Great Lakes Green Chemistry Conference

Nov 2: U.S. EPA announced the first Great Lakes Green Chemistry Conference, followed by the GreenScreen(tm) Training for Safer Chemicals. According to the announcement, the use of Green Chemistry and Engineering in the market strategies of businesses throughout the Great Lakes region is growing as companies look for ways to meet consumer demand for products and processes that are more sustainable. Participants will include representatives from industry, academia, government, non-profits, U.S. EPA Region 5, and those involved in the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable's Safer Chemistry Challenge Program. The conference will be held November 13-15, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago.

 

    Participants will: Learn first-hand about the business case for Green Chemistry and Engineering and how companies can take advantage of technical assistance opportunities to help them move forward in their own effort to promote sustainability; Hear from businesses who have successfully used the framework of green chemistry who will talk about what the benefits for their businesses have been; Are public-private partnerships the wave of the future? Hear from the leaders who are building these partnerships today; and Take advantage of working sessions to identify technical assistance needs and develop resources to promote Green Chemistry in the Great Lakes region.

 

    Access complete details including registration, fees, agenda, etc. (click here).

 

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RFP For Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Restoration Projects

Nov 1: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS or Service) is accepting project proposals to protect, restore and enhance Great Lakes fish and wildlife habitat under the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act (Act). The Service requests interested entities to submit restoration, research and regional project proposals for the restoration of Great Lakes fish and wildlife resources, as authorized under the Act (16 USC 941c). The purpose of the Act is to provide assistance to states, tribes, and other interested entities to encourage cooperative conservation, restoration and management of the fish and wildlife resources and their habitats in the Great Lakes Basin. The deadline for proposal submission is Monday, December 17, 2012.

    Supported in part by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), approximately $2 million in funding is projected to support projects this fiscal year. Available funding and project awards are subject to final Congressional appropriations for fiscal year 2013. Project funding is available to support Great Lakes Basin restoration, research and regional projects. Local watershed associations, municipalities, tribes, states and non-governmental organizations are encouraged to apply. All project proposals will be compiled, reviewed and ranked by the Proposal Review Committee, and final funding decisions will be made by the Service in the summer of 2013.

 

    Access complete details and background information from FWS (click here).

 

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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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