June 2025

Join your fellow Great Lakes legislators on Sept. 15-16 in South Bend

Collaborate with legislators from across the binational region at the GLLC 2025 Annual Meeting and focus on policies to ensure the environmental and economic health of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin. We'll be learning about aquatic invasive species, emerging contaminants, stormwater management, and other policy areas. During the business meeting, the GLLC membership will also consider policy recommendations.  

This event is open to GLLC members and all legislators representing the eight states and two provinces of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin. A limited number of travel scholarships are available to GLLC members, with priority for those engaged in GLLC committees and task forces. Register as soon as possible to be considered for a scholarship.  

Task Force on Emerging Contaminants Created

The 2025 class of Birkholz Fellows met on June 13-14 to study emerging contaminants, primarily PFAS and plastic. The Fellows heard presentations on how states and provinces have responded to PFAS and plastic contamination, policy innovations to prevent incidents, and technologies to remediate sites. In addition, the Fellows participated in discussion sessions and activities, visited the University of Wisconsin's School of Freshwater Sciences, and toured a Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and Electa Quinney Institute restoration site.

At the close of the Institute, the Fellows transitioned to a Task Force on Emerging Contaminants. This binational group of legislators will work to propose policy recommendations for the GLLC. If you would like to join this newly formed task force, sign up here.

Dr. John Hartig

The Eastern Seaboard has the East Coast Greenway and the Appalachian Trail. The Western Seaboard has the Pacific Crest Trail. The Rocky Mountains have the Continental Divide Trail. Right now, The Council of State Governments, Midwestern Office (CSG Midwest), is working with the eight Great Lakes states, and other trail partners, to explore creating a U.S. Great Lakes Waterfront Trail to meander along the shorelines of the largest freshwater system on Earth.

Imagine a trail of national significance connecting visitors and residents to 20% of the standing freshwater on the Earth’s surface. This is precisely what is being envisioned as the U.S. Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, showcasing the history, ecology and culture of this bioregion. It will also have several connections to Canada’s Great Lakes Waterfront Trail.

Read more on Great Lakes Now

The GLLC would like to invite members to host educational policy web meetings related to water consumption, nutrient management, toxic substances, aquatic invasive species, and coastal resiliency. If you have a topic or piece of legislation you would like to share with your GLLC colleagues, please fill out this brief form. Topics are subject to GLLC approval, and web meeting slots are limited.

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.