House Great Lakes Task Force Member Rep. David Joyce (OH), and Co-Chairs, Reps. John Dingell (MI), Candice Miller (MI), and Louise Slaughter (NY), along with colleagues Reps. Sander Levin (MI) and Tom Petri (MI), introduced the Great Lakes Ecological and Economic Protection Act of 2013. The bill authorizes President Obama's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) at $475 million annually. So far, Congress has appropriated over $1.3 billion to the GLRI for Great Lakes projects, including habitat and fisheries restoration, as well as removal of contaminated sediments. The bill would also re-authorize the Environmental Protection Agency's Great Lakes National Protection Office and the Great Lakes Legacy Act. The Legacy program provides funds to clean up coastal areas that Canada and the United States deem so contaminated that beneficial uses are impaired (known as "Areas of Concern"). The bill authorizes all programs through 2018. Additionally, the bill codifies the role of an Interagency Task Force to coordinate federal Great Lakes restoration and development activities, as well as that of the Great Lakes Advisory Board, to provide input and advice to the Administration on Great Lakes restoration and protection. When last introduced in the House during the 111th Congress, the bill garnered bipartisan support among 43 co-sponsors. Senate Great Lakes Task Force Sens. Carl Levin (MI) and Mark Kirk (IL), along with seven of their colleagues, introduced the Great Lakes Ecological and Economic Protection Act of 2013 in the Senate in June. 

 

For more information, contact Danielle Chesky, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute. 

On July 31, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with Rutgers University, will host a Superstorm Sandy-inspired forum on green infrastructure for New Jersey towns, residents, and businesses at Duke Farms in Hillsborough, NJ.  The forum will provide information on creating and enhancing green infrastructure, including funding sources and ways to incorporate community needs and environmental justice into green infrastructure planning. For more information on the forum, see the EPA's announcement. Superstorm Sandy hit the east coast of the United States in October 2012, leaving behind compelling evidence--applicable region-wide--of the potential benefits of green infrastructure compatible with severe weather events.

 

For more information, contact Danielle Chesky, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute. 

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works' Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health will host a hearing on July 24 at 2pm (EDT), entitled "Cleaning Up and Restoring Communities for Economic Revitalization." Speakers will discuss the new Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development (BUILD) Act. The Act, recently introduced in the Senate, would increase funding for brownfields remediation and provide greater flexibility for use of the funds.

   

For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute. 

The U.S. Geological Survey, as part of its efforts to fulfill fishery science needs and requirements of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission's Council of Lake Committees, issued the final contract to acquire a newly-built vessel to replace the aging R/V Grayling. The Grayling, in service for nearly 40 years, has supported fishery and lake science needs on Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior. Manitowoc, Wisconsin-based Burger Boat Company, in business for 150 years, will build the new Grayling. The vessel will be part of the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center's deepwater program, which evaluates fish ecology and population levels and forms the bedrock for international fisheries management in the Great Lakes.

 

For more information, contact Danielle Chesky, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute. 

Maine is the largest producer of American lobster product in the United States, with last year's landings coming in at over 120 million pounds. However, most processed lobster product comes from Canada; 80% of lobster catch is processed, with 60-70% of the processing occurring in nearby Canadian provinces. Maine would like to increase in-state processing, and this month multiple companies announced expansion of capacity, beginning in 2014. These expansions follow the opening, this year and last, of several new processing plants, providing over 200 employment opportunities so far. These efforts also build on a multi-year sustainable certification process; in March 2013, Maine's lobster fishery obtained certification from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) as a sustainable fishery. The completion of the multi-year process came on the heels of poor lobster prices, due to low demand from Canadian processors and record-high catches. In addition to the MSC certification, lobsters processed in Maine can be branded a product of Maine, which is expected to generate additional revenue for producers.

 

For more information, contact Danielle Chesky, Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.