Mayor Larson of Duluth Joins Cities Initiative Board of Directors

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is proud to announce the newest member of the Board of Directors, Mayor Emily Larson of Duluth, Minnesota. Mayor Larson will be joining as the 16th member of the Board. As a prominent shipping port and the second largest city on Lake Superior, the City of Duluth's voice will be a vital asset to the Board of Directors. While serving as Duluth City Council President before becoming Mayor, Larson championed numerous parks and trails, advised the inception of the Duluth Energy Efficiency Program, and served on the Board of Directors for the Great Lakes Aquarium. Since winning the mayoral election in 2015, Mayor Larson committed to re-establishing Duluth's Environmental Advisory Council and invested $500,000 in energy efficiency programs. Mayor Larson has demonstrated leadership and vision in addressing Duluth's environmental issues, a valuable addition to the Cities Initiative Board. 

Member Municipalities Pass Resolutions in Opposition of Waukesha Diversion

Eleven members of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative recently passed local resolutions in opposition of the Compact Council's decision to approve the City of Waukesha, Wisconsin's application for a water diversion. The eleven municipalities include Ajax, Blue Mountains, Cobourg, Collingwood, Essex County, Fort Erie, Montréal, Niagara Falls, Port Colborne, Sault Ste. Marie, and St. Catharines. A majority of the resolutions provide explicit support for the Cities Initiative's challenge to the Compact Council's decision and subsequent request for a hearing. In addition to the eleven municipalities, one non-profit, the Quebec Federation of Hunters and Fisherman (Fédération québécoise des chasseurs et pêcheurs), also passed a similar resolution. If your municipality is interested in considering the resolution, please contact [email protected] for a model resolution. Click here for copies of the resolutions passed above. 

Lake Superior Lakewide Action and Management Plan Finalized

Last week, the governments of Canada and the United States finalized the Lake Superior Lakewide Action and Management Plan (LAMP). Developed by 50 organizations and 30 science-based government agencies known as the Lake Superior Partnership, the LAMP is a binational action plan for restoring and protecting Lake Superior. The plan aims to achieve the pre-established Lake Ecosystem Objectives under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, which are scheduled to be developed by the end of 2017. For full access to the Lake Superior LAMP, click   here.

The U.S. EPA recently announced an interagency agreement on tribal treaty rights and other initiatives designed to advance tribal sovereignty and self-determination.  The Memorandum of Understanding on interagency coordination and collaboration to advance protection of tribal treaty and similar rights related to natural resources affected by agency decisions stems in part from an EPA effort to encourage consideration of treaty rights in the agency's consultation policy.  Administrator Tina McCarthy also reiterated EPA's commitment to strengthen water quality protections on Indian reservations. The administrator signed an advance notice of proposed rulemaking to invite comments on whether to extend water quality standards effective under the Clean Water Act to all tribes with reservations.  Additionally, Administrator McCarthy signed rules that significantly streamline requirements for tribes to receive treatment as a state (TAS) to administer Clean Water Act regulatory programs, and to establish procedures for eligible tribes to obtain the authority to identify impaired waters on their reservations; and to establish total maximum daily loads of contaminants that can be discharged into those waters. This will allow each tribe to meet their own water quality standards.  To learn more on this complex issue, please visit:   http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/WHCNAA/index.htm , https://www.epa.gov/tribal/forms/consultation-and-coordination-tribes , and   https://www.epa.gov/tribal/clean-water-indian-country .