|
A summary of issues, activities and events at the Great Lakes Commission |
November 3, 2011 |
|
New York’s Tierney and Indiana’s Bennett to lead GLC for 2011-12
James Tierney, assistant administrator for water resources at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, was re-elected chair of the Great Lakes Commission, and Kari Bennett, commissioner of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, was re-elected vice chair at the Commission’s 2011 Annual Meeting Oct. 11-12 in Detroit. Tierney and Bennett are beginning their second terms as officers, having been first elected in 2010. The meeting was part of a first-ever “Great Lakes Week” in Detroit, which brought together several other regional and federal organizations involved in Great Lakes environmental policy, including the International Joint Commission, the Healing Our Waters - Great Lakes Coalition, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Keynote speakers at the GLC meeting included Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley who outlined Governor Rick Snyder’s efforts to build a second bridge over the Detroit River between Detroit and Windsor. The Commission responded with a unanimous endorsement of the project. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Administrator Susan Hedman presented an update on Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) projects, including progress toward delisting of Great Lakes Areas of Concern. The Commission adopted a resolution renewing its call for a federal standard for ballast discharge, and called for establishment of a regional phosphorus reduction task force to develop recommendations for the reduction of phosphorus and other nutrients contributing to algae blooms and hypoxic “dead zones,” particularly in Lake Erie. It also established a new standing committee to focus on economic development. All resolutions and presentations from the meeting are online at www.glc.org/about/glcmeetings.html. Contact: Tim Eder teder@glc.org. |
|
GLC Annual Meeting attendees enjoyed a memorable cruise on the Detroit River the evening of Oct. 11, sponsored by JJR, LLC; Environmental Consulting and Technology; and the USGS Great Lakes Science Center. Photo courtesy Sanjiv Sinha, ECT. |
|
New GLC study examines relationships between water and electrical power production
A recently completed research project by the Great Lakes Commission focuses on the issue of whether impacts on water sources used to generate electricity should help drive future energy production policy in the Great Lakes basin. The Commission’s Great Lakes Energy-Water Nexus (GLEW) Initiative, sponsored by the Great Lakes Protection Fund, examines how water withdrawal or consumption associated with power production impacts the health of Great Lakes rivers and streams. Findings from this 18-month effort are summarized in the report titled Integrating Energy and Water Resources Decision Making in the Great Lakes Basin: An Examination of Future Power Generation Scenarios and Water Resource Impacts. New metrics developed as part of the project revealed that approximately one-quarter of all of the watersheds in the Great Lakes basin are ecologically vulnerable to water withdrawals under certain “low-flow” conditions – conditions that are likely to be more frequent in the future as the impacts of climate change become more severe. Additionally, more than half (57 percent) of the 102 watersheds studied were found to be at moderate to high risk of degrading ecological health due to additional thermal impacts, and 36 percent have water quality that is moderately to highly impaired according to U.S. EPA and state reports. All told, one-fifth of the Great Lakes basin’s sub-watersheds rank high for two or more of these risk factors. The Great Lake Energy-Water Nexus project was led by the Commission with guidance from a team of researchers, policy analysts and technical advisers. Principal partners included Cornell University, Sandia National Laboratories, the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center and the Environmental Law and Policy Center. Full reports and background papers can be found at www.glc.org/energy/glew. Contact: Victoria Pebbles, vpebbles@glc.org. |
|
Tom Crane honored for 25 years at the Great Lakes Commission
|
|
New Québec intern at Great Lakes Commission
Youness Elhariri of Montreal, Québec, recently joined the Great Lakes Commission as the 2011-12 Québec intern. Each year the Government of Québec sponsors a GLC internship to provide Québec graduate students experience in international policy and resource management. Elhariri is pursuing graduate studies at the University of Montreal in environmental and sustainable development, with a specialization in water management. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Montreal in international studies. At the Commission Elhariri will be supporting project work of the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative, and policy research on Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes. |
Upcoming Events
|
|
Great Lakes Commission |
Thomas R. Crane, deputy director of the Great Lakes Commission, was recently honored for 25 years of service to the Commission. Crane joined the GLC in 1986 as a natural resources program specialist and has subsequently held a number of positions including resource management program manager and interim executive director. His projects include the Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control, the Great Lakes Tributary Modeling Program and the Great Lakes Regional Water Use Database. “It has been an honor for me to serve the Commission for the past quarter century,” said Crane. “I have always appreciated the mission and important work that the Commission does to serve the Great Lakes states and provinces and to make the region an even greater place to live, work and raise our families.”