Healing Our Waters Coalition » Policy

Coalition Grants Helping Groups Participate in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Jordan Lubetkin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:24:44 +0000

For Immediate Release:
January 26, 2012

Contact:
Jordan Lubetkin, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, 734-887-7109

$200,000 in grants leads to more than $1.6 million in federal funds for restoration projects in high-priority areas

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (Jan. 23, 2012) —The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition today announced that $200,000 in grants it issued in 2010 to help local conservation groups participate in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has resulted in more than $1.6 million in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funds for restoration projects—an 8-to-1 return on investment.

The $200,000 in coalition grants also led to an additional $4.2 million in state, federal and private funds to support restoration work.

“The coalition’s grant program is producing results,” said Jeff Skelding, campaign director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “The program is successfully helping local groups participate in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and other state and federal restoration programs. Our seed grants, and the additional funds they leveraged, will accelerate restoration activities in the areas most in need of restoration and in places that can provide the most ecological benefit.”

Total 2010 Coalition Grant Awards	$200,000
Total GLRI Applications	12
Total GLRI Awards	6
Total GLRI Funding Leveraged	$1,693,963
Return on Investment (GLRI)	8-to-1
Additional Funding Leveraged	$4,215,832
Total Restoration Funding Leveraged	$5,909,795
Return on Investment (All restoration programs)	29-to-1

A complete list of the coalition’s 2010 grants and evaluation can be found here.

For the past two years, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has awarded grants of up to $15,000 to local groups so that they can compete for federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants, which support activities to clean up toxic sediments, restore habitat and wetlands, confront invasive species and reduce polluted run-off from cities and farms.

The coalition focuses its grants program in five geographic priority areas, as selected by scientists, where restoration dollars will be most beneficial: The St. Louis River and St. Louis Bay in Lake Superior; the waters of Lake Michigan in the Chicagoland area; Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay; western Lake Erie and eastern Lake Ontario.

“The coalition grants have provided a boost for local groups that are on the front lines of Great Lakes restoration efforts,” said Jill Ryan, executive director of Freshwater Future, which acts as the Healing Our Waters Coalition’s Implementation Coordinator. “We’re glad to see high-priority areas receive funding and look forward to working with the U.S. EPA to continue investing federal dollars so that we get the most restoration bang for our buck.”

The coalition grants supported a variety of restoration projects that are addressing serious problems facing the Great Lakes, including: phosphorus pollution; noxious algae; failing septic systems; and the invasive reed Phragmites, which is crowding out native plant species at numerous sites across the region. The grants also supported efforts to remove dams, restore wetlands and other fish and wildlife habitat.

Among the coalition’s grant recipients, Alliance for the Great Lakes in Chicago, Ill., received a $15,000 coalition grant, which helped the group win $150,000 from Sustain Our Great Lakes and $226,950 from EPA through the competitive grants process under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

“With a jump start from HOW’s investment, communities up and down the Illinois shoreline are making the most of their unique glacial ravines,” said Angela Larsen, Coastal Program manager for the Alliance for the Great Lakes. “Great Lakes coasts are home to a stunning array of biodiversity, and we’re ecstatic to help landowners make the restoration connection to the lakes.”

Western Lake Erie Waterkeeper Association in Toledo, Ohio, received $15,000 from the coalition, which was leveraged to receive almost $500,000 from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

“Getting a grant for preliminary work to set up an invasive species early detection project in western Lake Erie was great,” said Sandy Bihn, Lake Erie Waterkeeper. “Invasive species pose a real threat to the Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes. The initial small grant helped establish new networks to connect research with Lake Erie community-based education and outreach—collaboration that will continue with the support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant.”

The Bad River Watershed Association in Ashland, Wis., received a $3,000 grant from the coalition that helped the organization earn a $300,000 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant.

“The Healing Our Waters grant the Bad River Watershed Association (BRWA) received in 2010 was an important part of helping BRWA strengthen relationships with local natural resources partners” said Matt Hudson, Watershed Action Director for the Bad River Watershed Association. “These strong relationships helped BRWA receive a portion of a 2-year GLRI grant in 2011 and lay the foundation for much of our work to maintain and improve the health of the Bad River Watershed.”

The St. Louis River Alliance in Duluth, Minn., received two seed grants from the coalition. The first, for $10,000, led to $250,000 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The second award for $14,976 led to a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for $268,401.

“The coalition grant program provided key funding that made it possible for us to seek Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding,” said Julene Boe, executive director for the St. Louis River Alliance. “I’m very pleased that these efforts were successful in receiving funding for two projects that will make a difference in the St. Louis River Area of Concern.”

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has provided $775 million for Great Lakes restoration projects in its first two years. The program received another $300 million in fiscal year 2012.

Restoring the lakes is good for fish and wildlife, tourism, human health and the economy. A study by the Brookings Institution found that every $1 investment in Great Lakes restoration leads to $2 in economic benefit for the eight-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

A recent study by Grand Valley State University economists found that a $10 million restoration project at Muskegon Lake in Michigan produced more than $66 million in economic benefits via increased property values, more tourism and higher tax revenues.

“Great Lakes restoration produces results,” said Skelding. “But there is more work to do. We look forward to working with the U.S. Congress and President Obama to maintain funding in the fiscal year 2013 budget for this essential work. Cutting funding will cost more money, because projects will only become more difficult and expensive the longer we wait.”

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition consists of more than 120 environmental, conservation, outdoor recreation organizations, zoos, aquariums and museums representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes.

For more information visit: http://healthylakes.org/

Advocates to U.S. Sens. Brown, Portman: ‘Beat Back Attacks on Clean Water Act’

Jordan Lubetkin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:58:22 +0000

An opinion piece in the Toledo Blade underscores the importance of clean water programs in the effort to restore the Great Lakes—and the need for public officials like U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman to show their support for Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes by beating back any attempts to weaken the Clean Water Act.

In the article, Kristy Meyer of the Ohio Environmental Council recounts how, in the wake of the Cuyahoga River catching fire, the U.S. Congress passed the Clean Water Act. The landmark legislation—and a federal infusion of billions of dollars to modernize sewage plants across the nation—helped clean up the Great Lakes and waters across the country.

Meyer writes that, despite the overwhelming success of clean water programs, there are those in the U.S. Congress who want to roll back Clean Water Act protections and jeopardize our public health, jobs and way of life. She states:

“Clean water yields good jobs and recreation. Yet many lawmakers now want to gut the Clean Water Act.”

Clean water programs need to be upheld. Millions of people in communities across the country benefit from the Clean Water Act, as well as the nation’s recent commitment to restore the Great Lakes. We’re already seeing results in communities in Ohio–from a creek cleanup in Cleveland to the removal of toxic sediments in Toledo. But more needs to be done.

That’s why it’s imperative that federal public officials continue to support a strong Clean Water Act and programs like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Ohio’s two U.S. Senators, Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman, can play a big role in upholding Clean Water Act protections for Ohio’s 11 million citizens.

Newspapers calling for faster action on Asian carp

Jeff Alexander — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:31:23 +0000

The rally cry for faster action on Asian carp continues to grow, with more newspapers calling on federal officials to speed up efforts to keep the menacing fish from invading the Great Lakes.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich, has introduced a federal budget amendment that would force the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete, within 18 months, a study of how best to halt the movement of Asian carp and other invasive species between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins.

The problem is that Congress can’t agree on a 2012 federal budget. As a result, the fate of Sen. Stabenow’s Stop Asian Carp Amendment is uncertain.

An employee with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service holds a bighead carp. (USFWS photo)

Sen. Stabenow’s amendment warrants immediate approval. It’s the only way the Army Corps will speed up its Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS), which is currently slated for completion in mid-2015.

The Great Lakes can’t wait four years for the Army Corps to figure out how to solve the Asian carp crisis. The ravenous fish are on the verge of invading Lake Michigan.

Newspapers around the region have been publishing editorials recently calling on Congress to take the Asian carp threat seriously and act accordingly.

The Buffalo News said the Stabenow amendment “could go a long way toward protecting the lakes from this destructive fish … the Asian carp isn’t waiting for the corps to act, as it chews its way closer to the Great Lakes and an ecosystem supporting an annual $7 billion sport fishing industry. Read the complete editorial here.

The Battle Creek Enquirer said Congress should take up the Stabenow amendment, regardless of whether it’s part of the federal budget debate. “We agree with the amendment’s 18-month deadline, and hope that all senators in the Great Lakes region, regardless of party, will help put pressure on the Army Corps to press ahead with efforts to protect this valuable water system as quickly as possible,” the newspaper said in an editorial. Read the rest of the editorial here.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer said the Stabenow amendment would put the Army Corps of Engineers “on notice that carp take precedence over complacency. Her proposed Stop Asian Carp amendment to the omnibus spending bill would deliver the boot to that indolent bureaucracy.” Read the complete editorial here.

Army Corps officials have repeatedly said that they take their marching orders from Congress. It’s time for Congress to tell the Army Corps to march in double time to complete the Asian carp study.

Great Lakes groups call on U.S. Senate to adopt Sen. Stabenow’s Stop Asian Carp Amendment

Jeff Alexander — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:57:47 +0000

A coalition of Great Lakes conservation groups is calling on the U.S. Senate to approve the Stop Asian Carp Amendment as part of the 2012 federal budget.

In a Dec. 9 letter to leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the groups urged passage of the Stop Asian Carp Amendment. Proposed by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich, the amendment would direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expedite its study of how best to stop the movement of Asian carp and other invasive species between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins.

The letter came as Minnesota is scrambling to keep Asian carp in the Mississippi River from invading some of that state’s most popular lakes. Minnesota officials recently discovered that Asian carp had spread beyond the Coon Rapids Dam near Minneapolis.

Asian carp decimate native fish species and threaten the safety of boaters.

“The Stop Asian Carp amendment is necessary if our nation is to prevent Asian carp and other invasive species from taking over our Great Lakes or Mississippi River,” the groups said in a letter to Sen. Daniel Inouye and Sen. Thad Cochran, the chairman and vice-chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. (Read the complete letter here).

The Corps plans to complete its Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) in 2015. The Stop Asian Carp Amendment would require the Corps to complete it within 18 months.

Congress authorized the study in 2007 but the Corps didn’t begin working on it until 2009. The Corps is studying the feasibility of options to prevent the inter-basin transfer of invasive species between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River.

The conservation groups said the Asian carp threat is too serious to allow the Corps to spend another four years studying the problem.

“Without the oversight this amendment brings, the Army Corps’ own deadline could easily slip, much as it has with other investigations and projects,” the groups said in the letter. “It took the Army Corps 15 years to study, build, and activate three electrical arrays to repel Asian carp from swimming towards Lake Michigan through the Chicago Waterway System – even as the urgency of the carp invasion had become obvious and too great to ignore.”

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and Akron Beacon Journal recently published editorials urging Congress to support the Stop Asian Carp Amendment.

The groups that signed the letter included: Alliance for the Great Lakes; Freshwater Future; Great Lakes United; National Parks Conservation Association; National Wildlife Federation; Natural Resources Defense Council; Ohio Environmental Council; Prairie Rivers Network; Save The River; Friends of the Chicago River; Sierra Club; Save the Dunes; Great Lakes Environmental Law Center; Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council; The Lake Erie Center; Clinton River Watershed Council; River Alliance of Wisconsin; Flow for Water; American Rivers; Minnesota Conservation Federation; Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters; Milwaukee Riverkeeper; Ohio Division, Izaak Walton League of America; Nature Abounds; Shaker Lakes Garden Club; Clean Wisconsin; Michigan United Conservation Clubs; The Watershed Center – Grand Traverse Bay; Religious Coalition for the Great Lakes; Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester Global Environment Committee; Citizens Campaign for the Environment; Audubon Ohio; Clean Water Action; River Network; Kalamazoo River Cleanup Coalition; Bull Moose Sportsmen’s Alliance; and Sierra Club Ontario.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow Offering Asian Carp Amendment in 2012 Budget

Jeff Alexander — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:45:55 +0000

Asian carp will be part of the U.S. Senate’s 2012 budget discussions, thanks to Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

Sen. Stabenow is introducing a budget amendment that, if approved, would direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete its study of how best to separate the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River basin within 18 months.

U.S. Senators from the Great Lakes states need to support Sen. Stabenow’s Asian carp amendment. They are:
In Michigan: Sen. Carl Levin;
In Wisconsin: Sens. Ron Johnson and Herb Kohl;
In Minnesota: Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken;
In Illinois: Sens. Richard Durbin and Mark Kirk;
In Indiana: Sens. Dan Coats and Richard Lugar;
In Ohio: Sens. Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman;
In New York: Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer; and,
In Pennsylvania: Sens. Robert P. Casey Jr. and Patrick J. Toomey.

As it stands now, the Army Corps won’t complete its Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) until 2015. That’s far too long — Asian carp are on the verge of invading Lake Michigan.

Sen. Stabenow’s Stop Asian carp amendment would expedite the study and direct the Army Corps to make it a top priority until the project is complete.

The three electric fences that are currently being used to repel the Asian carp from swimming towards Lake Michigan through the Chicago Waterway System took more than 15 years to study, develop and build. And those fences do not repel all sizes of Asian carp, according to the Army Corps’ own studies.

The Stabenow amendment provides the appropriate pressure and oversight to ensure that agencies charged with protecting the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins have the information needed to re-imagine the Chicago Waterway System to protect U.S. waters that provide drinking water, jobs and recreational opportunities to millions of Americans.

Please take a moment today to call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121 and ask for your senator’s office. You can also e-mail your U.S. senators and urge them to vote for the Stop Asian Carp amendment. It is our best hope of keeping these menacing fish from taking over the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem.

Buffalo News Editorial: Congress Needs to Support Great Lakes

Jordan Lubetkin — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:10:16 +0000

The Buffalo News editorial page last week urged U.S. public officials to maintain funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The paper wrote:

Democrats and Republicans agree that the GLRI is a priority. In the past two years Congress has allocated $775 million for the initiative. That support needs to continue in order to keep the vital cleanup of the lakes on track.

The paper acknowledged the work by U.S. Reps. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), John Dingell (D-Mich.) and Sander Levin (D-Mich.) to maintain the nation’s commitment to the Great Lakes. They, along with 22 other Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives, sent a letter urging the appropriations committee to maintain funding of $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

According to the Buffalo News editorial: “The $300 million request will keep this multiyear effort on track; the economic and environmental benefits justify the spending even in lean economic times.”

We agree.

Coalition Supports New EPA Effort to Prioritize Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Funding in 2012

Jordan Lubetkin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:07:33 +0000

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced today that that Obama Administration would prioritize Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Funds in 2012—something that the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has recommended for the last two years.

Responding to the announcement, Coalition Director Jeff Skelding, said:

“The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition fully supports prioritizing Great Lakes restoration investments as outlined today by Administrator Jackson and the EPA. For two years, the coalition has urged the EPA to target restoration activities to produce the best results for the environment and the economy. We look forward to working with the EPA, White House and Congress to ensure that this successful program continues to be robustly funded and targeted in the highest priority areas.”

Read coalition comments to the EPA that urge the agency to prioritize restoration funding in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Coalition Submits Comments to EPA on How to Improve Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Jordan Lubetkin — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 21:54:38 +0000

The federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has been a shot in the arm for restoration efforts in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The U.S. Congress has invested $775 million through the initiative in the last two budget cycles to clean up toxic pollution, restore habitat, reduce polluted run-off, and combat invasive species. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition fully supports the program—though would like to see some modifications to make a good program even better.

To that end, the coalition today sent a letter to EPA’s Cameron Davis, senior advisor to the administrator, and Susan Hedman, regional administrator for EPA Region 5. The letter offers recommendations on how to improve the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Among them:

Budget $475 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in the 2013 budget;
Invest in research and monitoring to help prioritize projects in most-needed areas; and,
Target funds based on a watershed management approach to achieve broader ecosystem health.

You can read the full letter here.

Bottom line: The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is the most effective federal program to restore the Great Lakes and protect the drinking water, public health and way of life for millions of people. Great Lakes activities are producing results in communities across the region—though there is more work to do. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is a strong program that, with a few tweaks, can be even stronger.

Great Lakes $50 Million Funding Boost Remains Undermined by Ballast Boondoggle

Jordan Lubetkin — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 20:41:01 +0000

Some good news emerged this week in the effort to improve Great Lakes restoration funding in the 2012 House Interior-EPA funding bill. The House passed an amendment offered by Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) to add $50 million to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. His amendment passed the House 220 to 206. See how your member voted here.

That boosts Great Lakes funding in the Interior spending bill from $250 million to $300 million – a significant increase that allows more projects that protect drinking water, public health, and quality of life for people throughout the region to be funded.

The bump in restoration funding is being touted by Rep. LaTourette in the media. On Cleveland TV station WKYC’s Web site, Rep. LaTourette said:

“This is a huge victory for the Great Lakes, which contain 20 percent of the world’s fresh water. We need to make sure we protect this valuable resource,” LaTourette said.

There’s just one issue: The funding increase could be a mirage for most of the Great Lakes states. As long as Rep. LaTourette’s ballast provision remains in the spending bill, six-of-eight Great Lakes states— including LaTourette’s home state of Ohio – are at risk of losing tens of millions of dollars of federal funding.

Why? Because they’re taking action to protect their water quality and economy from the onslaught of invasive species introduced through ballast water of foreign ships. Any state like Ohio that enacts more protective standards than the ineffective federal standards are in danger of losing all EPA funding.

The ballast provision could set back restoration efforts by delaying critical protections to prevent new species from invading the Great Lakes through ballast water and causing more damage to the environment.

The provision also sells out the Great Lakes to an industry that has fought tooth and nail against cleaning up its act. For years, shippers made excuses for inaction while continuing to dump biological pollution into the Great Lakes and other U.S. waters that caused incredible economic and environmental damage. Federal public officials were complacent, doing nothing to stop the onslaught even as invasive species such as the zebra mussel spread across the country.

People, small businesses, communities and utilities were left to foot the bill. Economists estimate that the cumulative damage of invasive species in the Great Lakes in the billions of dollars—with the annual tab of at least $200 million in damages and control costs.

The shipping industry is back, working with public officials like Rep. LaTourette to escape accountability for polluting U.S. waters. The new wrinkle is that the shipping industry wants to cut states off from funds that, ironically, are being used in part to clean up the mess the shipping industry made in the first place.

In short, it’s one big ballast boondoggle.

Until this disastrous provision is stripped from the bill, our Great Lakes restoration scorecard in the Interior bill reads: one step forward and two steps – if not more – back.

It’s important to remember that the ballast provision and restoration funding comprise only a portion of the interior bill, which, as a whole, still stinks. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding—even with the recent boost—remains far below 2010 funding levels of $475 million. Other essential programs – namely the Clean Water State Revolving Fund which helps communities stop sewage contamination into area waters – suffer huge cuts as well. Throw in the poisonous provisions in the bill which undermine clean water protections and hamper professionals at the EPA from doing their jobs, then there’s only one conclusion: This bill needs to be opposed, sent back to the drawing board and rewritten.

Sustain Our Great Lakes Program Awards $8.5 Million in Restoration Grants

Jennifer Hill — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:40:12 +0000

Today the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced 30 Great Lakes restoration grant awards through its Sustain Our Great Lakes Program. The projects are being funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which provided $8.5 million to the Sustain Our Great Lakes Program in 2011 for improving the quality and connectivity of tributary, wetland and coastal habitats in the Great Lakes basin.

Projects are being funded in the Great Lakes states of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, and Ohio as well as the Canadian province of Ontario. See the full list of projects here. The projects will put people to work and benefit communities by producing the short-term results of restoring fish and wildlife habitat, controlling invasive species, updating stream crossings, and improving fish passage.

Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) said in a press release on the grant awards:

“We have made great strides in protecting our Great Lakes, but we still have much to do. This funding from the Sustain Our Great Lakes program is an investment that will continue the progress that we have made so far, and will ensure this natural resource is available for future generations to enjoy.”

In the long run, these projects will help sustain the tourism, hunting, angling and recreational opportunities that people cherish in the Great Lakes region. We know that spending money on restoration is one of the best returns in the federal budget. Just this spring, economists found a 6-to-1 return in investment for restoration dollars going to clean up of Muskegon Lake, an area of concern in Southwest Michigan.

The longer we wait, the more it will cost to protect and restore the Great Lakes. Today’s announcement by Sustain Our Great Lakes illustrates that there are groups in the region ready and able to do the work needed to clean up the Lakes. Congress and the Administration should continue to support this important work by restoring funding for Great Lakes programs in the 2012 budget and providing $475 million in the 2013 federal budget for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.