Sediment control grant applications now being accepted
Applications are now being accepted by the Great Lakes Commission for grants offered under the 2012 Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control program. Two grant options are available in this year’s Basin Program: small-scale projects that are generally site-specific and designed to eliminate erosion in one contiguous area; and larger watershed-scale projects that typically implement a wide range of best management practices over many acres of land. Three to four watershed implementation projects and eight to 10 small-scale projects will likely be funded, though the number and amount of the grants will ultimately be based on the level of funding authorized by Congress.
Initiated in 1991 and authorized in the 2002 and 2007 Farm Bills, the Great Lakes Basin Program has supported 439 small-scale demonstration and technical assistance projects throughout the Great Lakes region, and 16 watershed-scale projects. The program is coordinated by the GLC in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Natural Resources Conservation Service), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. More than $20 million has been allocated by the Basin Program over the past 21 years, resulting in reduced soil erosion in the Great Lakes basin by an estimated 1.6 million tons, and reduced phosphorus loadings by over 1.6 million pounds.
Grant applications and more details on the Basin Program can be accessed at www.glc.org/basin. The due date for this year’s applications is June 1, 2012.
Contact: Gary Overmier, 734-971-9135, garyo@glc.org.
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New maps depict relationships between energy production and water resources in the Great Lakes region
A new set of interactive maps created by the Great Lakes Commission and now accessible online identifies all the electrical generation plants in the Great Lakes basin, and shows their potential impact on surface water and groundwater resources. The maps, viewable at erie.glin.net/glew, were produced as part of the Great Lakes Energy-Water Nexus (GLEW) Initiative. Featured layers show where thermo-electric power plants are located in the Great Lakes basin, how much energy each one produces, what type of fuel it uses, and how much water is consumed. A “vulnerable watersheds” tab identifies which watersheds in the U.S. portion of the Great Lakes basin are vulnerable to warming, drought or insufficient groundwater recharge. Water quality by basin is also provided. Map layers also depict each Great Lakes state’s respective power generation portfolio by source, such as coal, nuclear, gas, etc.
The GLEW Initiative aimed to develop new metrics to measure aquatic resource impacts from water used for power generation, and to conduct analyses to inform potential changes in environmental impacts from different energy futures. GLEW also examined policies that govern electric energy markets, utilities and power plant siting. With support from the Great Lakes Protection Fund, this 21-month effort was led by the Great Lakes Commission in partnership with Cornell University, Sandia National Laboratories, the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, and the Environmental Law and Policy Center.
Contact: Victoria Pebbles, 734-971-9135, vpebbles@glc.org.
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The Great Lakes Energy-Water Nexus (GLEW) Initiative interactive maps identify all the electrical generation plants in the Great Lakes basin, and show their potential impact on surface water and groundwater resources.
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Webinar series designed to identify tools for siting wind turbines
A webinar series now underway under the aegis of the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative (GLWC) is exploring existing GIS decision support tools that can be used to inform the siting of wind farms. The first webinar, held April 24, featured the Great Lakes Wind Atlas developed for the Collaborative by the Great Lakes Commission, and a Michigan Lakebed Alteration Tool developed by the University of Michigan. Upcoming webinars on May 8 will feature presentations on Ohio Wind Turbine Placement Favorability by the Ohio DNR and the Vermont Renewable Energy Atlas, and on May 15 a Gulf of Maine Offshore Wind Energy GIS. The webinar series is aimed at federal and state agencies that review and permit wind development projects; wind energy developers, and members of the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative interested in GIS support.
The GLWC, coordinated by the Great Lakes Commission, is a multi-sector coalition of wind energy stakeholders working to facilitate the sustainable development of wind power in the binational Great Lakes region.
Contact: John Hummer, 734-971-9135, jhummer@glc.org.
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Upcoming Events
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Great Lakes Wind Collaborative: Decision Support Tools for Siting Wind in the Great Lakes Region
April - May 2012
Online
Contact: Becky Pearson, bpearson@glc.org
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Great Lakes Wind Collaborative Wind and Waterfronts Workshop
June 21, 2012
Muskegon, MI
Contact: Becky Pearson, bpearson@glc.org
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2012 Great Lakes Commission Annual Meeting (part of Great Lakes Week)
Sept. 10-11, 2012
Cleveland, OH
Contact: Tim Eder, teder@glc.org
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Great Lakes Wind Collaborative 5th Annual Meeting
Sept. 25-26, 2012
Erie, Pennsylvania
Contact: John Hummer, jhummer@glc.org
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Great Lakes Commission
2805 S. Industrial Hwy, Suite 100 Ann Arbor, MI 48104-6791 734-971-9135 www.glc.org
A News Briefs archive can be found at www.glc.org/email/archive
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