Areas of Concern

IJC meeting to focus on sewage overflows and other water quality problems affecting the Great Lakes

Fish on pharmaceuticals, alien invaders and poo in the Great Lakes will be on the agenda  Wednesday and Thursday (Oct. 7-8) when the International Joint Commission hold its  biennial meeting in Windsor, Ontario.

The commission, which mediates Great Lakes and other border issues between the U.S.  and Canada, will discuss several weighty issues facing the lakes, including: Invasive  species, chemicals of emerging concern (fish on Prozac and other drugs), sewage  overflows and water quality.

The commission’s meeting will focus largely on its 14th Biennial report on Great Lakes Water Quality.

It was fitting that a photo of a sewage treatment plant graced the Read More » »

Hot off the Press, the EPA Issues Outline for GLRI Work & Spending

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President Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative still has to be approved by the US Senate, but the EPA isn’t wasting any time framing a five-year strategy to address the most pressing problems affecting the health of the Great Lakes. More importantly, the EPA is coming to a city near you in the coming weeks to find out how to prioritize the work in your area based on the Read More » »

Friday Fish Fry? Hold the Fish!

[caption id="attachment_2328" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="EPA\'s Fish Advisory Map"][/caption]You may want to think twice about ordering a plate of Trout tonight, according to a troublesome report that shows that the chemicals infesting our fish are not on the decline. A Canadian group called Environmental Defence released a report today that shows that fish contamination is getting worse, not better.

The report, “Up to the Gills,” examined Canadian government advisories for eight of the thirteen species of fish found across the Great Lakes. Researchers found that many fish were unfit Read More » »

Spring Cleaning?

It has been almost a year since we talked about the Areas of Concern that dot our Great Lakes with toxic sediments. It’s been half-a-year since the US House approved triple funding for the Great Lakes Legacy Act the federal program that helps states and localities clean up these dangerous pollutants. And it has been about the same amount of time since one Senator from Oklahoma shot down the increased funding and put us right back where we started. But the US House has just passed another water bill that would triple the authorization for this clean up Read More » »

Buffalo: The Come Back Kid

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Buffalo, NY – Buffalo, the second poorest city in the nation has a plan to stimulate a long depressed local economy by making Buffalo and the Great Lakes one and the same in people’s minds. That is right, the Queen City has rediscovered her historical link to the Great Lakes and expects this revival to lead to more jobs and transform the quality of life for those Read More » »

Mr. Yuck Looms Over Great Lakes

President Barack Obama just took the big green Mr. Yuck sticker off Yucca Mountain in Nevada. For years, the US Congress has considered depositing the nation’s spent nuclear fuel in the Nevada dessert, but President Obama is calling for more study and a better solution. This move fulfills a campaign promise he made and scratches the powerful Harry Reid’s back. But at the same time, the Great Lakes remain in peril of becoming polluted with leaky toxic waste.

“We are drifting toward a permanent policy of keeping extremely toxic waste next to the Great Lakes, and that cannot stand,” Read More » »

Sutley Delivers Good News

It was difficult not to feel a little giddy when first hearing that President Barack Obama intends to make good on his campaign promise to protect and restore the Great Lakes.

“President Obama and all of us in his Administration are committed to fulfilling his pledge to protect and restore the Great Lakes ecosystem,” Nancy Sutley, the head of the Council on Environmental Quality said. “The President is committed to creating a Great Lakes trust fund to support restoration work in a sustained multi-year effort.” Sutley, whose role is to advise the President on environmental policy, said these things at Read More » »

Caution: Great Lakes may be Hazardous to Your Health

With her dying breath, Nancy Nichols sister asked her to write a book telling the world that her rare ovarian cancer was the result of years of living near, swimming in and eating fish from Waukegan Harbor on Lake Michigan.

Not only did Nancy write Lake Effect: Two Sisters and a Town’s Toxic Legacy but she also learned she had pancreatic cancer while researching for the book. Ms. Nichols recently discussed her story with National Public Radio host Diane Rehm–you can listen to the interview here. There is no prior history of Read More » »

Wanted New Leaders? No Kidding!

Grumbles is grumbling again at the moment when the Great Lakes Legacy Act is about to be approved and improved by the US House of Representatives. Would you believe Benjamin Grumbles, Assistant Administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency has written to Environment and Public Works Chair Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) to ask her not to give the Legacy Act program more money? What the H-E – double toothpicks is he doing? Just another example of how the Bush Administration has been undermining the Great Lakes and his campaign promise (albeit verbal) to fix them.

The Great Lakes Legacy Act, that Read More » »

Obey’s Scorecard Says it All

Wisconsin Rep. David Obey (D) has one of our most historic Areas of Concern in his backyard, the St. Louis River and Bay habitat, which has been eroding since pioneer days with the latest assaults leaving hazardous waste behind in leaky landfills. Even so, Obey is one of two House Members who has not cosponsored the Great Lakes Legacy Act that would provide the funds needed for cleaning up this mess. But Rep. Obey is in a peculiar position as Chair of the very powerful Appropriations Committee and HOW has been assured that a decision not to co-sponsor Read More » »