA Undersecretary Harris Sherman said, "The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will improve the environmental health and economic vitality of the world's largest freshwater system. The Forest Service, together with our partners, is working to improve America's treasured landscapes in more than 7,000 communities across the country."

 

    The U.S. EPA-funded grants administered by the Forest Service will support community forestry efforts to improve the interception, evaporation, infiltration and storage of rainfall and storm water. U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said, "Healthy forests and lands support healthy waters. These projects will put people to work increasing the number of trees, turning polluted industrial sites into beautiful parkland and improving habitat for wildlife."

 

    The Michigan projects included: $50,000 - The Detroit Green Connections Project; $250,000 - The Detroit Reforestation Initiative; $70,000 - The Grand River Ash Tree Protection and Restoration Initiative; $132,274 - The Tree Canopy Restoration on Sault Tribe Lands; $250,000 - The Greening of Chevy in the Hole project; and $197,437 - Reducing Contamination using Hybrid Poplar in Lake Michigan Watersheds.

 

    Access a release with further details on the projects and other state awards (click here).

 

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League To Save Lake Tahoe v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

Oct 12: In the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, Case No. 11-17318. Appealed from the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. In this unpublished opinion, the League to Save Lake Tahoe (the League) appealed from the district court's summary judgment upholding the regulatory approvals issued by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA or the agency) for the Sierra Colina Village housing project. The Appeals Court determined that it had jurisdiction and vacated the district court judgment.

 

    The Appeals Court said, "Contrary to TRPA's assertion, the League has standing to sue on its members' behalf." The Appeals Court ruled, "Because substantial evidence does not support two mandatory TRPA findings, we must vacate the district court judgment. We, however, recognize that the League's challenges as described on appeal are much more detailed than the

objections made before TRPA in the first instance, and that TRPA must be afforded the opportunity to reexamine the objections and enter new findings. We remand to the district court with instructions to vacate TRPA's approval of the land coverage transfer for LPF 3 [linear public facility, i.e. shared public access roadway] and remand the matter back to the agency for further proceedings consistent with this disposition. We need not, and do not, reach any other issue urged by the parties."

 

    Access the complete opinion (click here). [#Land, #CA9]

 

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MI AG Continues Legal Action To Stop Asian Carp Advances

Oct 9: Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced that his office will continue to move forward with a lawsuit aimed at protecting the Great Lakes from invasive Asian carp. Schuette has joined four states and an Indian tribe in legal action to force the Army Corps of Engineers to quickly develop and implement plans to permanently separate the Great Lakes from Asian carp-infested Illinois waterways.

    Schuette said, "Asian carp are knocking at the front door of the Great Lakes, and we cannot afford to wait on a federal government that fails to act. This ecological disaster has been building and building for years, with no definitive action. We need to permanently separate these two bodies of water as soon as possible. The time for talk is over; Michigan citizens have been patient for long enough, we need results."  

 

    According to a release, attorneys for the Federal government have argued that a July 2012 law passed by Congress requiring the Corps to complete, by January 2014, a study of options for permanently blocking the movement of Asian carp and other invasive species through the Chicago Area Waterway System makes litigation unnecessary. However, on October 5, 2012, the Army Corps of Engineers announced that it does not intend to recommend any separation plan within the deadline set by Congress, and instead plans years of additional study, despite the impending Asian carp invasion of the Great Lakes. Four days later, the Corps disclosed 30 new positive test results for Asian carp environmental DNA from samples collected in the Chicago Waterway. There have now been a total of 80 such positive results above the Corps' electrical Barrier system in 2012 alone.   

 

    On October 9, 2012, Schuette's office filed a response to the supplemental motion to dismiss in Michigan, et al v Corps of Engineers, et al before Judge John J. Tharp, Jr. in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Judge Tharp is expected to determine whether Schuette's lawsuit can proceed later this year. Schuette indicated that the response makes clear that Michigan is continuing forward with its lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers and the Chicago Water District, joined by attorneys general from Minnesota Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as well as the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. 

    Access a release from the AG (click here). Access more information on the AG's efforts on the Asian Carp issue (click here).

 

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More Positive Asian Carp eDNA Found Beyond Electric Barrier

Oct 9: The Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC) announced intensive monitoring action will begin in the North Shore Channel of the Chicago River on October 16, after three consecutive rounds of Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling yielded positive results for Asian carp DNA in the North Shore Channel beyond the electric barrier. The ACCRC's 2012 Monitoring and Rapid Response Plan calls for a Level 1 response to three consecutive rounds of positive eDNA results in one area. As an extra precaution, the ACRCC also will conduct intensive monitoring in a six-mile stretch of the Chicago River beginning near the Chicago lock, after one set of samples tested positive for eDNA in that area. While the North Shore Channel is regularly monitored for the presence of Asian carp, the level 1 response intensifies efforts with additional commercial fishing crews, agency electrofishing boats, and additional deep water sampling gear during an intensive four-day fishing period.

    John Goss, Asian Carp Director at the White House Council on Environmental Quality said, "While the science still does not tell us whether eDNA is from a live fish, a dead fish, or another source, finding three consecutive sets of positive samples triggers us to use significant resources to determine whether any Asian carp are present. This is part of the ACRCC's comprehensive Asian carp control strategy that includes continuing aggressive monitoring to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes, developing cutting edge control technologies, and refining the use of eDNA." Three separate eDNA samples sets were taken at the North Shore Channel between June 11 and September 11, revealing 17 positives for silver carp DNA out of 171 samples. 

    Biologists from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be on the water with contracted commercial fishermen beginning Tuesday October 16th through Friday, October 19th. The crews will lay various net types throughout the North Shore Channel and in channel areas of the Chicago River. Agency electrofishing boats will sample fish in shoreline areas and will be used to drive fish towards the nets. Gears will be attended at all times and commercial and private vessel traffic will be able to proceed with minimal interference. A notice to mariners will be broadcast by the U.S. Coast Guard to further inform any water traffic during this effort, and daily updates will be posted on the ACRCC website.

    At present, eDNA evidence cannot verify whether live Asian carp are present, whether the DNA may have come from a dead fish, or whether water containing Asian carp DNA may have been transported from other sources, such as bilge water. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is leading an Asian Carp eDNA Calibration Study (ECALS) with the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reduce the uncertainty surrounding eDNA results and investigate alternative sources and pathways for eDNA detections beyond a live fish.

    U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), co-author of the Stop Invasive Species Act that was signed into law by President Obama earlier this year, made a statement after the announcement of the eDNA results indicating that it follows last week's

announcement by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers saying it will not complete its plan to stop the entry of Asian carp into the Great Lakes by 2013 as Stabenow's new law requires [See WIMS 10/5/12]. She said, "This discovery further underscores the Army Corps of Engineers' responsibility to complete its work as mandated by the law. Asian carp are on our doorstep, and the only thing protecting the Great Lakes are the electric barriers. There are thousands of Michigan jobs that rely on the Great Lakes, and we need more than temporary fixes. We passed bipartisan legislation to require the Army Corps to finally make stopping Asian carp a top priority, and the Corps needs to follow the law and complete their work."

 

    Access a release from ACRCC with additional information (click here). Access the ACRCC website (click here). Access the full eDNA sampling details (click here). Access the release from Sen. Stabenow (click here).

 

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GLMRIS 90-Day Interim Report To Congress; Legislators Irate

Oct 5: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) released the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) 90-Day Interim Report, transmitted by the Secretary of the Army, Civil Works, to Congress. The 90 Day Interim Report outlines anticipated milestones, required resources and a plan for the completion of the GLMRIS Report, which will evaluate a range of options and technologies to prevent the transfer of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins by aquatic pathways, by December 2013, as required by Section 1538 of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). 

    GLMRIS indicated in a release that initiation of any action beyond the study is contingent upon a decision by the Secretary of the Army that a project is justified. USACE anticipates that the GLMRIS Report will identify additional requirements that must be completed after its release, including detailed design analyses, completion of the environmental compliance analysis and required internal and agency reviews. If the Secretary of the Army determines that a project is justified and consistent with USACE missions, the additional requirements will be completed as part of the effort leading into preconstruction engineering and design of an ANS control alternative.

    GLMRIS Program Manager Jack Drolet said, "Though the expedited timeframe will be challenging, we will make the GLMRIS Report as comprehensive as possible." During the study, USACE will be actively engaged in numerous activities to deter the transfer of ANS. Drolet emphasized that, "Active prevention projects are ongoing and effective, such as operation of the electric barriers in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and partnering with other members of the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee to aggressively monitor the canal to determine location and abundance of fish." 

 

    The 90-day report concludes, "The Corps will complete the GLMRIS Report in December 2013. The GLMRIS Report will provide Congress and other stakeholders with an analysis of potential alternatives, as well as additional pertinent information for decision makers. The GLMRIS Report may identify additional studies needed to finalize the analyses prior to proceeding to preconstruction engineering and design, including completion of the environmental compliance analysis and required public and state/agency reviews. Initiation of PED is contingent upon a decision by the Secretary that a particular plan is justified."

 

    Although, USACE indicates in a release and in the 90-day report that it "will complete the GLMRIS Report in December 2013," U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), co-author of the Stop Invasive Species Act [See WIMS 7/2/12] that was recently signed into law by President Obama in July, made a statement after she said "the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it will not complete its plan to stop Asian carp entry into the Great Lakes by 2013." She said, "The Army Corps of Engineers' refusal to follow the law and submit a complete plan to stop Asian carp is completely unacceptable. Temporary fixes have proven inadequate, with evidence of Asian carp now being detected in the Great Lakes. Asian carp could completely devastate the Great Lakes and the hundreds of thousands of jobs that depend on them. We authored and passed a bipartisan law to require the Corps to finally make stopping Asian carp a top priority, and the Corps needs to follow the law and complete their work."

 

    Representative David Camp (R-MI) the other co-author of the law, also issued a statement saying the Corps said it will not complete the report on time. He said, "As Asian carp draw closer to the Great Lakes every day, the Army Corps of Engineers has chosen to work even slower on developing a solution, in direct contravention to the law Congress passed earlier this year. This is unacceptable. The 700,000 people whose jobs depend on the Great Lakes fishery cannot continue to wait on the Corps. I plan to hold the Corps accountable for openly flouting the direction given to it by Congress." Rep Camp said that instead of the required plan, the Corps will offer a report "on the range of options for combating the invasive carp. . ." 

    Access a release from GLMRIS and link to the complete 19-page report (click here). Access the statement from Sen. Stabenow (click here). Access the statement from Rep. Camp (click here). Access legislative details for S.2317 (click here); and H.R.4406 (click here). 

 

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$1.6 Million For Projects On Mercury Exposure & Fish Consumption

Oct 4: U.S. EPA announced two Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grants totaling almost $1.6 million for projects to protect women and children from mercury exposure through Great Lakes fish consumption. The funding will be used to improve health screening and to develop more effective fish consumption advisories. 

 

    The University of Illinois at Chicago will receive $192,258 for a project to recruit Great Lakes area health care providers and their pregnant patients to participate in a study evaluating the link between fish consumption and mercury levels in blood. The project will determine whether a single question about fish consumption is an effective screening tool to predict which women are likely to have elevated mercury levels and a related increase in potential health risks to their children. Data will also be analyzed to determine whether recreational anglers and tribal members have higher levels of mercury in their blood than the general population. 

 

    A second, major grant to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) for $1.4 million will fund a project to improve health screening and to develop more effective fish consumption advisories in the Lake Superior Basin. A previous EPA-funded study found that nearly one in 10 infants in the basin had mercury levels higher than those recommended as safe by EPA. The Grand Portage Chippewa Tribe and the Sawtooth Mountain Clinics in Grand Portage and Grand Marais, Minnesota will participate in the MDH project. Physicians affiliated with the clinics will survey consenting female patients of childbearing age about fish consumption and test blood mercury levels. Patients will also be counseled to promote safe fish consumption choices. 

    Access a release from EPA and link to more information on GLRI and the grants (click here).

 

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Two Major Great Lakes Protection Fund Grants

Oct 5: In September of 2012, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo assumed the chairmanship of the Great Lakes Protection Fund (GLPR) and selected Matthew Driscoll to serve as Chair of the Board. At the meeting the Board of Directors also awarded two grants that commit more than $1.2 million to teams that further the Fund's mission to identify, demonstrate, and promote regional action to enhance the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem.

    One grant of up to $449,000 was awarded to a team (comprised of 8 organizations) led by the Council of Great Lakes Industries to create, through pilot testing, a new water stewardship toolkit specific to the Great Lakes region, that will prevent or reduce ecosystem impacts from water use, and be compatible with industry needs. A second grant of up to $823,000 was awarded to a team (comprised of 8 organizations) led by Wayne State University to develop, test, and implement an automated shipboard sampling system that will enable real-time verification of the efficacy of ballast water treatment systems and reduce the likelihood of new invasive  species entering the Great Lakes.

    GLPR is a private, nonprofit corporation formed in 1989 by the Governors of the Great Lakes states. It is a permanent environmental endowment that supports projects that lead to tangible improvements in the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem; promote the interdependence of healthy ecological and economic systems; and are innovative, creative, and venturesome.

 

    Access the announcement from GLPR and link to more information on the grants and the Driscoll appointment (click here).

 

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21 Grants For Invasive Species In The Great Lakes Basin

Oct 2: U.S. EPA announced 21 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GRLI) grants totaling nearly $8 million for projects to combat invasive species in the Great Lakes basin in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin. Susan Hedman, Great Lakes National Program Manager and Region 5 Administrator said, "These EPA grants will prevent the spread of invasive species, increase the accuracy of early detection techniques, and control non-native flora and fauna that have invaded the Great Lakes basin. These projects will improve the environmental health and economic vitality of the world's largest freshwater system."

 

    Over the last three years, the GLRI has provided $172 million for the prevention, detection and control of invasive species in the Great Lakes ecosystem. Approximately $80 million of this GLRI funding is being used to support the interagency Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework. The announcement is the most recent in a series of announcements to highlight EPA's 2012 GLRI grants for restoration and protection projects. The GLRI, initially proposed by President Obama in February 2009, is the largest investment in the Great Lakes in more than two decades.

 

    Access a release from EPA and link to more information about the GLRI (click here). Access a full list of EPA 2012 grants for project to combat invasive species (click here).

 

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