Healing Our Waters Coalition » Great Lakes Regional Collaboration

US & Canada to Iron out Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

tpache — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:53:15 +0000

New threats are driving the US and Canada to reconsider the 1972 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement that lays the original milestones for restoring and then protecting the chemical and biological make up of the Great Lakes.

It only took two decades to out-date the latest version of the Agreement as new invasive species, chemicals and pollution seeped into our fresh waters. During the same era, our understanding of the region’s environment grew and also made the former agreement a bit anachronistic. Add in the predictions associated with climate change and it becomes real apparent real fast that we need to get back together and create a new action plan.

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said at the centennial of the Boundary Waters Treaty, “We look forward to working closely with state, provincial, and local governments throughout Canada, as well as other stakeholders, in the coming months to produce an agreement that reflects our best knowledge and our unshakable commitment to preserving this vital natural resource.”

Now is certainly the time for this kind of work if we want to preserve one of the most important natural resources to our survival.

President’s Plan Gains Definition

tpache — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:51:17 +0000

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has a fantastic story that outlines excactly where the $475 million will go if the House and Senate Appropriations Committees fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Signed, Sealed and Delivered

tpache — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:35:11 +0000

Hear ye, hear ye, the Great Lakes Compact is law. With one fell swoop of his pen, President George Bush sealed the deal on our eight-state-two-nation compact.

While some argued that the Compact moved to swiftly through the ratification process, Gov. Jim Doyle pointed out that it took years to forge the pact – ten to be exact. “After years of negotiating and building support for this interstate compact, we now have a defined legal framework to protect the waters that define us,” Doyle stated.

The whole thing started ten years ago when our region was outraged that a Canadian businessman would try to ship Lake Superior’s water to fresh water starved Asia. Five years of negotiation followed and culminated in the great Milwaukee summit of 2005 when new rules were set to prevent large scale water diversions from the Great Lakes, reports Dan Egan in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Finally, there is a legal framework – a Christmas Tree upon which to hang our restoration ornaments –so let’s hope that we can finally finish the work of restoration while protecting our drinking water at the same time.

US Senate Approves Great Lakes Compact

tpache — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:15:12 +0000

US Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and George Voinovich (R-OH) pushed the Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Compact through the US Senate today. The Senate passed the bill unanimously this afternoon. The US House is expected to take up the legislation when they return from summer recess in September. Thanks to our Great Lakes Senators for ensuring the success of the Compact!

By and By

tpache — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:43:56 +0000

Finally, President G.W. Bush is seeing some progress being made on his 2004 Executive Order to come up with a strategy to restore the Great Lakes, and he is enthusiastically urging an apparently willing Congress to push the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Compact through the ratification process. On the eve of the House and Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the Compact, the US President released a congratulatory statement to the eight states for the enormous cooperative effort shown in approving the compact.

“Made in the spirit of cooperative conservation, this Compact is the result of many years of close coordination and consensus-building that resulted in the Compact’s approval by the eight Great Lakes States and two Canadian Provinces,” stated President Bush.

The eight Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have enacted the Compact, a regional water agreement that promotes water conservation within the region and protects the lakes from depletion. Congressional consent is required for it to become law, as has been the case with other water compacts around the nation.

The Compact has garnered support from businesses, farmers and conservationists. The region’s governors have listed passage of the Compact as one of nine priorities to protect and restore the Great Lakes—along with efforts to halt invasive species, stop sewage contamination and clean up toxic pollution.

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) chairs the House Judiciary Committee and hopes to mark up and pass out of committee the Compact tomorrow (July 30). The Senate hearing is expected to begin the same afternoon. With just days left in the summer session of Congress, the President has urged the body to ratify the compact before the national race for the Presidency overtakes all other business.

“I strongly urge Congress to provide rapid approval of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact,” said the US President.

We join the President and hope our lawmakers will bring the Compact to the Congress for a vote before the August recess.

Some in Ohio and Wisconsin Need Convincing

tpache — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:48:11 +0000

The recent momentum generated by Indiana and New York’s approval of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact may not be enough to convince a few lawmakers in Ohio and Wisconsin to follow suit. Legislators in the two states, currently a battlefield for the democratic presidential nominating process, are also stymieing the compact over last minute legalistic arguments. At stake is the ability of the Great Lakes states to keep the water in the Great Lakes, as well as limit invasive species and ecological devastation.

“This is a shortsighted move that places the special interests of a few over the water security needs of more than 40 million people and the economic vitality of the region,” Molly Flanagan, the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes water program manager told the Toledo Blade. “This amounts to a hijacking of the compact that jeopardizes the region’s ability to protect the Great Lakes.”

But some Ohio Senators feel that former Gov. Bob Taft, who led the four-year long Great Lakes governors’ compact negotiations, signed off on a flawed agreement, according to the Associated Press. They fear that by including tributaries and streams in the Great Lakes basin they are opening up their Northern border counties to Big Government. Their fears are unfounded and their solutions misguided. The Senators would like to change the wording of the compact in the Senate version before agreeing to it, but the Ohio House overwhelmingly (88-3) approved the original and formerly agreed to version of the Compact today as have half the state legislatures in the region.

Last week the Indiana House agreed with the Senate and passed the Compact that will prevent water from being diverted from the region and aid in efforts to stem pollution and invasive species. Now, Governor Mitch Daniels has ten days to sign the compact and Indiana will join Minnesota and Illinois whose lawmakers previously approved the agreement.

The week prior, the New York legislature also approved the Compact -one week after the state Senate- and it is now sitting on Governor Eliot Spitzer’s desk awaiting his signature. Once pen is put to paper, we are half-way to having the compact adopted by all eight states. Legislation is pending in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Michigan. It is mind boggling that states are stalling on this – as it will give them the negotiating power they need to manage the Great Lakes and prevent outsiders from taking the water.

Once all eight states approve the Compact, Congress will have to ratify the decision and make it law. The right decision would send a powerful message to the leading candidates vying for Wisconsin and Ohio’s primary votes that this is an issue of utmost significance to each state’s lawmaking bodies and public.

Eight Is Enough

tpache — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:04:12 +0000

Indiana’s Senate has discovered a good way to ensure that the Great Lakes don’t lose precious water to Southern and Western states – and that they remain ecologically and economically sound by passing the regional Compact.

If Indiana’s House shows similar support – the Senate passed it unanimously – then it will become the third state to agree to regulate, conserve and protect the five lakes. Minnesota and Illinois have signed the compact. There are rumblings in New York supporting it too, according to recent news stories that have appeared in the Buffalo News and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Governor Elliot Spitzer raised the issue during his state-of-upstate speech as well.

“In recent years, many New Yorkers near the Great Lakes have been troubled to hear that water levels have been dropping. This poses a threat to shipping, to our fisheries, and to our ecosystems—in other words, to the economy and quality of life in Great Lakes communities. That’s why, today, I call upon the Legislature to pass the Great Lakes Compact, so we can join a multi-state effort to regulate water levels and maintain a strong, sustainable Great Lakes ecosystem and economy,” Gov. Spitzer said.

So, it appears Albany is moving toward approval. That leaves Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Once the states agree, Congress then has to give its seal of approval.

While we continue to strive to get a federal commitment to the restoration package, it still behooves the states to empower themselves to protect the lakes themselves. Last Fall’s ballast bill brouhaha is a good example of what can happen if the states don’t pass the compact soon – if that bill were to pass as is then states would lose the right to control ballast issues in their own waterways. States need to act now to protect their own interests in Washington. Remember, to date, only Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain has signed our Great Lakes pledge for sure – even if we get everyone of the hopefuls on board, the states will be in a better position for future negotiations if they have the compact to stand upon.

McCain on Great Lakes Water Diversion

Jordan Lubetkin — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:35:53 +0000

The Detroit Free Press today published excerpts from an editorial board visit with Presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). The Free Press pressed him on the issue of Great Lakes water diversion to thirsty Southern states in the following exchange:

Q: You come from a state that is growing and dry. Michigan is a state that is shrinking and has lots of water. Do you see a time when states in the South and West might want to go after the water here?

A: I’m sure they might want to go after it. But I don’t see that as a likely scenario, because I think that would be up to the people of these states, and they wouldn’t enter into an agreement that would move water out of the Great Lakes to other states. I’m a federalist. I don’t think water should be taken from one area to another, unless there’s some kind of compact.

The Colorado compact, over the Colorado River, was the agreement of every state that was involved. I would think maybe, in this region, you might see compacts to share the water of the Great Lakes, and how to make best use of the water. But I don’t see them willingly saying they’ll ship all that water down to Arizona. If they would, I’d work on the pipeline myself.

Woah! Don’t get the work gloves out just yet, Senator, because we’re hoping the Great Lakes Water Compact passes and that pipeline is never built.

I would have liked the Free Press to ask perhaps a more pointed question that gets at not only the issue of water diversion, but also about the role we as a nation can play in restoring the Great Lakes-stopping sewage contamination, preventing invasive species and solving other serious threats-through the implementation of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy.

Here’s what I’d ask:

Mr. McCain, will you use your leadership as President to pass Great Lakes restoration legislation and to outlaw diversion of Great Lakes water?

That question looms large for all presidential hopefuls. Let’s see how each answers it in the coming months.

Great Lakes Mayors Issue Latest Challenge To Presidential Candidates: Great Lakes Support Key To Winning Midwest

tpache — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 20:28:23 +0000

Great Lakes Governor’s ring are you listening? A pledge like sugar on your lips sure would glisten. A beautiful sight, the Great Lakes Mayors unite asking for you to lend the Lakes a hand. First Wisconsin Governor Doyle lead the eight Great Lakes governors in asking the presidential hopefuls to outline their vision for the Great Lakes. Next, four Great Lakes Congressmen sent a letter to the candidates asking them to take a pledge to shepherd restoration into law and fully fund it while in office. Now, the Mayors of the Great Lakes have come forth and issued one more challenge to presidential candidates, congressional candidates and local lawmakers alike to fully support restoration of the Great Lakes.

In Racine, Wisconsin Friday, the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative – a group designed to give US and Canadian mayors a voice on issues impacting the Great Lakes – held a press conference challenging candidates to protect the lakes, fund restoration and promise not to divert water to other parts of the U.S. or the world.

“We are spending millions of dollars on protection of the lakes, waste water treatment plants, storm sewers, local municipalities and towns are spending billions, but we need all levels of government to do the same. Today we are challenging the US presidential candidates to take strong positions on the lakes,” said David Ullrich, executive director of the Initiative.

Next, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley weighed in, “This issue is just as important as the Everglades was to the US.”

The Mayors then urged presidential candidates to support and implement the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy.

“The public deserves to know where the candidates stand on these topics and we will be sending a questionnaire asking each of them to state their positions on a number of critical issues currently facing the Great Lakes region,” said Daley.

The Mayors carrot: the great lakes states hold 25 percent of the electoral votes and several swing states. They hope this will pressure candidates to educate themselves on the issues surrounding the Great Lakes. “We need to get clear answers from the candidates regarding where they stand on this issue and this will be for congressional candidates as well as US presidential candidates,” Daley said. Once the primaries have produced two presidential candidates Daley has offered to work with their staff to bring them up to speed.

Of the US Congress, the Mayors want approval of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy and ballast water restrictions as well as restoration funding.“We need long term funding for the Great Lakes – as outlined in Great Lakes Restoration Strategy,” said Daley.

There are still six states that need to take action to approve the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. The challenge urges these states to take action swiftly. By doing so, the states will help protect the lakes from water diversion. We need to “ensure that other areas of the country and world do not rely on the Great Lakes for their water supply,” Daley added. (Click here to read the Mayors Challenge, including expectations from Canada.)

Looks like all levels of Government in the Great Lakes region are challenging the candidates in unison. This kind of pressure will make it very difficult to ignore the Great Lakes as the 2008 presidential campaign moves forward. The Governors, Congressmen and Mayors won’t let candidates forget the region controls 141 electoral votes and possesses a few swing states that could determine the final count on Election Day. When it comes right down to it, all we want for Christmas is a promise to restore the Great Lakes once and for all.

Governor Doyle Says Great Lakes Need To Be A Priority For Congress And The President

tpache — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:30:02 +0000

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle has been credited with putting the green back into Wisconsin policies, and it appears he is trying to share the enthusiasm across the Great Lakes region. As Chair of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, Doyle, a Democrat, held a press conference recently and launched the first pitch for aggressive action to save the Great Lakes and asked presidential hopefuls to outline their vision for the Great Lakes. Now, he has taken time to share with HOW his thoughts on why the Great Lakes are so vital to the region and the nation, why national politicians need to start addressing issues affecting the Lakes and why water diversion would be bad policy.

Q1. Recently, you announced that the Great Lakes Governors had agreed that the 2008 presidential candidates need to outline their vision for the Great Lakes when they stump in the region. Why is it important that they do so and have any of the candidates risen to this challenge?

A. The Great Lakes constitute the largest surface freshwater system in the world. More than 35 million Americans receive the benefits of drinking water, food, a place to work and live, recreational opportunities and transportation from the Great Lakes.

Our national economy depends on the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes generate $55 billion annually through tourism for the entire Great Lakes region. And they create nearly $377 million in personal income from wages and salaries. In Wisconsin alone, the Great Lakes support over 11,000 jobs in Wisconsin’s ports.

However, progress to protect and restore the Great Lakes continues too slowly because the States, without proper support from the federal government, can only achieve so much. That’s why I have called on the Presidential candidates to share their vision for the Great Lakes with us. We need a partner who will help us to build upon our work to protect, preserve, and improve the Great Lakes.

Actions in coming months and years will determine whether our shared efforts will accelerate or falter. The next President will have a key role in determining the fate of the Great Lakes. The Governors have been working hard to protect the Great Lakes through measures like the Great Lakes Water Compact but it is only through supportive federal policy that we will be able to realize our shared vision of a protected and restored Great Lakes.

We have contacted each candidate’s office to stress the importance of this issue and asked them to respond to my letter. To date, we have not received any formal responses from any of the Presidential candidates.

Q2. Please explain what the Great Lakes mean to Wisconsinites and why this issue is important in the 2008 Presidential election.

A. The economy of Wisconsin, as well as that of the other Great Lakes States, is heavily dependent on the continued health and sustainable use of Great Lakes water. Water quality is important. For example, each year, marine commerce on the Great Lakes/Seaway System generates more than $4.3 billion in personal income, $3.4 billion in transportation-related business revenue and $1.3 billion in federal, state and local taxes.

The Great Lakes provide about 20 billion kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power annually and transport of almost 200 million tons of international and interlake cargo.

Of course they are also one of the reasons why people live and work in Wisconsin. They are a valuable recreation resource that many people enjoy for hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching.

Q3. What are the greatest problems facing the lakes that need immediate addressing?

A. In 2003, the Great Lakes Governors came together to bring some coherence to our region’s restoration and protection efforts. Through the Council of Great Lakes Governors, we created the Great Lakes Governors’ Priorities Task Force to develop restoration and protection priorities for our region.

We developed nine priorities to protect and restore the Great Lakes and pushed for aggressive action to achieve our goals. The priorities include:
· Sustainable use of water resources;
· Protecting human health;
· Controlling pollution from diffuse sources;
· Reducing persistent bio-accumulative toxics;
· Stopping the introduction and spread of non-native aquatic invasive species;
· Protecting coastal wetland and wildlife habitats;
· Restoring the most contaminated toxic hot spots;
· Improving information collection and dissemination; and
· Adopting practices that protect the environment along with the recreational and commercial value of the Great Lakes.

We’ve pressed hard for the completion of the Asian Carp Barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, and even come together as the eight Great Lakes States to make up a temporary financial shortfall that at the time prevented construction from being continued.

We continue to seek full funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Funds in order to update our region’s aging wastewater infrastructure and stop sewage dumping into the Great Lakes.

And we are seeking support for the Great Lakes Legacy Act to clean up our region’s most contaminated toxic hot spots.

We also must begin restoration work immediately of 200,000 acres of wetlands in the Great Lakes Basin. The States remain committed to working with other non-federal partners to provide an additional $28.5 million cost-share toward this end. These monies would help provide vital habitat to birds and wildlife, while also helping protect water quality.

Q4. The eight Great Lakes governors environmental platform includes policies to protect against water diversion while restoring the ecosystem. Why are both important? How do you feel about the idea of diverting Great Lakes water to help out states affected by drought conditions?

A. Every drop of water in the Great Lakes is used, whether for drinking, manufacturing, transporting ships, or to protect the ecological health of the system. For example, and as the Brown County Port Director recently pointed out, for every inch of water lost, that’s 100 tons of cargo that can’t be put on a ship. The hydro-power industries can similarly provide you with information as to how much more electricity will cost to generate for every ¼ inch of water lost to the system. And, of course, the continued health of the ecosystem itself is reliant upon water levels being maintained.

The Great Lakes Region, including both states and provinces agreed to the Compact in 2005. Now, each of the states and provinces is working on an individual plan that addresses their specific issues. This is due to each state or province having a unique situation, separate from the other Great Lakes Region members. We encourage other states to develop a sustainable water resource plan of their own, just as we are doing here in the Great Lakes Region. As other states move forward in this process we encourage them to consider how they will balance conservation efforts as well as economic development needs.

Q5. The Governors of the Great Lakes have really taken a leadership role in pressuring Congress to deal with invasive species and concerns around ballast water –what can Congress do to better serve the Great Lakes region?

A. The State of Wisconsin has not waited for federal leadership on this issue. Wisconsin is actually leading Great Lakes Basin States in ballast water research with regard to on-shore and in-port treatments.

Aquatic invasive species (AIS) continue to pose one of the most serious threats to the Great Lakes ecosystem. An average of one new species is discovered in the Great Lakes ecosystem every eight months, and once present, eradication is often impossible. Prevention is vital to stemming ecosystem impacts from new invasive species. And, because invasive species easily transfer from watershed to watershed, it is absolutely critical that comprehensive national action be taken to combat their spread.

Aquatic invasive species cost the nation billions of dollars in damages each year, are a burden on the economy and strain Great Lakes states’ budgets. They pose a threat to human health and cause immeasurable ecological damage. Further, AIS are injurious to our region’s sport and commercial fisheries and associated tourism and recreation.

Great Lakes Governors continue to call for a comprehensive National Aquatic Invasive Species Act to be passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by the President.

The problem of AIS continues to grow. In fact, in the months that have passed since our September 2005 request for comprehensive Federal invasive species legislation, several new AIS have been discovered in the Great Lakes region alone. These include, for example, the bloody red shrimp, the New Zealand mudsnail and the fish disease viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS). Additionally, existing invasive species such as the quagga mussel have spread to Lake Superior and Lake Mead, illustrating how invasive species can move from one area of the country to another.

Congressional action is long overdue. While State and regional actions against AIS remain critical to establishing a complete and protective framework, a coordinated and comprehensive national approach is the only long-term means of stopping new invasive species from penetrating the Great Lakes.

Q6. What more can the Governors do to get comprehensive legislation moving in Congress?

A. Every year for the last several years, the Great Lakes Governors have shared with the U.S. Congress our legislative and appropriation priorities to advance Great Lakes restoration and protection. And every year, we have called on Congress to enact comprehensive invasive species legislation. We will continue to take every opportunity, including letters, testimony and one-on-one discussions, to impress upon the Members of Congress the importance of effectively combating the scourge of aquatic invasive species.

Q7. If Congress continues to delay action, what are states like Wisconsin prepared to do?

A. Such delays are unacceptable. However, States such as Wisconsin continue to address the threat posed by invasive species from each available angle. In Wisconsin, we have worked with the Port of Milwaukee to study the option of shore-based ballast water treatment and a report will be completed soon. Additionally, the Great Lakes States have partnered with others through the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration to create Clean Boat Day, focused on educating recreational users to help prevent the introduction and spread of AIS.

Q8. A recent Brookings Institution report concluded that restoring the Great Lakes would lead to at least $50 billion in long-term economic gain for the region. Talk about what the Great Lakes mean to Wisconsin’s economy.

A. The Great Lakes Basin, including groundwater resources, covers nearly a third of the State. Our manufacturing industries, our ports, our agricultural community, our recreational industries, our Tribal communities, and our residential communities all rely upon a clean and available water resource and will so for generations. Our economy cannot continue to grow unless we are assured that that most invaluable resource—Great Lakes Water—is restored, protected and sustainably used now and into the future.