Coast Guard Proposes Ballast Water Management Rules

Jun 5: the U.S. Coast Guard published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register [78 FR 33774-33784] announcing that the Coast Guard proposes to amend its existing ballast water management (BWM) reporting and recordkeeping requirements. The Coast Guard will require vessels with ballast tanks operating exclusively on voyages between ports or places within a single Captain of the Port (COTP) Zone to submit an annual report of their BWM practices. The Coast Guard also proposes to update the current ballast water report to include only data that is essential to understanding and analyzing BWM practices. The proposed rule will allow most vessels to submit ballast water reports after arrival to the port or place of destination. Comments must be submitted on or before August 5, 2013.

    The Coast Guard indicates that the rules will "minimize the administrative burden on the regulated population by allowing those vessels that are not bound for the Great Lakes or the Hudson River, north of the George Washington Bridge from outside of the Exclusive Economic Zone, to submit ballast water reports after arrival to the port or place of destination, thereby greatly reducing the need for amended reports;" however, "Due to additional compliance monitoring for vessels bound for the Great Lakes and Hudson River, above George Washington Bridge, those vessels will still need to submit reports 24 hours prior to their arrival."

 

    Access the proposed rule (click here). Access the docket for this action for documents and to submit and review comments (click here). [#Wildlife/ANS, GLakes/ANS]

 

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Great Lakes Governors & Premiers Set New Agenda

Jun 1: The Great Lakes Governors and Premiers addressed a number of issues and initiatives at the Council of Great Lakes Governors (CGLG's) 2013 Leadership Summit events on June 1, 2013 at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island [See WIMS 5/31/13]. The Leadership Summit's theme, "Strengthening Our Economy and Protecting Our Great Lakes," included a particular focus on trade, transportation and water. During the course of the Summit, the Governors and Premiers addressed the following issues, setting the agenda for both the organization and the region:

• Created a Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Maritime Initiative, which will look to improve the region's maritime transportation system and better integrate it into the broader transportation system in the region, across the two countries of the U.S. and Canada, and the world;
• Building on the success of the over 20-year, multi-state export promotion program, adopted a resolution calling for expanded international trade and export opportunities;
• Launched the "Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Water Partnership" as a tool to collectively advance the region's "blue economy" companies, and market them to the world;
• Identified a "least wanted list" of aquatic invasive species, and pledged to harmonize regulatory efforts to fight this ongoing scourge that threatens the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin;
• Promoted economic cooperation between Canada and the United States;
• Created beach safety awareness week and announced the creation of an "app" to help improve water safety for swimmers and other recreational users;
• Fostered  the improvement of water quality by calling on the federal governments of the U.S. and Canada to address the problem of nutrient enrichment and harmful algal blooms; and,
• Initiated steps to better coordinate regional efforts to monitor water quality and quantity in the Basin to promote more effective policy.

    Access the CGLG website for links to details on each of the initiatives and issues (click here). [GLakes/CGLG]

 

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New Director For Healing Our Waters Coalition

Jun 3: The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition (HOW) named Todd Ambs as its new director. Ambs previously served as president of the national conservation group River Network, a job he assumed after serving as chief of the water division for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Ambs will assume the reins of the 120-member Coalition of environmental, conservation, outdoor recreation organizations, zoos, aquariums and museums representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. He will be the Coalition's second director following the first director, Jeff Skelding, who announced that he was leaving in March to become executive director of the Friends of the Upper Delaware River. Ambs officially begins on July 1, working in Wisconsin as a team member of the National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes Regional Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.

 

    HOW indicated in a release that over the last four years the federal government has invested more than $1.3 billion in restoration programs to restore habitat, clean up toxic pollution, combat invasive species and prevent runoff from cities and farms. "Restoration programs are producing results -- but there is more work to do." Prior to his tenure at the Wisconsin DNR, Ambs served as executive director of the River Alliance of Wisconsin, a senior policy analyst at the Wisconsin Department of Justice, and executive director of Rivers Unlimited, based in Columbus, Ohio. During his career, he has also served as policy director in the Ohio attorney general's office and assistant chief of public information and education at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

    Access a release from HOW (click here). Access the HOW Coalition website for more information (click here). [GLakes/HOW]

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CGLG Calls For More Funding For AIS Control

May 31: The Council of Great Lakes Governors (CGLG), representing Great Lakes Governors and Premiers are leading the charge to protect the environmental and economic health of the Lakes and St. Lawrence River in the battle against aquatic invasive species (ANS). As part of their multi-faceted strategy to combat AIS, the Great Lakes States and Provinces are working to prevent the movement of harmful organisms into the Lakes through canals and rivers. The Governors called on the U.S. Federal government to expand support for State-led efforts.

    The Great Lakes Governors called on the U.S. EPA to increase Federal support to the states in order to stop AIS in canals and rivers. The Governors recognize that no one State can prevent the transfer of AIS into the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, and Federal support is essential to ensure the success of these efforts throughout the region. Illinois Governor Quinn, CGLG Co-Chair said, "State- and Province-led efforts have been instrumental in protecting the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River from invasive species to date. Long-term solutions, however, will require greater regional collaboration. The States are doing a remarkable job, but additional Federal assistance is needed to permanently halt the threat of AIS."

    The Great Lakes Governors are conducting their 2013 Leadership Summit at the Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan from Friday, May 31 - Sunday, June 2, 2013. All sessions on June 1 will be webcast live.

    Access a release from CGLG with a summary of example state efforts in controlling AIS (click here). Access a release on the Leadership Summit with links to webcast information and further details on the Summit (click here). Access the CGLG website for more information (click here). [#GLakes/Governors]

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Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Cities Initiative Meeting

May 22: The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (GLSLCI) will be holding its 10th Anniversary Conference in Marquette, Michigan June 19 - 21. Agenda items include: Accelerating Climate Adaptation, Innovations in Great Lakes Tourism, Sustainable Water Management, Mining, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Shoreline Protection, Recent Impacts of Low Lake Levels and more. Special Keynote Speaker is former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. The event is being hosted by the Superior Watershed Partnership in cooperation with the City of Marquette.

 

    GLSLCI is an organization of over 100 US and Canadian cities that meet annually to address Great Lakes protection, restoration, sustainable economic development and other emerging issues.

 

    Access the Conference website (click here). Access more information on GLSLCI (click here). [GLakes, MIGLakes]

 

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U-M Water Center Awards 12 Research Grants

May 21: The new University of Michigan Water Center announced the award of 12 research grants, totaling nearly $570,000, to support Great Lakes restoration and protection efforts. The two-year grants of up to $50,000 will support diverse projects, including efforts to track the remediation of harmful algae blooms; assess the effectiveness of techniques to control non-native weedy plant invasions; study chromosomal damage in tree swallow nestlings; and monitor fish responses to restoration activities. The grants were awarded to multidisciplinary teams led by researchers at universities across the Great Lakes region and beyond. Fifty-four proposals were submitted for the first round of Water Center research grants. A second round of larger grants, of up to $500,000 each, will be awarded later this year. Water Center Director Allen Burton said, "These initial grants are to an exceptional few projects that really addressed our goals and clearly identified outcomes that matter to the region's resource management community. They are going to fill key gaps in our restoration knowledge."

    The $9 million U-M Water Center was formed last October with an initial focus on providing a solid scientific framework for more efficient and effective Great Lakes restoration. As a center of U-M's Graham Sustainability Institute, the Water Center was made possible by a $4.5 million, three-year grant from the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation and additional funds from the university. Foundation President John Erb said, "The Erb Family Foundation is pleased to support the important work of U-M's new Water Center to demonstrate the effectiveness of investments in Great Lakes restoration. The lakes are a unique and precious ecosystem that we must steward for the benefit of current and future generations."

    During its first three years, the center will focus on identifying and filling critical science gaps in the four focus areas of the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI): removing toxic contamination and restoring regions of environmental degradation known as areas of concern; combating invasive species; protecting and restoring wildlife and their habitats; and ridding nearshore waters of polluted runoff. In selecting the first 12 grants, special emphasis was given to proposals that integrated one or more GLRI focus areas or that evaluated the potential effects of climate change on Great Lakes restoration efforts. In all cases, the U-M funding will be used to support existing restoration and protection efforts in the Great Lakes, not to establish new projects.

    Access a release from the Water Center with a listing of the projects (click here). Access the U-M Water Center (click here). [GLakes/GLRI]

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IJC's 16th Biennial Report On Great Lakes Water Quality

May 14: The International Joint Commission (IJC) released a report on how the health of the Great Lakes has changed over the past 25 years. While sustained governmental and public efforts have measurably improved Great Lakes water quality, rapid reduction in ice cover and the resurgence of some pollutants like excess nutrients are among the indicators currently raising concerns. Based on contributions from a wide range of U.S. and Canadian experts, the report reveals a mix of achievements and challenges.

    Joe Comuzzi, Canadian Chair of the IJC said, "With the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement just revised in 2012, both Canada and the U.S. have renewed and strengthened their commitment to protect and restore the Great Lakes. Tight budgets on both sides of the border mean that cooperation and coordination of clean-up efforts are even more important, and the recommendations in this report can help." Lana Pollack, IJC U.S. Chair said, "The data show some significant progress. However, the evidence equally indicates that more investments are needed. Protecting and restoring the Great Lakes is a job that is never done."

    Established by treaty in 1909, the IJC's six commissioners are charged with advising the governments of Canada and the United States on matters relating to the thousands of miles of shared boundary waters.  Last year both governments signed a revised Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and once again asked the IJC to report regularly on the health of the lakes and on how well the governments are meeting their obligations under the Agreement. The new IJC report is based on 16 measures of Great Lakes health that indicate the status of the chemical, physical and biological health of the Lakes.  Additionally, IJC also released a longer Technical Report with more supporting information. 

    IJC indicates that the seven indicators of chemical integrity show mostly favorable or stable results since 1987, reflecting the success of policy changes implemented in both countries after the original 1972 Agreement. However, some data also reveal a leveling off or even a reversal of reductions in toxic chemicals such as mercury and nutrient loadings in the past decade and earlier.

    The five biological indicators reveal mixed results. For example, the small, bottom-dwelling shrimp-like organism, Diporeia, an important part of the food chain, was once abundant in cold, offshore regions of the Great Lakes but is now completely absent from large areas of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Ontario and Erie. Also, from 1987 to 2006, 34 new non-native species became established in the Great Lakes, causing extensive and costly damage to the ecosystem. However, no new invasive species are known to have been introduced through ballast water since modifications in ballast water management regulations were implemented in 2006, though two species were established via other routes.

    The two physical indicators show rising surface water temperatures and reduced ice cover, likely signals of climate change. Warming Great Lakes raise concerns about maintenance of native coldwater fish species and an increase in algae blooms, among other effects. The indicators are also relevant to the IJC's responsibilities for managing water levels and flows. Concerns about global climate change prompted the IJC to support further inquiry into adaptive management practices that might be essential to minimize future damage to many Great Lakes interests.

    According to a release, under the revised Agreement, the parties and the IJC will be convening the Great Lakes Public Forum, to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, September 9-10. In conjunction with Great Lakes Week, the Forum is an opportunity for the public to receive updates from governments regarding the state of the lakes and future plans for science and action. At the Forum, the IJC will provide information and solicit public input regarding ecosystem and human health indicators and how it plans to assess progress towards restoration. The final report of the IJC's Lake Erie Ecosystem Priority will also be published in advance of the Forum.

    Access a release from IJC (click here). Access the complete 46-page 16th Biennial Report (click here). Access the 231-page Technical Report (click here). Access links to previous Biennial Reports (click here). Access further information on the upcoming September Forum (click here). Access more information on the Lake Erie Ecosystem Priority report (click here). [GLakes]

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