GLC Reacts To EPA Inspector General AOC Report

Sep 30: U.S. EPA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report in mid-September entitled, EPA Needs a Cohesive Plan to Clean Up the Great Lakes Areas of Concern (No. 09-P-0231, September 14, 2009) [See WIMS 9/15/09], evaluating the Agency’s management of contaminated sediment cleanups in the Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOC). The report focuses on the effectiveness of the Great Lakes Legacy Act, established in 2002 to fund the cleanup of contaminated sediment sites in the 31 AOCs in the U.S. portion of the Great Lakes. The report indicated that the U.S. EPA lacks a coordinated approach for managing sediment cleanups and recommends that the agency establish a management plan for remediating contaminated sediments; develop an action plan for each site; and publish comprehensive information on each site annually.

The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) issued a reaction to the report and said it has long been concerned about the slow pace of progress in restoring the AOCs, but believes that changes to the Great Lakes Legacy Act, coupled with the proposed Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, will address many of the issues raised in the OIG report. The Commission believes that "improved coordination and data collection will strengthen the program, particularly as additional resources become available to implement sediment cleanups."

GLC said that, "President Obama’s proposed $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) will accelerate the pace of cleaning up the Great Lakes. Nearly one-third of the funding is proposed for removing contaminated sediments and restoring the AOCs." GLC indicated that, "While improved coordination and better information are always warranted, the key obstacle facing the Great Lakes has been the lack of adequate funding to implement a comprehensive restoration program. . . The program has facilitated productive federal-state-industry partnerships that are yielding real results while minimizing wasteful litigation and bureaucratic delays. Where additional improvements are needed . . .they should be incorporated into cleanups as they are developed and implemented. However, this should occur concurrent with -- and not delay the implementation of -- the GLRI."

Access a release from the GLC (click here).

Eleven Soil Erosion & Sediment Control Grants

Jul 23: The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) recently announced eleven grants totaling almost $300,000 were recently announced by the Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control. The awards went to applicants in six of the eight Great Lakes states and were selected by GLC's Sediment Task Force from 84 applications received during this year’s application cycle. Over $2 million was requested by 84 applicants but budget constraints limited total funding.

Basin Program grant awards included $30,000 to the Ullr Mountain Gully Erosion and Sediment Control Project in Grand Marais, MN; $35,000 to the Menomonee River Erosion Control Project in Milwaukee, WI; $30,000 to the Silver Creek Super Project in Grayling, MI; $12,459 to the St. Joseph River Watershed Soil Erosion/Sediment Control Project in Hillsdale, MI; $29, 891 to research on “Stabilizing Nutrient-Rich Cropland with Cover Crops and Targeted Zone-Tillage” by Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI; $30,000 to the “Cover it Green” project in Norwalk, OH; $10,500 to Lorain County Erosion and Sediment Control in Elyria, OH; $30,000 to Cascade Creek Watershed Improvements in Erie, PA; $30,000 to Eighteenmile Creek Streambank Restoration and Erosion Control in East Aurora, NY; $30,000 to the Genesee River Watershed Soil Erosion Control Project in Rochester, NY; and $24,200 to the St. Lawrence and Franklin County Ag Soil Erosion Sediment project in Canton, NY.

Access an announcement from GLC and link to further details on the projects (click here). Access the GLC Soil Erosion and Sediment Control program website for more information (click here).

$1.2 million For Two Clean Diesel Great Lakes Marine Vessels

Jul 21: U.S. EPA Region 5 announced that it awarded more than $1.2 million to the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) to put cleaner diesel engines in two Great Lakes self-unloading bulk carrier marine vessels. Bharat Mathur, acting regional administrator said, "Investing in clean diesel projects in the Great Lakes region will protect public health, bolster the economy and create green jobs.These Recovery Act funds will move us one step closer to a clean energy future."

The funds are provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. Under this funding competition, EPA Region 5 alone received 81 grant applications requesting $211 million to help fund clean diesel emissions projects. The announced awards were chosen to maximize both economic impact and emissions reductions. ARRA allotted the National Clean Diesel Campaign a total of $300 million, of which the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program received $156 million to fund competitive grants across the nation. ARRA also included $20 million for the National Clean Diesel Emerging Technology Program grants and $30 million for the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program grants. In addition, under the Act's State Clean Diesel Grant program, a total of $88.2 million has been provided to states for clean diesel projects through a noncompetitive allocation process.

According to a release from GLC, four 30-year-old generators on two Great Lakes bulk carriers will be repowered next winter with cleaner, more fuel-efficient diesel engines with help from a $1.2 million federal stimulus grant recently awarded to the Great Lakes Commission. The grant will support a $1.6 million project to be carried out at a Wisconsin shipyard on two self-unloading vessels owned and operated by the American Steamship Company (ASC) of Williamsville, NY. The 900-horsepower diesel generator sets, two on each vessel, were original equipment on the 770-foot M/V St. Clair built in 1976 and the 1,000-foot M/V Indiana Harbor built in 1979. The units are used to supply electrical power to the vessels. The two ASC vessels operate primarily in the iron ore, coal and stone trades between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes.

Access a release from EPA with links to more information on ARRA and the clean diesel initiatives (click here). Access a release from GLC with further details on the project (click here).

GLC Great Lakes Wind Collaborative Project

May 27: The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) announced that it will receive $99,740 to fund the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative’s (GLWC) development of Best Practices to Accelerate Wind Power in the Great Lakes Region and Beyond. The Commission was one of 53 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) wind energy grant recipients announced by Secretary of Energy Steven Chu at the recent WINDPOWER 2009 Conference in Chicago [See WIMS 5/7/09], with Commission staff in attendance. The Commission’s award is one of 11 projects funded in the Great Lakes region. Funded projects totaled $8.5 million nationwide.

Through this project the GLWC, a multi-sector coalition of wind energy stakeholders facilitated by the Great Lakes Commission, will examine the policies and practices that are working best within and beyond the region, which allow wind development yet are protective of the environment and sensitive to community concerns. The GLWC will partner with other regional groups including the Great Lakes Legislative Caucus, the Midwestern Governors Association and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative to ensure that information developed reaches those best positioned to use that information in developing policy at the state and local level. Additionally, the best practices and policy options developed will be served up publicly on the internet to inform individuals who are interested in wind development in the region.

Access a lengthy release from GLC (click here). Access the GLCWC website for more information (click here). Access a release from DOE with a listing of all grants and links to further information (click here).

EPA Administrator Jackson Greets Great Lakes Commission

Feb 24: U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson addressed the semiannual meeting of the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) as part of Great Lakes Day on February 24, at the Madison Hotel in Washington, DC. She said, "As the Great Lakes go, so goes the national policy as to water.” Jackson noted that President Barack Obama established his commitment to Great Lakes protection early in his campaign and continues to demonstrate that commitment through such legislative vehicles as the American Recovery Act, the recently passed stimulus bill. She said, “We look at the Act as extremely important to restoring infrastructure." She indicated that, “Removal of persistent toxins is really necessary,” she said. “It is expensive and takes a lot of time but we will continue.” The administrator pledged to work to reverse the previous Administration to increase funding to clean up Areas of Concern.

With an underlying theme at the meeting of environmental restoration of the Great Lakes as an economic development strategy, Commission Chair and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn exhorted the Commission member states and Canadian provinces to maximize the potential of the lakes to lure new business and investment. Among actions taken by the Commission were resolutions endorsing reauthorization of the Coastal Zone Management Act, supporting reform of the Harbor Maintenance Tax and Trust Fund, and supporting the American Wind Energy Association’s upcoming Windpower Conference in Chicago.

Access an announcement from GLC (click here). Access an overview and resolutions from the GLC Semiannual Meeting (click here). Access a summary of GLC recommendations to Congress (click here). Access a two-part video of Jackson's presentation to the GLC on the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition website (click here).

Commission To Take Great Lakes Priorities To DC

Feb 18: Next week, at its annual Great Lakes Days in Washington, DC, the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) will present recommendations to Congress to support job creation and stimulate economic development on a long-term basis by investing in Great Lakes protection and restoration. In its list of legislative priorities for fiscal year 2010, the Commission is urging Congress and the Administration to work together to create a sustainable funding mechanism for the Great Lakes and to increase support for several existing programs. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, GLC chair said, “An investment this year in Great Lakes restoration will improve our precious environment and yield solid economic returns for the region and the nation."

According to a release from GLC, the health of the lakes is vital to more than 35 million citizens who depend on them for drinking water; a recreational boating industry that generates spending of $16 billion annually and supports over 100,000 jobs in the Great Lakes states; a commercial and sport fishery valued at more than $4 billion; and a maritime transportation system that supports trade and manufacturing for the heartland of North America. They said, a significant Federal investment is needed to match the estimated $15 billion annually that is invested by local governments.

In its priorities for fiscal year 2010, the Great Lakes Commission calls on Congress to: provide sustainable, ongoing funding for Great Lakes restoration through a block grant, trust fund or similar mechanism as recommended by the President during the campaign; create jobs and protect water quality by providing the Great Lakes states with nearly $500 million through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund; clean up toxic sediments by fully funding the Great Lakes Legacy Act with $54 million in 2010 and an increased annual authorization of $150 million; close the door on aquatic invasive species through strong ballast water treatment requirements, better regulation of organisms in trade, and continued funding for such existing programs as the sea lamprey control program; and restore valuable fish and wildlife habitat with full funding of $16 million for the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act.

The five priorities are consistent with those of the Council of Great Lakes Governors and shared by an alliance that includes the mayors of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, the Healing Our Waters® - Great Lakes Coalition, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority, Council of Great Lakes Industries, and GLC.

Access a release from GLC and link to complete details on the GLC priorities (click here).

RFP To Address Persistent Toxic Substance Deposition

Jan 29: The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) is requesting project proposals under its Great Lakes Air Deposition (GLAD) program. Pre-Proposals are due March 2, 2009. The purpose of the GLAD program is to safeguard the environment and human health from the adverse effects of atmospherically deposited toxic contaminants in the Great Lakes region. This program supports scientific investigation and the development of assessment tools to identifying the magnitude, sources and impacts of toxic contaminant deposition within the region and to facilitate concerted and strategic actions to mitigate such impacts. The funding available for the current year of the GLAD program is at least $600,000. Previously sponsored projects have ranged from $20,000 to $250,000, with a median of $120,000.

Proposals should focus on contaminants of concern for atmospheric deposition in the Great Lakes region and should demonstrate a likelihood that the contaminant(s) being examined are depositing to the region's waterways from the atmosphere in a quantity that may cause adverse impacts to humans or wildlife. Proposals must describe tangible benefits delivered to the Great Lakes states and how projects will assist the state agencies and their partners in taking informed actions toward assessing and reducing the occurrence and impact of atmospheric deposition of toxic substances.

The 2009 RFP identifies priority project areas that are specifically targeted to be addressed in the upcoming year: Impacts of atmospherically deposited toxic pollutants on Great Lakes wildlife; Effects of climate change on toxic deposition and bioaccumulation; Great Lakes Coordinated Science and Monitoring Initiative; Demonstrate the influence of remaining local, continental and controllable sources; Characterize emissions from burning of agricultural plastics; and Flame Retardants.

Access a posted announcement (click here). Access the RFP (click here). Access the GLAD website for additional information (click here).

NOAA Has New NOS Great Lakes Regional Coordinator

Sep 8: The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) has announced that in July of 2008, NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) placed Heather Stirratt as the new NOS Great Lakes regional coordinator. Part of NOAA, NOS delivers a dynamic range of nation-wide coastal and Great Lakes scientific, technical, and resource management services in support of safe, healthy and productive oceans and coasts. Ms. Stirratt has worked with NOAA for almost 10 years. She has experience working for the National Marine Fisheries Service as a Fisheries Management Specialist and with NOS as Special Assistant to the Assistant Administrator. The Assistant Administrator for NOS, John Dunnigan, recently stated that, “We know that our mission in the Great Lakes is extensive across NOS programs. We are pleased to offer Great Lake constituents a new way of interacting with us."

As an employee of the NOAA Coastal Services Center, Ms. Stirratt is working to better integrate NOS programs and enhance connections with customers and partners. GLC said the position will be key in building partnership bridges at the local level and elevating NOAA’s Ocean Service's work in the Great Lakes region.

Access the GLC announcement with additional details and contact information (click here). Access the NOAA NOS website for more information (click here).

Great Lakes Commission Advisor Newsletter Available

Mar 6: The current issue of the Great Lakes Commission's Advisor newsletter, is now available on the Commission's website. Highlights of the issue include: Cover story: Three regions, one problem - low water levels; FY2009 legislative priorities presented to Congress [See WIMS 2/22/08]; Report on local investments in Great Lakes proection released [See WIMS 2/29/08]; Wind Collaborative to facilitate clean energy development; and Perspectives: AIS harm Native American livelihoods.

Access the latest issue (click here).

Report Shows $15 Billion In Great Lakes Local Government Investment

Feb 27: A report released by the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (Cities Initiative) and funded by the Joyce Foundation, concludes that local governments in the U.S. and Canada invest an estimated $15 billion annually to protect and restore the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, but cannot keep pace with the one-two punch of escalating threats to the resource and ongoing cuts in Federal restoration programs. Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry, chair of the Great Lakes Commission said, “This report clearly demonstrates that our cities and other communities are ready and willing partners in the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence ecosystem. Their contributions at the local level play a key role in the environmental health and well-being of the entire system, and they need and deserve federal support in those efforts.”

Results from the 143 U.S. and Canadian local governments that responded to the survey document 2006 local investment at $2.5 billion on water quality management activities, including wastewater systems operation, maintenance and infrastructure, and $784 million on ecosystem protection activities such as greenspace protection and recycling/reuse programs. By extrapolating to incorporate the entire survey population of 688 local governments, which included cities, towns, villages, counties, regional municipalities and conservation authorities, the estimated local government investment is $15 billion annually, with $12 billion for water quality management and $3 billion for ecosystem protection.

Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago, founding U.S. chair of the Cities Initiative said, “This study makes it clear that there is a growing movement that recognizes the need for long-term funding for Great Lakes protection and restoration, but it also suggests that we need to do more. All our cities desperately need significant funding for water and wastewater infrastructure, but it’s still not on the radar of the national government and it’s time for them to step up and help protect this precious natural resource.” The survey found that in both the United States and Canada, local investment was highest in the area of wastewater systems operation, maintenance and infrastructure. U.S. survey results alone indicate that local government makes capital investments in wastewater infrastructure in the Great Lakes Basin at well over 10 times the U.S. Federal government. Federal funding through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) has been cut by 49 percent since 2004 and more cuts are proposed for 2009. When viewed in light of the survey results, these cuts only amplify the need for Congress to restore funding of the CWSRF to $1.35 billion.

The report -- Local Investment In The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence -- is expected to build support in the United States for Federal legislation to implement recommendations of the 2005 Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy to Restore and Protect the Great Lakes -- the product of a year-long initiative among Federal, state and local governments, tribes and other stakeholders that was established by a presidential executive order. Among the Strategy’s foremost recommendations to protect and restore the Great Lakes is increased federal investment in storm-and wastewater treatment, to supplement the substantial local investment documented in the report.

Access a release from the GLC and Cities Initiative (click here). Access the complete 89-page report (click here). Access further information from the Cities Initiative including an Introduction, Synopsis, Survey Fact Sheets (respondents, results) Press event speakers, and Clean Water State Revolving Fund facts (click here).

Great Lakes Commission Outlines Major Priorities

Feb 21: Michigan Lt. Governor John Cherry, Chairman of the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) reiterated the need for increased protection and preservation of the Great Lakes and urged lawmakers in Washington over the next year to increase Federal investments in Michigan's greatest natural resource. Cherry said, "With one-fifth of the Earth's surface freshwater supply, the Great Lakes are truly a world-class resource and a national treasure without peer. State, local, tribal and private interests contribute billions of dollars for Great Lakes protection. It is essential that the Federal government step up its support, recognizing that investing in the Great Lakes will protect a national asset and produce a good return for taxpayers' dollars."

Acting on behalf of its membership -- the Great Lakes states -- the GLC will present its annual list of Federal legislative priorities to Congress on February 28, which has been designated as Great Lakes Day in Washington. The annual event, held in conjunction with the Northeast-Midwest Institute and the Healing Our Waters® - Great Lakes Coalition, is designed to convey a unified message regarding Great Lakes needs and legislation to address them.

At the top of the list -- legislation to curb the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species and to implement other key recommendations of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration's Strategy to Restore and Protect the Great Lakes. The GLC said its priorities are consistent with and complement those of the Council of Great Lakes Governors.

The commission outlined four of its highest priorities -- (1) Enacting legislation to curb the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species by ensuring that commercial vessels visiting Great Lakes ports meet uniform ballast water discharge requirements, providing funding to control invasive sea lamprey and complete a barrier to prevent Asian carp from migrating into the lakes from the Mississippi drainage. (2) Reauthorizing and fully funding the Great Lakes Legacy Act at $150 million a year to clean up contaminated hot spots in Great Lakes rivers and harbors [See WIMS 2/19/08]. (3) Appropriating $28.5 million to restore 200,000 acres of wetlands toward the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration strategy's goal of restoring 550,000 acres. (4) Appropriating $1.35 billion nationwide to protect water quality by restoring funding to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund - cut significantly in 2008. The program is essential to updating sewerage systems and improving coastal health in the Great Lakes and nationwide.

Access a release from Chairman Cherry (click here). Access a full list of GLC's FY2009 legislative priorities, fact sheets and related information (click here).

Great Lakes Commission Recommendations On Legacy Act

Feb 15: The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) is calling on Congress to reauthorize the Great Lakes Legacy Act in order to continue progress in remediating contaminated sediments in the Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs). First passed in 2002, the Great Lakes Legacy Act authorizes funding to remediate contaminated sediments in the U.S. and binational Great Lakes Areas of Concern designated under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Commission Chair and Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry Jr., in a letter to Congressional leaders and members of the House and Senate Great Lakes Task Forces said, “The Legacy Act program has been highly successful in cleaning up toxic hot spots in Great Lakes rivers and harbors and has become a cornerstone of Great Lakes restoration efforts. It’s critical that Congress reauthorize the Great Lakes Legacy Act and maintain this vital program for restoring the Great Lakes.” Cherry noted that the Commission’s recommendations are consistent with the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration and that the Legacy Act enjoys strong support from the Great Lakes states, the business community, regional environmental organizations and local Area of Concern advisory councils.

The Commission recommended several amendments to benefit the Great Lakes states and improve the Legacy Act’s effectiveness and efficiency. Two major recommendations included, one, reauthorizing the Legacy Act through 2013 and increasing authorized appropriations to $150 million annually, consistent with the recommendations of the Great Lake Regional Collaboration and to better match the projected long-term costs of remediating contaminated sediments. Second, the GLC recommended that the current 35 percent nonfederal cost-share requirement be reduced to 25 percent for orphan sites where no responsible party is available to support the nonfederal cost share, to lessen the burden on states and local communities. The complete list of recommendations and additional information is available fro the contacts below.

To date, five cleanup projects and seven projects to monitor and evaluate contaminated sediments have been implemented under the Legacy Act, with eight additional projects now under review. The original Great Lakes Legacy Act enacted in 2002 authorized $270 million over five years to remediate contaminated sediments in Great Lakes Areas of Concern.

Access a release from the GLC (click here). Access the complete recommendations and background (click here).

Great Lakes Commission’s Semiannual Meeting & Lobby Day

Jan 14: The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) announce that Great Lakes Day 2008 will be held in Washington DC on February 28, 2008. This year, Great Lakes Day will be preceded by the Great Lakes Commission’s Semiannual meeting, which will be held in Washington on February 26, beginning at 1 PM through Noon on February 27 at the Palomar Hotel. Lunch and an afternoon session on February 27 will be held in conjunction with the Healing Our Waters Coalition to brief Great Lakes Day participants on legislative priorities and to prepare for visits to Congressional offices the next day.

Great Lakes Day is an annual event hosted by GLC and its partners to carry a unified expression of the Great Lakes region’s priorities for legislation and appropriations to assist in protecting the Great Lakes region’s environment and sustaining our economy. Last year, the Commission, in partnership with the Northeast Midwest Institute, the Council of Great Lakes Governors, the Healing Our Waters® - Great Lakes Coalition, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the Mayors of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Cities Initiative and tribal representatives brought more than 150 people from the region to Washington. Access an announcement, program and registration information (click here).

Presque Isle Bay AOC Air Deposition Study

Jan 15: Presque Isle Bay near Erie, Pennsylvania, is one of 43 locations around the Great Lakes region to have been designated an “Area of Concern” by the International Joint Commission (IJC), indicating that past use and contamination of the bay has led to impairments on the ability to fully use the bay for beneficial purposes. Presque Isle Bay has become the first of these 43 areas to be re-designated as an “Area of Recovery,” indicating that the bay’s management committee has determined that allowing a natural recovery -- rather than an active remediation project -- is the best course for bringing the bay back to full health. Local, state and national officials are therefore working hard to eliminate remaining sources of pollution to the bay and determine how long a wait is needed until the bay will return to health on its own.

Although historical pollution of the bay was largely through industrial discharges directly into the bay’s waters, the great majority of such releases have now been eliminated. However, large amounts of some toxic substances may be entering the bay -- and Lake Erie to which it connects -- by depositing from the atmosphere. If chemicals are entering from the atmosphere at a significant level, it could significantly affect the time it will take for the bay to recover and for pollution levels in the bay’s sediment to decrease.

Among the primary contaminants causing concern in Presque Isle Bay are a group known as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, or PAHs. Unlike some persistent chemicals that can be transported across the globe in the atmosphere, PAHs are degraded quickly enough in the atmosphere that most deposition of these chemicals is likely to come from relatively local (within a few hundred miles) sources.

To determine the amount of these chemicals entering the bay, a study has been undertaken by a research team at Gannon University, led by Dr. Michelle Homan and Dr. Weslene Tallmadge, sponsored by the Great Lakes Commission’s Great Lakes Air Deposition (GLAD) Program. The results of the study allowed the research team to make some preliminary assessments of the relative importance of various sources to the PAH concentrations and deposition to the bay. Activities are now underway to collect additional sampling data, which is needed to improve the results of the source identification work.

Access a posted announcement of the project with links to additional information (click here). Access details on the project including a summary report and the complete final report (click here).

Great Lakes Commission Advisor Newsletter Available

Nov 9: The current issue of the Advisor, the Great Lakes Commission newsletter, is now available online. Highlights of the current issue include: What's causing low levels on the Upper Lakes?; Recommitting to the GLRC; 2007 Annual Meeting coverage; Exploring new strategies for maintaining coastal infrastructure; and Perspectives: Making the Great Lakes a national priority.

Access the latest Advisor Newsletter (click here). Access links to previous issues (click here).