August 2026

Hotel Deadline on August 14

Don't miss the opportunity to attend the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus' 2026 Annual Meeting on September 28-29. This two day meeting on the shores of Lake Superior, will offer many opportunities and events for GLLC Members to come together and collaborate on issues impacting the Great Lakes.

Activities will include the Caucus' general business meeting, where caucus leadership and executive committee elections will take place, and policy discussions on emerging contaminants, invasive species, and other issues. Additionally, participants will also get a firsthand look at efforts in the Great Lakes to control invasive sea lamprey during a site visit to the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission.

A limited number of travel scholarships are still available to GLLC members, with priority for those engaged in GLLC committees and task forces. Additionally, the deadline to get a room in the GLLC's reserved block, and at the event's rate, is August 14.

In July, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus hosted a web meeting to discuss the impacts that nitrates in drinking water have on human health. Co-hosted with the Midwestern Legislative Conference's Committee on Energy and Environment, participants were able to hear from three panelists on the topic: Sara Walling from Clean Wisconsin and Kerri Johannsen and Michael Schmidt from the Iowa Environmental Council.

During the presentations, the panelists discussed how nitrates occur naturally in our environment, and are not harmful in the low doses that come from natural sources alone. The presenters shared data on high levels of nitrates in drinking water sources, specifically in Iowa and Wisconsin. The nitrate levels have been traced back to runoff and groundwater infiltration from excess fertilizer use, animal manure, and sewage/septic systems. Ingesting high levels of nitrates in drinking water has been connected to a number of serious conditions, such as cancers and low oxygen levels in infants. The speakers also highlighted that this issue affects private wells and homeowners may not have the resources to test and see if their water is safe.

When it came to policy recommendations, there was significant agreement between Iowa Environmental Council and Clean Wisconsin. The speakers encouraged lawmakers to improve water monitoring and reporting, reexamine and adjust the allowable level of nitrates in drinking water, create incentive programs to discourage nutrient loss from fields, develop statewide manure management policies, reforming tile drainage oversight, and consider nitrates in statewide nutrient management plans.

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus focuses on five policy areas, including nutrient management and toxic substances and is committed to providing resources to legislators on improving drinking water quality and preventing contamination.

If you would like to watch the web meeting or read any of the panelists' research and policy recommendations, click here to visit the event page on the GLLC website

IL PFAS Legislation: In June, the Illinois General Assembly approved HB 2955 to create the Citizens Protection Act. If signed by Governor Pritzker, this legislation would create a committee to develop a PFAS action plan for Illinois, as well as update the action plan as PFAs knowledge and technology advances.

Gubernatorial Action to Limit Data Center Incentives: Over the past several months, governors from across the region have taken action to draw back tax incentive's for data centers and to enact stricter requirements for data center developments. Governors in Ohio and Illinois have blocked theirs states tax incentives for data centers until proper studies and/or protections have been enacted. Additionally, the Governor of Pennsylvania introduced strict standards for data center to be able to receive a tax incentive which include requiring companies to make significant investment into infrastructure.

Great Lakes State and Provincial Legislative Tracker

Take a look at the searchable, sortable GLLC State and Provincial Legislative Tracker for the latest legislative activity.