IJC Releases Report on Great Lakes Water Quality

On Thursday, the International Joint Commission (IJC) released their Third Triennial Assessment of Progress on Great Lakes Water Quality (TAP). Through TAP, the IJC updates the U.S. and Canadian governments on the progress toward fulfilling objectives set under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA). Both governments are parties to the agreement, now in its 50th year, and most recently revised in 2012. The backbone of TAP, and the focal point of Thursday’s news conference, is its “recommendations” section, where the IJC makes three main recommendations to the Parties.

First, the Commission recommends that the Parties work “with First Nations, Métis, and Tribal governments as active partners” as they conduct their review of GLWQA and consider amending the agreement. While GLWQA mandates that the governments take into account the views of these groups, “the recommendation is that we should be going beyond this to partner further yet,” IJC Commissioner Lance Yohe said. To achieve this active partnership, the Parties should more proactively involve Indigenous governments, and incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing into actions taken under GLWQA. “I don’t think anybody -- federal governments, agencies, or IJC -- can think about making any decisions on the Great Lakes water quality or ecosystem without this vast knowledge system that Indigenous people can bring to the table,” IJC physical scientist Raj Bejankiwar said.

Second, the Parties should, “develop common, basinwide and scalable climate resiliency goals,” the TAP states. These goals should be included in the next Lakewide Action and Management Plan, and they should be accountable, with metrics to evaluate progress. Additionally, as all levels of government have a part to play in climate resiliency, these goals should be scalable at each level. This recommendation points out that local and municipal governments have the most direct responsibility for building climate resiliency, particularly through infrastructure, and they “could be doing better work with a bigger emphasis from federal governments on coordination throughout the region,” said IJC Commissioner Robert Sisson.

The final recommendation is that the Parties “support and actively participate in the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board’s collaborative process to develop a 10-year Great Lakes Science Plan.” The plan would strengthen collaborative science from stakeholders in academia, Indigenous communities, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and others, to monitor the Great Lakes, and forecast and combat problems. “What we’re trying to do with this recommendation is focus on investing in the shared knowledge we have about the lakes and building on that,” IJC Commissioner Marrell-Ann Phare said.

Read the full Triennial Assessment of Progress here.

Reported by Alex Eastman, NEMWI staff

Congress Races to Avoid Shutdown Before Friday

Over the weekend, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) released his plan to avoid a government shutdown with another Continuing Resolution (CR). Johnson wants to pass a “laddered CR,” which would fund the government in two parts, at FY23 levels. The first part, which expires on January 19th, would fund most of the appropriations bills of interest to NEMWI and pertinent to the Great Lakes, including Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Energy and Water Development, and Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The second part expires on February 2nd, and includes defense spending among other appropriations.

Also included in the bill is a long-term extension of the Farm Bill, which would fund programs that would otherwise expire at the turn of the new year. The Bill would be extended until September 30th, 2024, giving Congress nearly another year to pass a new Farm Bill. Notably absent from the bill are any funds for Ukraine or Israel.

The path to passage of Johnson’s bill is narrow. Many House Republicans will balk at the “clean CR,” without funding cuts, while Democrats in the Senate are skeptical of the two-step approach, and the White House called the plan “a recipe for more Republican chaos and more shutdowns.”

Read the full text of Johnson’s proposal here.

Reported by Alex Eastman, NEMWI staff

Senate Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Sustainable Tourism Development

On Tuesday, November 7th, the Senate Subcommittee on Tourism, Trade, and Export Promotion examined how to build resilient travel and tourism sectors that protect natural resources and support regional development. As highlighted by Subcommittee Chairwoman Jacky Rosen (D-NV) in her opening remarks, the outdoor recreation industry contributes $778 billion in economic output annually and supports 5.2 million jobs. The goal of the hearing was to balance needs of businesses, visitors, and local communities with preserving and sustaining the ecosystems and natural landscapes that make this industry so successful. 

Among the panelists was Amy Allison, Director of Made by Mountains Partnership, an organization that expands the outdoor industry to promote rural economic development in the Appalachia region. While echoing the sentiment of Chairwoman Rosen on the massive economic contributions of this industry, Allison also stressed the importance of preserving the existing resources. “This industry's rapid expansion has, at times, come at a significant cost to our environment, cultures, and local communities,” she said. Sustainable tourism industries work with stakeholders, community leaders, and policymakers to create an educational and culturally stimulating experience for visitors while nurturing a ground-up approach to growth.

Jean Garris Hand, Vice President of Global Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Head of Sustainability for Hilton, also testified. She explained that Hilton, along with all members of American Hotel & Lodging Association, has a responsibility to drive positive economic, environmental, and social impact across the supply chain. Without the lodging industry’s commitment to the sustainable practices growing in the tourism industry, she said, the progress being made would be undermined.

Finally, Julie Reagan, Executive Director of Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, brought a concern regarding funding allocation. The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, reauthorized in 2016, helped improve quality of life, boost the economy, and support environmental stewardship in the region. “The environment is the economy, and the economy is the environment,” she said. The Act is set to expire in 2024, and Director Reagan expressed concern that progress made in sustainability would erode as a result.

A full recording of the hearing can be found here.

Reported by NEWMI Intern James Li, Brown University 

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