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Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition

Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

Great Lakes Coalition: House Proposed Budget Would Be a ‘Disaster for Clean Water’

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (June 27, 2024)—The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations released its proposed fiscal year 2025 Interior and Environment funding bills. The Republican budget being considered would hold Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding at $368 million (level with current funding) but would eviscerate other core clean water programs by cutting the EPA budget by 20 percent. The $1.8 billion cut would set back critical environmental protections, public health, and slash state and Tribal assistance programs that help communities most impacted by pollution and invest in critical water infrastructure projects.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is urging members of Congress to reject the budget.

Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said:

“The proposed budget is a disaster for the millions of people who still grapple with unsafe drinking water due to toxic pollution and lead, contaminated fish due to cancer-causing chemicals, and closed beaches due to sewage contamination. At a time when so many cities and towns are living with unsafe water, we need to be doing more, not less, to protect our drinking water and the health of our communities.”

“While federal investments to restore and protect the Great Lakes are producing results, serious threats remain—which is why cutting funding and scaling back clean water programs is a huge mistake. Cutting funding will only make the problems worse and more expensive to solve. We urge members of the Great Lakes congressional delegation to reject this budget and to work to craft a funding bill is commensurate with the task at hand—a funding bill that supports clean water programs that benefit our environment, economy, and communities that have been most impacted by pollution and environmental harm.”

The bill’s release today begins the House’s legislative process with the House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee expected to consider the bill this Friday before advancing the legislation to a full committee markup, currently scheduled for next month. The Senate is expected to release its own budget proposal in July.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is urging public officials to support robust funding for core clean water programs in a series of letters.

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 180 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on social media @HealthyLakes.

Original Article

Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes

Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes

https://www.healthylakes.org/latest-updates/great-lakes-coalition-house-proposed-budget-would-be-a-disaster-for-clean-water

Lindsey Bacigal

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In: Letters, Washington Update

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition and 48 of our member organizations urged House appropriations subcommittees to support robust funding for Great Lakes restoration and clean water priorities in their Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bills. The subcommittees that received letters were: Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies; Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.

Original Article

Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes

Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes

https://www.healthylakes.org/latest-updates/coalition-submits-fy25-appropriations-letters

Lindsey Bacigal

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In: Latest News, News
From Waters to Table: The story of the Great Lakes whitefish

Whitefish, a pale, silvery and green-brown freshwater fish is Native to the Great Lakes Basin and a staple in the community, food, and culture of Native tribes surrounding the Great Lakes. The Anishinaabe people have held the whitefish in high regard since creation. 

“Whitefish is one of the species that is a part of our creation story,” explained Doug Craven, Natural Resources Director for Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa. 

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/from-waters-to-table-the-story-of-the-great-lakes-whitefish/

Neely Bardwell

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In: Latest News, News
Expecting smoke to be a more frequent part of seasonal planning

I was taking out the trash one evening this May when I noticed it. The sky had a reddish tint, and the air smelled faintly of smoke. Like many people across the Great Lakes region, I learned last summer to recognize the telltale signs of wildfire smoke. Amid a big year for wildfires in Canada, many of us got used to outbreaks of pollution caused by smoke from up north.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/expecting-smoke-to-be-a-more-frequent-part-of-seasonal-planning/

Sean Ericson, Great Lakes Now

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In: Daily News

At beaches in northern Michigan, alerts about unsafe E. coli levels in lake water are often issued the day after water is tested. The Health Department of Northwest Michigan is pivoting to a new type of test for E. coli which yields results in under six hours. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240626-ecoli-testing

Taaja Tucker-Silva

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In: Daily News

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is urging boaters to prevent invasive species spread during the Great Lakes Landing Blitz. Boat inspectors will educate boaters at Wisconsin boat landings from June 26 to July 6. Read the full story by WBAY-TV – Green Bay, WI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240626-landing-blitz

Taaja Tucker-Silva

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In: Daily News

The Michipicoten freighter rescued in Lake Superior this month after water poured into 13-foot gash in its hull is currently dry-docked for inspection, with a decision on repairs or scrapping hanging in the balance. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240626-michipicoten-freighter

Taaja Tucker-Silva

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In: Daily News

Tour boats that have been stuck for months behind a damaged bridge in Kingston, Ontario, were finally released into the St. Lawrence River late last week. The bridge was damaged during maintenance in late March and was closed to all traffic. Read the full story by North Country Public Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240626-kingston-bridge

Taaja Tucker-Silva

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In: Daily News

Volunteers in Thunder Bay, Ontario, planted native species to restore wildlife habitats and improve the shoreline. The initiative, part of the North Shore of Lake Superior Remedial Action Plan, aims for significant ecological recovery over the next few years. Read the full story by CBC News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240626-superior-planting

Taaja Tucker-Silva

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In: Daily News

Earlier this month, hundreds attended a public hearing in Wisconsin about Enbridge’s proposed reroute of a section of its Line 5 pipeline. These types of environmental concerns could be a deciding factor for some voters. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240626-pipeline-debated

Taaja Tucker-Silva

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In: General

Plans to reopen Menasha lock on hold

Plans for re-opening the Menasha lock are formally on hold. Today, the board of directors of the Fox River Navigational System Authority (FRNSA) voted to stop work on the project and gave no date for resuming plans to develop an electric barrier in the lock channel.

The board voluntarily closed the lock in 2015 after the invasive round goby was found in the Fox River just north of the Menasha lock. Since 2015, FRNSA has been working with experts in aquatic ecosystem management to design a plan using a system of an electric deterrent barrier and water flow regulation at the Menasha lock. Finalizing the plan and constructing the barrier are estimated to cost about $7 million. Annual operating costs for the system are estimated at $300,000-$400,000.

Board members indicated further work on the proposal was not within the organization’s budget. 

“We could not complete the design and construction of the barrier without significant funds from the state and federal governments,” said Phil Ramlet, executive director of FRNSA. Ramlet said the authority has already expended $750,000 to develop the plan and another $250,000 to continue a program of testing the Fox River for invasive species.

In the last ten years, the round goby has become abundant in the Fox River and Little Lake Butte des Morts. When the fish was discovered in the waters around Neenah, the lock system was not open to the Great Lakes due to the permanent barrier at the Rapide Croche lock.

“It’s possible the goby got into the Fox River through a bait bucket or a boat that was not properly cleaned,” Ramlet said. “There’s no guarantee that we could invest in building an electric barrier only to later find the goby in Lake Winnebago and render the system obsolete.”  

Prior to closing the Menasha lock, it had been the busiest lock on the system; now the DePere lock is the busiest. The locks are the only way the Fox River is navigable—from Menasha to the Bay of Green Bay the river drops in elevation 168 feet. From the Menasha lock to the Rapide Croche lock the river has 17 miles of navigable water. On the northern end of the river from Rapide Croche to the Bay of Green Bay the river is navigable for 20 miles.

“Our goal has always been to restore navigation of the Fox River through the lock system, but we also want to ensure we are protecting the waterways,” Ramlet said. He added FRNSA has maintained a testing program for invasive species for years.

If the round goby does populate Lake Winnebago, we will work with DNR representatives to determine the best course of action regarding the Menasha lock.

Original Article

Blog – Fox Locks

Blog – Fox Locks

https://foxlocks.org/blog/menasha-lock-to-remain-closed/

Fox Locks

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In: Latest News, Michigan, News
Surviving a metro Detroit summer in the climate change era

This article was republished here with permission from Planet Detroit.

By Nina Ignaczak, Planet Detroit

Summer is here. Planet Detroit, in partnership with Great Lakes Now, hosted a compelling panel featuring experts from the National Weather Service, Eastside Community Network, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, and the Dearborn Department of Health.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/surviving-a-metro-detroit-summer-in-the-climate-change-era/

Planet Detroit