LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
- Appropriations and Budget
- No new updates – expect a CR to fund the government through the election and appropriations bills or omnibus to be considered post-election.
- Past news on appropriations:
- House passed Energy and Water Appropriations bill with floor amendments offered by Great Lakes members; NEMWI has provided an overview of the accounts and amendments
- House Interior and Environment Committee marked up its bill, which included $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; report languageaccompanying the bill included a policy provision that would prevent enforcement of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ballast provision of the Vessel General Permit if the vessel had received a compliance extension from the U.S. Coast Guard for its ballast regulations. This provision aims to address the concerns regarding EPA’s use of “selective enforcement” of its ballast standards until approval of technology for treatment of ballast water. No similar provision was included in the Senate’s Draft Bill or Report, which also included $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
- Since then, most appropriations work has ground to a halt; no additional bills are expected on the floor of either chamber
- Congress passed a stopgap for the Highway Transportation Trust Fund through May 2015, avoiding a reduction in funding for current projects to states
- Numbers for Great Lakes program funding for FY2012-15 request
EVENTS/HEARINGS/BRIEFINGS
NEMWI and Regional Partners Feature Great Lakes Research Collaboration at Chicago’s Navy Pier
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) brought its R/V Sturgeon to the Chicago Navy Pier on August 12, 2014 for a press event to urge more Great Lakes research collaboration. As part of the event, the Shedd Aquarium, Chicago Park District, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, joined NEMWI and the USGS in showcasing the results of partnerships in Chicago and across the Great Lakes. Three of the Shedd Aquarium’s High School Lake Ecology students were on hand to discuss their research on Lake Superior, to see the Sturgeon, and to meet its scientists. All of the partners discussed the need to combine efforts to ensure continued restoration and protection of the Great Lakes, in order to keep them “great.” Local news media, including WBEZ, the local NPR affiliate, and ABC7, covered the vessel visit and sea lamprey exhibit.
NEMWI President Participates in Ballast Water Roundtable
NEMWI’s President Allegra Cangelosi participated in a roundtable on the state of ballast water regulations and technology on Tuesday, August 26, 2014, in Muskegon, Michigan. Joined by other stakeholders within the Great Lakes region, Cangelosi provided information and background on the history of ballast water and invasive species in the Great Lakes. Rep Bill Huizenga (MI-02) hosted the roundtable. Cangelosi is also Principal Investigator of the Great Ships Initiative, a ballast water management system testing facility approved by the U.S. Coast Guard, has been working on invasive species issues for over two decades and brought that experience and history to the discussion. Rep. Huizenga, along with ten other House members, sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in April 2014, urging harmonization of ballast regulations between the U.S. and Canada.
LETTERS
Senators Send Letter on Next Steps to Address Asian Carp
Led by Great Lakes Delegation Member Sen. Joe Donnelly (IN) and Task Force Co-Chair Sen. Mark Kirk (IL), fifteen Senators sent a letter to Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ACRCC) Chair, John Goss (Council on Environmental Quality), requesting recommendations on short- and medium-term actions to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes system. The letter recognized the ongoing work of the Chicago Area Waterway System Advisory Committee, an informal committee of states, industry, environmental groups, and local agencies convened to discuss and hammer out future short, medium, and long-term solutions to the Asian carp and invasive species issue. The letter calls for recommendations from the Advisory Committee as soon as possible, particularly regarding “short- and medium-term technologically feasible actions that maintain commercial navigation and recreational boating, preserve the integrity of existing flood control systems, protect water quality, and enjoy broad support.” The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had released its Great Lakes-Mississippi River Interbasin Study Report in January 2014, which detailed different potential options for addressing invasive species movement between the basins though did not include any specific recommendations. As part of the Advisory Committee, federal agencies, including those on the ACRCC, are present to provide background on agencies’ roles, limitations, and current actions.
CAWS Advisory Committee Letter to Great Lakes Delegation Recommends Next Steps
As part of its self-designated role to look at next steps to prevent movement of invasive species between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River basins, the Chicago Area Waterway System Advisory Committee sent a letter to House and Senate members of the Great Lakes delegation, detailing requests to move along next steps for protective measures. The Advisory Committee, comprised of over 30 interest groups in the Chicago and larger Illinois region, has tasked itself with developing a long-term solution to invasive species movements by December 2015. In the meantime, the letter recommends next steps for further design and development of short-term solutions, and asks Congress to direct the Army Corps to move forward.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Harmful Algal Blooms and Drinking Water: Detection, Monitoring, and Protecting Public Health| Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014 | 10 am | WEBINAR
To join:
- At the time of the webinar, go to the following URL:https://npca.adobeconnect.com/_a1100439240/acadiaa
- Select the “Enter as a Guest” button and enter your name
- Press the “Enter Room” button
- For audio: Call 712-432-1500, code 152527#; please mute your line
Great Lakes Restoration Conference | September 9-11 | Amway Grand Plaza Hotel | Grand Rapids, Michigan
Great Lakes Commission Annual Meeting |September 29-30 | Hyatt Regency Buffalo Hotel and Conference Center | Buffalo, New York
THE GREAT LAKES “FUNNY”
Great Lakes Governors partake in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge