| Northeast-Midwest Institute Weekly Update |
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MS River Mayors Speak to 2013 River Rally
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Mayor Slay of St. Louis, MO, Mayor Thompson of Grafton, IL, and Mayor Hopkins of Wickliffe, KY all presented at the 2013 River Rally in St. Louis on behalf of NEMWI's Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative (MRCTI). Appearing before an audience of over 400 attendees from several hundred river and environmental organizations, the mayors discussed their joint new effort to improve the Mississippi River. Mayor Slay reiterated the importance of changes to the Water Resources Development Act, Mayor Thompson reminded the audience that the Mississippi River is the public's sacred trust, and Mayor Hopkins said that the most pressing issue facing the Mississippi is non-point source pollution from agriculture run-off. Read more about the event here.
For more information, contact Colin Wellenkamp, Director, Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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NEMWI Participates in Shale Network Workshop
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On May 20, NEMWI participated in a workshop hosted by the Shale Network in State College, PA. The Shale Network is helping scientists and citizens store data for water resources that may be affected by gas exploitation, particularly in the Marcellus shale play. The NEMWI project "Toward Sustainable Water Information" is working with the Shale Network and other researchers on a case study looking at the availability of water monitoring data to answer questions about shale gas development's impact on surface or ground water quality. The workshop participants discussed many of the challenges in getting access to industry data and non-electronic data, and coordination among multiple organizations with different monitoring strategies.
For more information, contact Elin Betanzo, Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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EPA Adds Five NEMW Hazardous Waste Sites to Superfund's National Priorities List
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added nine sites to its National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites, five of which are in the NEMW region:
- Pike and Mulberry Streets PCE Plume (former dry cleaner) in Martinsville, Ind.;
- Creese & Cook Tannery (former tannery and finishing facility) in Danvers, Mass.;
- Walton & Lonsbury Inc. (former chrome plating operation) in Attelboro, Mass.;
- Matlack, Inc. (former chemical transportation business) in Woolwich Township, N.J.; and
- Riverside Industrial Park (former paint manufacturer) in Newark, N.J.
The Superfund program investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country to protect people's health and the environment. Updates to the NPL provide policymakers and the public with a list of high priority sites, serving to identify the size and nature of the nation's cleanup challenges. To see the entire list of added sites and an additional list of nine proposed sites or to learn more about the NPL, visit EPA's website.
For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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New York's Fishing Industry Eligible for $20 Million in Grants for Superstorm Sandy Recovery
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New York State's recently-approved coastal fishing industry grant program will provide grants up to $50,000 to eligible fishing businesses to cover uncompensated losses from Superstorm Sandy. The program is part of New York's Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Action Plan, which federal officials approved in April. This assistance will help cover the $76 million in estimated uninsured losses within New York's fishing industry. Superstorm Sandy, which impacted the northeast, mid-Atlantic, and Great Lakes in October 2012, caused widespread damage to coastal towns and economies.
For more information, contact Danielle Chesky, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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NOAA: Nine Shipwrecks in NEMW Region Have Potential to Pollute
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency within the Department of Commerce and with oversight of oceans, weather forecasting, marine fisheries, and pollution assessments, recently released a report assessing the over 20,000 shipwrecks within U.S. waters, including the Great Lakes and territories. The report reviewed the wrecks for their potential harm to the environment through the eventual release of cargo and fuel. NOAA carried out full risk assessments on 87 of the wrecks, characterizing them into high, medium, and low priority for oil spill risks. A total of 26 out of the 87 investigated wrecks lie within the Great Lakes, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic waters off NEMW states. Nine of 36 wrecks deemed highest risk for a discharge of oil leading to severe environmental impacts are located in the NEMW region, off the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic coasts.
For more information, contact Danielle Chesky, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.
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