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President Obama to Release Budget February 13

Jordan Lubetkin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:34:18 +0000

The Obama Administration will release its fiscal year 2013 budget Monday, February 13, according to reports in media including the Washington Post, National Journal, USA Today, Politico, Bloomberg News and Reuters. By law, the president is to release its budget the first Monday in February.

The president’s budget serves as a framework for congressional budget process and helps set national priorities. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition will analyze the budget to determine the support of Great Lakes programs such as the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The coalition will host a briefing for reporters on the budget Wednesday, February 15. (Time to be determined.)

The coalition has worked to maintain funding for essential clean water programs. Congress approved $300 million for the fiscal year 2012 budget. President Obama’s previous three budgets have contained substantial funding for Great Lakes programs.

Commenting on the upcoming release of the President Obama’s budget, Jeff Skelding, campaign director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said:

“The nation cannot afford not to protect the Great Lakes—they supply drinking water to more than 30 million people. Great Lakes restoration programs are already producing results, but there is more to do. If we cut funding now, it will only cost more later because projects will become more difficult and expensive the longer we wait.”

Dam removal improves Michigan river, creates fishery

Jeff Alexander — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:40:57 +0000

The Paw Paw River is flowing freely again in southwest Michigan, thanks to a $1.1 million project that removed two obsolete dams in the city of Watervliet.

A coalition of local, state and federal groups coordinated by the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission directed the project, which removed dams that blocked fish passage and posed safety hazards to boaters, anglers and swimmers in the river. Go here for more details on this successful Great Lakes restoration project.

The dams were built in 1918 to support a paper mill in the small town of Watervliet, located in the district of Congressman Fred Upton, R-Michigan. The paper mill closed in 1968 and the dams fell into disrepair.

Removing the dams liberated and restored a stretch of the Paw Paw River that had been submerged by dam impoundments for five decades. The project also reconnected 100 miles of free-flowing stream to Lake Michigan, created new fish and wildlife habitat and increased recreational opportunities for anglers and paddlers.

Dams pose problems in scores of Great Lakes tributaries. The structures often block fish passage and disrupt the natural flow of sediment and nutrients.

Removing the Watervliet dams is expected to create a thriving sport fishery in Watervliet. Salmon from Lake Michigan have already been spotted in the river.

The project also eliminated a financial drain on Berrien County, which owned the dams and was required by law to maintain the structures.

Local leaders can now focus on developing a more robust recreational economy that is focused on the restored Paw Paw River.

GLRI grants will use trees to heal the Great Lakes

Jeff Alexander — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 18:06:58 +0000

Trees will play an important role in restoring the Great Lakes.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently awarded $3.7 million in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants to seven Great Lakes states. The grants will expand urban forests, use trees to remove toxic waste from soils and replace trees damaged by the Emerald ash borer, an invasive insect species.

Trees are a type of green infrastructure. They reduce stormwater runoff, one of the main sources of Great Lakes pollution, by capturing rain and snow that would otherwise fall on the ground and drain into the nearest waterway. Trees also absorb toxins in soil.

Urban forests protect the Great Lakes by reducing storm water runoff and absorbing toxins in soils.

The USDA projects were divided into five focus areas: Expanding urban and community forests; cleaning up toxic substances from abandoned industrial facilities; replacing trees killed by the Emerald ash borer; and managing nuisance weeds that harm trees. The grants were distributed to 22 city, county, state and non-governmental organizations across the region.

Here is the USDA’s state-by-state breakdown of the individual grants:

Wisconsin: The Department of Natural Resources received $31,627 for the Expansion of First Down for Trees Program; the City of Milwaukee received $100,000 to assess the city’s urban forest; Memononee Valley Partners received $74,875 for stormwater treatment; Landen Consulting received $220,000 for the Turnkey Green Infrastructure project; and the Door County Soil and Water Conservation Department and Southeast Wisconsin received $24,500 and $48,871 respectively for non-native invasive plant species control.

Michigan: The Genesee Conservation District received $60,658 for restoration of Flint’s urban forest and street trees; the Downriver Community Conference received $113,700 for forest restoration at the Detroit International Wildlife Refuge Gateway; the Greening of Detroit received $473,020 for the city’s model project using trees to clean up toxins in soil and water; the Delta Institute received $203,733 for its project to use hybrid poplar tree farms to reduce toxics in the environment; the city of Grand Rapids received $210,000 for its emerald ash borer recovery project; the Calhoun Conservation District received $99,960 for forest restoration; the Alliance of Rouge Communities received $374,980 to restore trees in Rouge River’s urban watershed.

Illinois: Openlands received $50,000 in grants for habitat tree planting in Chicago parks; the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus received $500,000 for Illinois urban forest restoration projects; and the City of Chicago received $72,020 to help restore urban forests affected by the emerald ash borer.

Ohio: The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources received $498,276 to help clean up brownfields in Toledo; and the Cuyahoga River Community Planning Organization received $73,040 to restore forest habitats impacted by the emerald ash borer.

Indiana: The Department of Natural Resources received $50,000 for its use of existing urban forestry tools.

New York: The Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper received $397,396 to reforest parts of Riverbend and Griffon parks; and the state Department of Environmental Conservation received $24,500 to help control non-native invasive plant species.

Pennsylvania: The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy received $48,900 to help control non-native invasive plant species.

Go here for more information on the USDA’s urban forestry programs.

Bipartisan Group Led by Reps. Sander Levin, John Dingell and Louise Slaughter Urge House Appropriators to Support Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Jordan Lubetkin — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:19:50 +0000

Members of the Great Lakes Congressional delegation are working to ensure that essential Great Lakes programs don’t get slashed in the 2012 federal budget. Yesterday a bipartisan group of 25 U.S. representatives led by Reps. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.), John Dingell (D-Mich.) and Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) sent a letter urging House appropriators to sustain funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

In a letter to House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers (R-Ky.) and Ranking Member Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) and Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Chairman Michael Simpson (R-Idaho) and Ranking Member James Moran (D-Va.), federal officials from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin advocated for continued federal investment to restore the Lakes:

“As Members of Congress who support the investment in the economic and environmental health of the Great Lakes region, we respectfully request that you include sustained funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative as you finalize the Fiscal Year 2012 Interior-Environment Appropriations bill.”

Signatories to the letter include: Hansen Clarke (D-Mich.), John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), John Dingell (D-Mich.), Robert Dold (R-Ill.), Sean Duffy (D-Wis.), Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), Kathleen Hochul (D-N.Y.), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.), Dale Kildee (D-Mich.), Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), Dan Lipinski (D-Ind.), Sander Levin (D-Mich.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Bill Owens (D-N.Y.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), Betty Sutton (D-Minn.), and Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.).

The letter points out that the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $50 million dollar increase for the program in July, bringing the fiscal year 2012 funding level to $300 million. The Senate’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding recommendations is also at $300 million for the current fiscal year.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has supported the efforts of U.S. House and Senate leaders to maintain restoration funding. Responding to the letter from Great Lakes lawmakers, Jeff Skelding, campaign director for the coalition said:

“The Great Lakes congressional delegation has been instrumental in making Great Lakes restoration a national priority. The letter led by Reps. Sandy Levin (Mich.), John Dingell (Mich.) and Louise Slaughter (N.Y.) underscores the bi-partisan and continuing support for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which is essential to protect and restore the Lakes that supply drinking water to more than 30 million people. This restoration effort is producing results, but there is more to do. If we cut funding now, it will only cost more later because projects will be harder and more expensive the longer we wait.”

Signatories to the letter deserve a huge thanks for continuing to make restoration a national priority.

You can read press releases from the offices of Reps. Levin and Dingell—as well as see how Rep. Slaughter is pushing for restoration programs in New York’s Tonawanda News.

Here’s the list of signatories by state. If your member signed on to the letter, please thank him or her. If not, let your representative know how important the Great Lakes are to you – and that you expect their support!

ILLINOIS:
Danny Davis
Robert Dold
Luis Gutierrez
Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Mike Quigley
Janice Schakowsky

INDIANA:
Dan Lipinski

MICHIGAN:
Hansen Clarke
John Conyers, Jr.
John Dingell
Dale Kildee
Sander Levin
Gary Peters

MINNESOTA:
Betty Sutton

NEW YORK:
Brian Higgins
Kathleen Hochul
Bill Owens
Charles Rangel
Louise Slaughter
Paul Tonko

OHIO:
Marcia Fudge
Dennis Kucinich
Tim Ryan

WISCONSIN:
Sean Duffy
Gwen Moore

Ohio Groups Aim to Stop Power Plant Fish Kill to Protect Great Lakes, Economy

tpache — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:40:49 +0000

For more than a century, Great Lakes fish populations have acted as an important indicator of the health of the Great Lakes. As threats to the Lakes mounted—pollution, over-fishing, and invasive species to name a few—fish populations plummeted, and in some cases went extinct.

It is not surprising, then, that a major goal of Great Lakes restoration is “to produce healthy fish communities that support sustainable commercial, subsistence, and recreational fisheries.”

That milestone may be difficult to achieve in Lake Erie, unless the Ohio EPA forces a Toledo-area power plant to stop killing more than 46 million fish a year.

The FirstEnergy Corp’s power plant sits near the confluence of the Maumee River and Lake Erie—a major spawning ground for Lake Erie’s fishery, which is valued at $800 million annually. A recent Ohio EPA study found that roughly 46 million fish are being caught in FirstEnergy Corp’s cooling water screens and killed.

Recently, environmental and conservation groups in Ohio put dollar signs to the fish kill: $29.7 million each year in lost commercial fishing and sales in Toledo and Ohio.

Every day 126,000 fish are caught in the screens of the 55-year old power plant. FirstEnergy is testing reverse louvers to see if it would help avoid such large numbers of fish from being killed, but a consultant from the state’s EPA office said the louvers will not be effective.

What will be effective? A cooling tower.

“Cooling towers can dramatically reduce the number of fish killed each year by 95%, as well as address the Bayshore plant’s violations of thermal discharge standards,” said Shannon Fisk, staff attorney in the Midwest office of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The science is clear that Bayshore’s water intake and thermal discharges are severely impacting fisheries in Maumee Bay, and the law is clear that Ohio EPA must require cooling towers if the Bayshore plant is going to continue to operate.”

NRDC and other environmental groups are urging the Ohio EPA and Department of Natural Resources to force the utility to install the $100 million cooling tower—and to do it without passing along the costs to customers.

“We caution that the cost of best available technology should not be shifted to the utility giant’s ratepayers,” said Kristy Meyer, director of agricultural and clean water programs for the Ohio Environmental Council. “For 55 years, the ratepayers have been footing the bill for this failed technology. To add insult to injury, consumers even have to pay to restock certain prized fish. It’s time that FirstEnergy be held accountable and require its shareholders to reimburse the citizens of Ohio for the billions of fish killed each year. Since when is a robbery victim forced to reimburse the robber? Let the shareholders shoulder the burden of installing cooling towers, not the captive ratepayers.”

Great Lakes David Obey To Step Down

tpache — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:14:54 +0000

The POLITICO is reporting that House Appropriations Committee Chair and long time Great Lakes Advocate Rep. David Obey (D-Wisc.) will not be running for reelection. Rep. Obey has done tremendous work for Great Lakes restoration and his key post on the Appropriations Committee helped secure the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in its first year FY2010.

Great Lakes Chambers Go to Bat for Great Lakes Restoration

tpache — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 15:27:13 +0000

Last week, a coalition of Great Lakes Chambers of Commerce met with Congress members from across the Great Lakes region and asked each and every one to fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The group of 30 metro Chambers of Commerce from 12 states in the Great Lakes Region formed in 2008. They made their third trip to Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers on shared issues such as Great Lakes restoration.

They asked lawmakers to restore the $475 million GLRI to the FY2011 budget (the President’s budget lowered the amount recommended to $300 million), as well as create a national standard for ballast water discharges and other policies to fight invasive species. The group did not lobby lawmakers on the short-term solution to dealing with Asian carp that would require shutting down the locks in Chicago’s Sanitary and Shipping Canal.

By approaching Congress together and with a five point strategic agenda (the Blueprint for Prosperity) intended to reawaken the Great Lakes economic super region the group has a more powerful effect on Washington. They divide into teams made up people representing chambers from several states and then approach Members of Congress with a unified voice. The Chambers believe that restoring the lakes will have a strong economic impact on the region. We are grateful to have them on our side!

All for One and One for All

tpache — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:08:24 +0000

Economic turbulence tends to inspire regionalism among Congressmen and those who lobby them. The Great Lakes has received an infusion of federal money to invest in restoration and it appears that this is causing some envy among other ecosystem restoration projects, but it shouldn’t because we intend to fight not just for the Great Lakes but also for the restoration of all of America’s Great Waters.

Less than a year ago, National Wildlife Federation CEO Larry Schweiger challenged a room full of advocates for this nation’s endangered waters to think beyond their own restoration efforts. “Instead of focusing on our own individual problems, we should make our problems bigger. These are problems that need a collective responsibility. We need a new vision for addressing these great waters.”

That meeting birthed the Great Waters Coalition that includes restoration efforts for the Great lakes, the Chesapeake Bay, the Mississippi River, the Florida Everglades, the Coasts of Maine and Louisiana, Puget Sound, Long Island Sound, San Francisco and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The combination of these restoration projects should make us a national priority and help us to secure long-term sustainable funding for all of our projects. We have a sympathetic White House and an eager Congress, but we are also wallowing in economic malaise. Coming together is the best thing we can do right now. “This is all connected,” said Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) at the launch of Great Waters in December, “it can’t just be about my area and my district it has to be about the region – about the country.”

The Great Lakes are home to eight politically volatile states – now add the Chesapeake Bay, the Everglades, the Mississippi River states the Western and Southern coastal states (that is more than 27 states) and now we have a much bigger voice on the Hill. “That is a lot of voters and a huge caucus in Congress,” Bill Leary, a former White House Council on Environmental Quality staffer, told an audience of conservationists.

We need to banish the days of regional wars that pit restoration projects against one another in an attempt to eek out appropriations from Congress. Malia Hale, who directs water restoration campaigns for NWF described the process as “a competition between the have not’s and the have not’s.

It is important to remember that the Great Lakes are not a closed system but are connected to many other parts of the country. So, lets go to Congress with an all for one and one for all mentality. Then Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) will see money in the legislation for the Chesapeake Bay, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) will see dollars for San Francisco Bay and so on and so on. This is the kind of coalition and legislative package that will get Members attention and gain significant traction.

Papp Says Ballast Standards Would Be His Top Priority

tpache — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:50:27 +0000

Vice Adm. Robert Papp, nominee to head the Coast Guard, told a US Senate panel yesterday that he wants to make national ballast standards a priority if he is confirmed.

While appearing before the US Senate Commerce Committee, Papp said he was committed to push forward the Coast Guard’s proposed ballast standards. These are the standards issued by the Coast Guard last summer and for which the public comment period closed in December 2009. They will meet current IMO standards and eventually, by 2016, be 1,000 times stricter and mimic California’s ballast standards.

It’s Lobby Season and the Great Lakes are on the Agenda

tpache — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:27:29 +0000

Healing Our Waters Coalition Members are arriving in Washington DC today to launch an aggressive lobbying campaign on Capitol Hill. It is true that HOW comes to the Capitol City to pay our Senators and Representatives a visit annually, but this year, we have a lot of really big fish to fry. The Asian Carp are threatening years of restoration efforts; the White House has cut Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funds by $175 million; and we need to support an EPA reauthorization bill.

Since November, the entire nation has been focused on our Asian Carp problem, but we still have not been able to convince the White House to use its authority to close the locks. Closing the locks immediately will allow our region some much needed time to work on a long-term solution such as a permanent separation of the basins. HOW members will be pressing our Congressional team for immediate action to halt the advance of the voracious fish.

Last year, the President proposed $475 million for FY10 restoration work and the House and Senate approved the full amount (a huge victory and credit goes to Wisconsin Rep. David Obey (D) Chair of Appropriations and also Washington Rep. Norm Dicks (D) Chair of the Appropriations subcommittee on the Interior.) This year, the President has recommended spending just $300 million but we argue this is a mistake. When the EPA recently requested proposals for the $120 million in FY 2010 GLRI funds they were prepared to grant, they received 1,050 proposals totaling more than $940 million – that is seven times the amount available. Worthy restoration projects are going unfunded – we have a plan and we know where to plug the money in to get this work done. Fortunately, we have friends in the House and Senate and we are going to take this ask to them: please restore the $175 million to the GLRI for FY11. This is not the time to shirk restoration work – we are making great strides, providing jobs and we are building an economic platform that will take our region into the next century.

HOW believes we need a Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act of 2010 that reauthorizes the GLLA multiyear so we don’t have to constantly ask for reauthorization, it sets u establishes the permanent Great Lakes restoration framework. The focus should be on what is happening on-the-ground in our restoration work. It would create a stakeholder board that sets clear goals and priorities each year that the federal agencies can use to develop their budgets and plans. It would reauthorize the Great Lakes Legacy Act on a multiyear track at $150 million a year so that we don’t have to fight for this annually. This bill is ready to be introduced by Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI) and George Voinovich (R-OH) and Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.) in the House.

HOW members will be holding strategy meetings on Tuesday, attending an event at the Canadian Embassy in the evening and then will hit the Hill on Wednesday.