NWF Assessment Of Progress On Great Lakes Compact

Jul 12: A report by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) provides an "honest critique" of the states' progress in efforts to implement the Great Lakes Compact. Marc Smith, senior policy manager for NWF's Great Lakes Regional Center said, "This report is a wake-up call to the states to step it up. The future of the Compact remains bright, but our Great Lakes need a renewed commitment by the states and the region to address the bad -- and prevent the ugly." The Compact is an agreement between the Governors of New York, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and the Premiers of Ontario and Quebec which ban new diversions of water from the Great Lakes basin and provide for coordinated conservation, use and data collection efforts.

 

    NWF indicates that the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact (Compact) is at a critical juncture.  The Compact, a binding agreement among the Great Lakes states to protect the water resources of the Great Lakes Basin from diversions and excessive withdrawals, became law two and a half years ago. Together with a similar agreement between the states and the Great Lakes Canadian provinces, the Compact set minimum requirements for water use across the Basin. Each state agreed to implement the Compact by meeting a series of deadlines over five years, subject to regional oversight. Today, implementation of the Compact is at the halfway point. Two deadlines have already passed, and the final deadline is December 8, 2013. 

 

    Sara Gosman, water resources attorney for the National Wildlife Federation's Regional Center, and author of the report said, "Halfway to the five-year mark, implementation of the Great Lakes Compact is progressing at a snail's pace. While some states have taken their obligations under the Compact seriously, and indeed chosen innovative approaches, many have opted for the lowest common denominator. All have failed to meet one or more of the deadlines. The Compact Council has not stepped up and held the states accountable. The Council is operating on a shoestring budget from a foundation grant and cannot even muster the resources to bring the state representatives together for a formal meeting more than once a year."

 

    The report -- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Implementation of the Great Lakes Compact" reviews the current status of state and regional implementation of the Compact in three critical areas: diversions out of the Basin; water conservation and efficiency; and water withdrawal permitting. For each area, the report gives examples of "the good, the bad…and the downright ugly."

 

    Among other examples cited as good in the report, NWF says that Michigan's groundbreaking online screening test for withdrawals, which has won three national awards, is a novel means of predicting resource impacts and providing users with a quick determination. However, the report identifies as "bad" that, "Michigan has failed to apply its permitting standard to proposed large withdrawals in a way that is consistent with its obligations under the Compact."

 

    The report points out that highlighting a case of "the ugly," the Ohio General Assembly recently passed legislation which NWF says "sinks to a new low in the annals of Compact implementation. This unbalanced bill is drastically at odds with the Great Lakes Compact and threatens water flows and concentrated pollutants, placing recreation, tourism, and wildlife at risk." Kristy Meyer, agricultural and clean water director with Ohio Environmental Council said, "As the Lake Erie state with the most to lose, Ohio has the distinction of having the weakest permitting program of all Great Lakes states, while clearly violating the Compact. Lake Erie could see increased harmful algal blooms, reduction in critical habitat for sport fish, such as walleye, perch and steelhead; and a loss of recreational opportunities."

 

    New York Representative Brian Higgins (D-NY), a member of the Congressional Great Lakes Task Force, sent a letter today (July 13) urging Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich to veto legislation in his state that would allow businesses to remove 5 million gallons of water a day from Lake Erie.  Rep. Higgins, whose district borders Lake Erie, warned that tapping into the Great Lakes would be "devastating environmentally and economically," and questioned the action from an "ethical and legal standpoint" saying the effort may violate the Great Lakes Compact approved by Congress in 2008. 

 

   Access a release and link to the complete report, executive summary and related information (click here). Access a release and letter from Rep. Higgins (click here).

Scientists Address Great Lakes & Mississippi River Basins Separation

Jul 1: A group of Great Lakes and Mississippi River scientists have published a technical paper in the Journal of Great Lakes Research entitled, Dividing the waters: The case for hydrologic separation of the North American Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins. According to an abstract, legislation has been introduced this year in the U.S. Congress, but not yet enacted, that would direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete a study of the options that would prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins.

 

    The abstract indicates that, "Hydrologic separation is the only option which closes the aquatic connection between the two basins and does not require continuous operation and maintenance of various technologies that have some risk of failure. The one-time, capital cost to separate the two basins is widely acknowledged to be high, and the outstanding question is whether the costs are justified given the significant risk of future ecological damages and long-term economic losses. Interests opposing separation have mounted a public campaign that the news media have picked up to deny that hydrologic separation should be considered or that a problem even exists."

 

    The abstract continues, "The campaign rests on four assertions: (1) existing electric barriers in the Chicago canals are effective; (2) it is too late -- the carps are already in the Great Lakes or soon will be; (3) Asian carps will not thrive in the Great Lakes due to inadequate food and spawning habitat; and (4) Asian carps are unlikely to cause serious harm. Our review of these assertions and the ecological and socio-economic threats to both basins supports our recommendation that the pending legislation be passed and that it include analysis of hydrologic separation of the two basins." The scientists indicate in the paper that the potential victims of the current campaign to discredit proposals to separate the basins are the 40 million in the region who look to the Great Lakes for everything from drinking water to recreation to economic stability, as well as those living throughout the Mississippi River Basin already damaged by the zebra mussel and other southbound invaders from the Great Lakes.

 

    A number of environmental organizations issued a release on the paper indicating that the "researchers affirm what the environmental community has been urging even before the first November 2009 Asian carp DNA find inside an electric barrier that serves as the last line of defense between the Great Lakes and carp-riddled Mississippi River Basin." They said, "As the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stalls on congressionally ordered studies to find a permanent solution -- resorting to fish kills and other short-term tactics to stop the carp's lakeward migration -- environmentalists and a growing chorus of lawmakers continue to push for physically separating the two basins."

    Joel Brammeier, President and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes said, "Extraordinary evidence demands extraordinary solutions, and the evidence is piling up in favor of separation. Declaring independence between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River is the only option." Robert Hirschfeld of Prairie Rivers Network said, "The artificial connection between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River is a revolving door for wave after wave of invasive species to infest the 30 states of the Mississippi River Basin and do untold ecological and economic damage."

 

    The groups issuing the joint release on the scientific paper included: Alliance for the Great Lakes; Freshwater Future; Great Lakes United; Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition; National Wildlife Federation; Natural Resources Defense Council; Prairie Rivers Network; and Sierra Club.

 

    Access a release from the groups (click here). Access the Journal of Great Lakes Research with abstract and information on obtaining the paper (click here). Access an online posting of paper from Michigan State University (click here). Access a fact sheet on the scientists' paper from the organizations (click here).

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Senate Confirms Two New IJC Appointments

Jun 30: The U.S. Senate has confirmed the Presidential appointments of Dereth Britt Glance, of New York and Richard M. Moy, of Montana to be Commissioners on the part of the United States on the International Joint Commission (IJC) [See WIMS 3/10/11]. The two new appointees will join Lana Pollack who was appointed as Chair of the U.S. Section, International Joint Commission, by the effective on June 26, 2010. The appointees will replace former U.S. Commissioners Irene B. Brooks and Sam Speck.

 

    Ms. Glance is currently the Executive Program Director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment, a non-profit citizens environmental and public health advocacy organization in New York and Connecticut. Rich Moy is a Senior Fellow at the Center of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy at the University of Montana and a land and water consultant.

 

    Access further information on the appointment approvals (click here); and (click here). Access a 3/9/11 release from the White House with further details on the nominees (click here). Access the IJC website for additional information (click here).

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EPA Science Advisory Board Meetings On GLRI Review

Jun 15: U.S. EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) has announced a public face-to-face, 2-day meeting of the SAB panel to review the interagency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Action Plan (FY 2010-FY2014) that describes restoration priorities, goals, objectives, measurable ecological targets, and specific actions for the Great Lakes. The meeting will be held on July 12, 2011 from 9 AM to 5:30 PM  and on July 13, 2011 from 8 AM to 5 PM (Central Time) at the Congress Plaza Hotel in Chicago.

 

    EPA is leading the interagency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to protect and restore the chemical, biological, and physical integrity of the Great Lakes. The GLRI is designed to target the most significant environmental problems in the region, as documented in extensive scientific studies and by stakeholder review. To guide the efforts of the GLRI, EPA and its Federal partners, through the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, developed a comprehensive multi-year Action Plan. The GLRI Action Plan identifies outcome-oriented performance goals, objectives, measurable ecological targets, and specific actions for five major focus areas: toxic substances and areas of concern; invasive species; near-shore health and nonpoint source pollution; habitat and wildlife protection and restoration; and accountability, education, monitoring, evaluation, communication, and partnerships. The EPA Great Lakes National Program Manager has requested the SAB to review the GLRI Action Plan to assess the appropriateness of its measures and actions to achieve its stated priorities and goals. On June 1, the SAB issued a determination memo announcing the 16 members SAB Panel for Review of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan.

    Access the Federal Register announcement of the meeting with further details and links to related information (click here). Access the SAB GLRI Panel website for complete information, documents and meetings related to the review (click here).

 

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IJC 2011 Great Lakes Water Quality Biennial Meeting

Jun 15: The International Joint Commission (IJC) announced that the 2011 Great Lakes Water Quality Biennial Meeting will be held October 12-14 on the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit. The theme of the meeting is "H2O NOW", emphasizing the pressing need for the public, industry, environmental groups and governments to take action and work together to protect and restore the Great Lakes. Lana Pollack, U.S. Co-Chair of the IJC said, "At the Biennial Meeting in Detroit, the public can learn firsthand about the health of the Great Lakes and how to press for action," H2O NOW is a reflection of the urgent need for action, not just by governments, but by everyone who uses the lakes to swim, fish and drink the water."

    For the first time, the IJC Biennial Meeting will be held in conjunction with the annual meetings of the Great Lakes Commission and the Healing Our Waters Coalition (an organization of more than 100 environmental groups), among other organizations. In addition to holding their respective meetings, all of the groups will meet jointly for a half day afternoon session on October 12 that will feature reports on progress toward Great Lakes restoration from top government officials and a public town hall meeting [See WIMS 6/14/11].

    The Biennial Meeting is a critical opportunity for citizens throughout the Great Lakes basin community to become involved in the work of the IJC. Over the past two years expert work groups have been tasked by the Commission's Great Lakes advisory boards to undertake research in six key priority areas: the Nearshore Framework; Chemicals of Emerging Concern; Harmful and Nuisance Algae; Aquatic Invasive Species; Benefits and Risks of Fish Consumption; and Beaches and Recreational Water Quality. On October 13th, the public can participate in workshops on each of the priorities and provide comments on the findings and recommendations regarding draft reports that will be published later this summer. The public input will inform the 16th Biennial Report on Great Lakes Water Quality, a responsibility of the IJC under the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, to be published in 2012.

 

    Access a release from IJC (click here). Access the Biennial Meeting website for complete information including a detailed schedule and registration (click here).

 

 

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EPA, Et Al Announce Great Lakes Week

Jun 13: U.S. EPA and other participating organizations will announce on June 15, the details of the first-ever Great Lakes Week scheduled for October 2011 in Detroit. The theme of Great Lakes Week is "Working Together, Taking Action" and will bring representatives of the U.S. and Canadian governments together with a broad coalition of public and private groups to highlight efforts to implement solutions for the lakes' most pressing problems.

 

    Great Lakes Week is designed to advance the Administration's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), deemed "the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades." The special week will also gather the annual meetings and conferences of various organizations in one place from October 11-14, making it one of the most wide-ranging Great Lakes summits in history. EPA and the other organizations will host a conference call to provide details about Great Lakes Week. The call will feature: Cameron Davis, Senior Advisor to the EPA Administrator (Great Lakes); Lana Pollack, U.S. Section Chair, International Joint Commission; Jennifer Hill, Field Director, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition; and Dr. Carol J. Miller, Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Wayne State University.

 

    Access a release from EPA Region 5 (click here). Access a list of organizational meetings and events and register information  (click here). Access the GLRI website for more information (click here). 

Sen. Collins Introduces National Mercury Monitoring Act

Jun 13: U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced legislation to create a comprehensive new program to measure mercury levels across the United States. The bipartisan "Comprehensive National Mercury Monitoring Act" (S.1183) is cosponsored by Senator Tom Carper (D-DE). Senator Collins said, "This legislation would build on existing environmental monitoring efforts to create a comprehensive nationwide mercury monitoring network to provide sound mercury measurements that EPA sorely needs." Through the program, mercury monitoring sites would be established across the nation to measure mercury levels in the air, rain, soil, lakes and streams, wildlife and the fish that people eat. Senator Collins has made reducing the mercury threat to our people and wildlife one of her priorities in the Senate. In 2002, the Senate unanimously passed her legislation to ban the sale of mercury fever thermometers, the source of some 17 tons of mercury in solid waste every year. 

    Sen. Collins said, "Mercury is one of the most persistent and dangerous pollutants that threatens our health and environment today. This powerful toxin affects the senses, the brain, spinal cord, kidneys and liver. It poses significant risks to children and pregnant women, causing an elevated risk of birth defects and problems with motor skills. It is estimated that approximately 410,000 children born in the U.S. each year are exposed to levels of mercury in the womb that are high enough to impair neurological development. While mercury exposure has gone down as mercury emissions in the United States have declined, levels remain unacceptably high."

 

        The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) issued a release praising the legislation. GLC indicated that since 2003, members of the scientific community have been calling for a national network to track mercury in the environment and are strong supporters of Collins' bill. GLC said, "With fish consumption advisories in every state in the nation and scarce monitoring to track how mercury levels in the environment are changing over time, the time has come to advance this common sense legislation. The National Mercury Monitoring Network (MercNet) established by this bill would systematically track mercury in the environment to help safeguard our fisheries, protect public health, and evaluate the impact of policy decisions." In October 2010, the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) adopted a resolution calling for comprehensive, collaborative, long-term mercury monitoring and research programs within and outside of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin.

 

    Access a release from Senator Collins (click here). Access legislative details from S.1183 (click here). Access a posted release from the GLC (click here).