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In: Uncategorized
...WET ROADS MAY FREEZE AND CAUSE HAZARDOUS TRAVEL THIS EVENING... Light snow melted on most pavement during the daylight hours, but the moist pavement will begin to freeze this evening as temperatures fall. Watch out for slick roads and sidewalks if you will be out tonight.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F706748B4.SpecialWeatherStatement.125F7067C35CWI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336

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On:
In: Collaboration, COVID-19, Latest News, Michigan, News, outdoor recreation, Recreation, Tourism and Culture, Tourism
COVID-19 pushed people outdoors. Michigan’s ski industry is ready for them.

By Paula Gardner, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network

Doubling the size of a factory during a global pandemic may not fit a traditional business plan.

But Shaggy’s Copper Country Skis is based in Northern Michigan, where it’s making a product that helps to define the winter economy for the ski-maker’s home in Boyne City and across the region.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/covid-19-outdoor-recreation-michigan-ski-industry/

Bridge Michigan

On:
In: Emma Holtan, Flood Resilience Scorecard, Margaret Thelen, Natalie Chin

Flooding in Wisconsin. Image credit: Wisconsin Emergency Management

The annual amount of rain and snowfall is rising in Wisconsin. Over the past 70 years, the intensity of storms has increased, bringing more rain in a shorter amount of time, which can lead to flooding. To help communities cope and prepare, Wisconsin Sea Grant and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has developed a Flood Resilience Scorecard.

Emma Holtan. Submitted photo

Emma Holtan, flood resilience intern with the DHS Climate and Health Program, described the new proactive tool. “Basically, it’s a comprehensive questionnaire that a local official can move through with a team of assembled staff, experts and community members. Together, they move through three different parts of the scorecard that address different aspects of their community and the way they relate to flood resilience.”

The three modules address environmental features of flood vulnerability, sustainable community policies and plans, and building social resilience. Although the scorecard questionnaire is in-depth, the answers are multiple choice and resources are provided in the document for reference.

Holtan was hired this past May with the goal of working with the community of Washburn, Wisconsin, to test-run the scorecard by completing it with Washburn staff. The necessity of social distancing changed those plans.

Margaret Thelen, DHS climate and health program manager, said, “We had Emma complete it on her own with very little familiarity with the municipality. She completed it in about eight hours. That’s with looking up municipal code, reading through social media, reading through websites. If you’ve ever looked through municipal code – ooof! So, bless her for doing that. If a local planner or emergency manager or a local public health official were to complete it, they could do it in less time if they knew where to look and who to ask for the scorecard questions.”

Margaret Thelen. Submitted photo.

Thelen said the idea for the scorecard came from Sea Grant’s Coastal Resilience Self-Assessment. This project is designed for communities in southeastern Wisconsin that are heavily impacted by coastal storms, fluctuating Lake Michigan water levels and erosion.

“Sea Grant got brought in because we were working on very similar products,” Thelen said. “We could share best practices and share what works. They’ve been an invaluable partner on this project.”

Even if a community’s score is low after going through the process, Holtan said that’s all right. “If your score is lower or doesn’t meet a certain favorable threshold, then there’s a list of recommendations that you or your community may choose to implement if you have the necessary funding and resources. So, it’s really a tool that helps prioritize actions that will make your community more flood resilient and does so in a more holistic and comprehensive way, which I think is really cool.”

Holtan and Thelen said plans are in the works to make the scoring process more interactive. They also plan to develop a listing of funding sources for communities to make changes, a facilitation guide and a database of scorecard outcomes.

Holtan said the effort to complete the scorecard is worth it. “I feel like in Wisconsin we’re relatively safe from a lot of climate disasters that we’re seeing, but flooding is creeping up on us pretty fast and could be extremely detrimental. The opportunity to use this tool in the planning process of preparing for the climate changing is amazing. You get an in-depth look at your community in a way that most other tools don’t ask you to do. It’s to a community’s benefit to use this tool and to work together to prepare for a future that is safer for everybody.”

The scorecard was recently presented by Holtan and Natalie Chin, Wisconsin Sea Grant climate and tourism outreach specialist, at a Coastal Hazards of (Lake) Superior meeting. A PDF of the scorecard and individual models can be downloaded from the website.

If your community is interested in partnering with Sea Grant to go through the scorecard or has already completed it, let Chin know by emailing: nchin5@aqua.wisc.edu.

The post Flood Resilience Scorecard can help communities plan for high water first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/flood-resilience-scorecard-can-help-communities-plan-for-high-water/

Marie Zhuikov

On:
In: Uncategorized
...BRIEF LOW VISIBILITY AND SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE FOX VALLEY AND LAKE SHORE THIS AFTERNOON... A burst of moderate snow is expected across portions of the Fox Valley and lake shore this afternoon. The snow will reduce visibilities below one mile at times and make some roads and sidewalks slippery. Up to an inch of snow is possible from this

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F705ADB74.SpecialWeatherStatement.125F705B3A60WI.GRBSPSGRB.d65efe55088dd94d9c460efb2df919a6

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In: Daily News

Ontario minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines says the province is “profoundly disappointed” with the Governor of Michigan’s decision to shut down the Line 5 oil pipeline in the Straight of Mackinac and will work to keep the pipeline flowing.  Read the full story by CBC.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020116-oil-pipeline

Samantha Tank

On:
In: Daily News

The days may now be numbered for the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac, but state regulators say permitting for the company’s proposed tunnel project is not affected by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s move to shut down the pipeline by terminating the easement that allows it to cross the lakebed. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020116-line-5-shutdown

Samantha Tank

On:
In: Daily News

An algal turf scrubber could be the solution to a problem that threatens to suffocate the ecosystem of the Great Lakes: algal blooms. The algal turf scrubber filters water over a designated area for algae to grow and eventually be harvested for use as biofuel. Read the full story by the Capital News Service.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020116-algae-biofuel

Samantha Tank

On:
In: Daily News

The Great Lakes region contains one-fifth of the world’s freshwater supply. Environmental groups say that abundance will make states such as Minnesota a high priority for other regions wanting to bolster their dwindling supplies. Read the full story by Public News Service.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020116-minnesota-water-supply

Samantha Tank

On:
In: Daily News

Area growers can take their farm management to the next level and help improve Western Lake Erie Basin water quality by taking part in a new cost-sharing funding opportunity to achieve nutrient and sediment reduction goals outlined in the S.S. LaPointe Watershed Management Plan. Read the full story by The Monroe News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020116-lapointe-drain

Samantha Tank

On:
In: Daily News

Environmental DNA is a genetic material Great Lakes researchers have used to detect the presence of species for about the last 10 years. Now it’s playing an increasingly important — but sometimes controversial — role in monitoring invasive species. Read the full story by the Capital News Service.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020116-edna

Samantha Tank

On:
In: Daily News

Daniel Gildea didn’t set out to find a shipwreck. But when he deployed his underwater equipment to Henderson Bay in Lake Ontario, New York, there it was: a three-masted wooden schooner that dated back to the mid-18th century. Read the full story by Pacific Daily News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2020116-shipwreck-discovery

Samantha Tank

On:
In: enbridge, Enbridge Line 5 and Other Pipelines, Energy, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, line 5, Michigan, Mott Foundation Partnership, News, oil pipelines
Q&A: What Michigan’s move to shut down Enbridge Line 5 means

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/michigan-shut-down-enbridge-line-5-means/

Bridge Michigan

On:
In: Uncategorized
...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...West winds 25 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected. * WHERE...Portions of central, east central and northeast Wisconsin. * WHEN...Until 9 PM CST this evening.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F7057DFC8.WindAdvisory.125F70585430WI.GRBNPWGRB.435931cb53f9e913918d73b6259047a3

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

On:
In: Uncategorized
...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...West winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. * WHERE...Portions of central, east central and northeast Wisconsin. * WHEN...Until 9 PM CST this evening.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F704BBEB4.WindAdvisory.125F70585430WI.GRBNPWGRB.435931cb53f9e913918d73b6259047a3

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

On:
In: Uncategorized
...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...West winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. * WHERE...Portions of central, east central and northeast Wisconsin. * WHEN...Until 9 PM CST this evening.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F704B1B6C.WindAdvisory.125F70585430WI.GRBNPWGRB.435931cb53f9e913918d73b6259047a3

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

On:
In: Uncategorized
...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...West winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. * WHERE...Portions of central, east central and northeast Wisconsin. * WHEN...Until 9 PM CST this evening.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F704A329C.WindAdvisory.125F70585430WI.GRBNPWGRB.435931cb53f9e913918d73b6259047a3

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

On:
In: Uncategorized
...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 9 PM CST SUNDAY... * WHAT...West winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. * WHERE...Portions of central, east central and northeast Wisconsin. * WHEN...From 6 AM to 9 PM CST Sunday.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F7048FDA0.WindAdvisory.125F70585430WI.GRBNPWGRB.435931cb53f9e913918d73b6259047a3

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

On:
In: Uncategorized
...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM TO 9 PM CST SUNDAY... * WHAT...West winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. * WHERE...Portions of central, east central and northeast Wisconsin. * WHEN...From 6 AM to 9 PM CST Sunday.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F703C7378.WindAdvisory.125F70585430WI.GRBNPWGRB.435931cb53f9e913918d73b6259047a3

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

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In: Daily News

Canadian oil transportation giant Enbridge may soon lose its permission to operate a controversial, aging, oil and gas pipeline on the Straits of Mackinac lake bottom. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director Dan Eichinger on Friday notified Enbridge that a 1953 easement allowing it to operate dual pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac to transport petroleum and other products is being revoked and terminated. Read the full story by Detroit Free Press.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201113-michigan-line-5

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

Parry Sound-Muskoka’s MPP Norm Miller has introduced a Keeping Polystyrene Out of Ontario’s Lakes and Rivers Act at Queen’s Park. This is a private member’s bill designed to reduce polystyrene pollution by requiring any polystyrene foam used in the construction of docks and rafts to be fully encapsulated. Read the full story by Parry Sound North Star.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201113-pollution-plastic-ontario

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

The Essex Region Conservation Authority will receive nearly $660,000 in funding from the Great Lakes Protection Initiative for habitat restoration in the Detroit River, listed as one of 43 Areas of Concern showing severe environmental degradation in the Great Lakes Basin. Read the full story by Windsor Star.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201113-detroit-river-aoc

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

Due to shoreline erosion caused by high lake levels, the Illinois city of Evanston hired a coastal engineering group to assess lakefront damage and start construction. View the full story by The Daily Northwestern.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201113-erosion-construction-illinois

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

More than 10 years and nearly $60 million after the city of Oswego, NY and environmental regulators reached a settlement to resolve persistent problems with unpermitted sewer overflows, the three-phase sewer separation effort is coming to an end. Read the full story by Oswego County News Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201113-sewer-overflow-new-york

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

Wisconsin environmental regulators are asking Tyco, a Marinette Wisconsin manufacturer of firefighting foam, to expand sampling of fish for chemicals known as PFAS. The move comes after sampling in private ponds near Tyco’s fire training facility showed fish had PFAS concentrations that would trigger restrictions on eating fish. Read the full story by NPR.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201113-wisconsin-pfas

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

Hamilton’s Heddle Shipyards will be the primary supplier for ladders, gratings and hand rails for Vancouver-based Seaspan Shipyards, which has been awarded a contract to build joint support ships (JSS) for the federal government. The agreement is expected to create at least 50 jobs and “tens of millions of dollars” in economic activity in Ontario, the province announced on Thursday. Read the full story by the Hamilton Spectator.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201113-shipyard-ontario

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has made decisions granting the remaining eight of 10 required DNR permits, licenses and approvals for the proposed Enbridge Line 3 pipeline replacement project. Read the full story by Lake Superior News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201113-line-3-pipeline

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: Daily News

Ducks Unlimited Canada has announced purchase of the now-protected 197-hectare St. Luke’s Marsh which is adjacent to the federally protected St. Clair Wildlife Area; these coastal wetlands are part of the most important wetlands south of James Bay. Read the full story by Chatham Daily News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201113-ducks-unlimited-wetland-conservation

Patrick Canniff

On:
In: AP, enbridge, Enbridge Line 5 and Other Pipelines, Energy, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, line 5, Michigan, News, oil pipelines, The States
Michigan governor seeks shutdown of Great Lakes oil pipeline

By John Flesher, AP Environmental Writer

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took legal action Friday to shut down a pipeline that carries oil beneath a channel that links two of the Great Lakes.

Whitmer’s office notified the Canadian company that it was revoking an easement granted in 1953 to extend a roughly 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) section of the pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/ap-michigan-governor-seeks-shutdown-line-5-great-lakes-oil-pipeline/

The Associated Press

On:
In: Energy, Ian Wendrow, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, Michigan, Minnesota, News, Ohio, Wisconsin
Great Lakes Energy News Roundup: Wisconsin groups sue EPA, Ohio’s ongoing nuclear power bankruptcy saga

Keep up with energy-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.

In this edition: Environmentalists in Wisconsin sue EPA over regulation rollback favoring coal plants, bankruptcy plan for Ohio nuclear power company upheld by appeals court, Prairie Island tribe prepares for massive investment in renewable energy, and Ford Motors to invest millions for electric vehicle construction in southeast Michigan

Click on the headline to read the full story:

Michigan:

  • Ford EV investments in southeast Michigan and Missouri to add hundreds of jobs – Detroit News

Ford Motor Company will invest hundreds of millions of dollars in southeast Michigan and Missouri to expand its electric vehicle assembly process and develop EV parts, which is projected to add or retain several hundred jobs in both states.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/11/great-lakes-energy-news-wisconsin-coal-ohio-nuclear/

Ian Wendrow

On:
In: Uncategorized
The combination of rain and some snow late last evening into early this morning, combined with temperatures falling to around or a few degrees below freezing will cause untreated roads, bridges and sidewalks to become icy through sunrise. Hazardous travel conditions will be likely in some areas, so motorists should use extreme caution and allow extra time to

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F702B5E6C.SpecialWeatherStatement.125F702BED00WI.GRBSPSGRB.54e5ef070b45e49081402cfe9ce09122

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

On:
In: Uncategorized
...FLASH FREEZE POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN LATE TONIGHT... A brief burst of moderate snow may bring a quick inch of accumulation to grassy surfaces in northeast and east central Wisconsin into the early overnight hours. This will result in locally hazardous travel conditions.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F702AC1C8.SpecialWeatherStatement.125F702B3B44WI.GRBSPSGRB.fc8c6076cccd3f028608ae46eaa49482

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

On:
In: Uncategorized
...FLASH FREEZE POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN LATE TONIGHT... A mix of rain and snow is expected over northeast and east central Wisconsin into the overnight hours. Snow accumulations will be light, with only a dusting to a half inch expected on grassy surfaces.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F702AB5AC.SpecialWeatherStatement.125F702B50C0WI.GRBSPSGRB.fc8c6076cccd3f028608ae46eaa49482

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

On:
In: Uncategorized
...FLASH FREEZE POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN LATE TONIGHT... A mix of rain and snow is expected to affect northeast and east central Wisconsin later this evening into the overnight hours. Snow accumulations will be light, with only a dusting to a half inch expected on grassy surfaces.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F702A691C.SpecialWeatherStatement.125F702B02A0WI.GRBSPSGRB.fc8c6076cccd3f028608ae46eaa49482

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

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In: Washington Update

The 2020 election has been one for the history books. It featured record-smashing turnout amidst a deadly pandemic. Votes are still being tallied in a handful of states, final state certification of results are a few weeks away, and run-off elections in Georgia in January will decide which party controls the U.S. Senate. While the final chapter of this election cycle is still being written, here are a few takeaways that pertain to Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition priorities around the Great Lakes, drinking water, and public health:

  1. Unprecedented assault on clean water and environmental protections is coming to an end. With control of the executive branch shifting to President-elect Joe Biden, the assault on clean water and environmental protections will cease. Donald Trump has led the roll-back of more than 100 environmental protections – including those for streams and wetlands (link). The Coalition looks to the new Biden Administration to swiftly halt and reverse the rollbacks to clean water protections and regulations that communities rely on to keep their water safe. This includes reinstating or reimagining the clean water rule, stringent regulations that hold polluters accountable, and much more. We look forward to working with President-elect Joe Biden on these and other priorities in the months and years to come.
  2. Environmental justice will be prioritized. Pollution and environmental degradation disproportionately impact people of color, low-income communities, and indigenous people. The rollback of environmental protections over the last four years only adds harm on already vulnerable communities. President-elect Biden has already offered up a plan to elevate environmental justice priorities in his administration (link). And, while federal investment decisions will have to be made in collaboration with the U.S. Congress, the new administration wants to advance – not scale back – programs that impact vulnerable communities. The HOW Coalition is ready to help in efforts to ensure that environmental justice remains a top priority.
  3. The GLRI and Other Bedrock Great Lakes priorities are on safer ground. While the next Congress may be divided many of the Coalition’s funding priorities continue to enjoy broad bipartisan support. These include investments in, and expansion of, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and drinking water and sewage treatment infrastructure. The question before Congress is whether investments in these clean water priorities can be boosted to meet the needs of all communities We look forward to working with bipartisan members of Congress on these and other important priorities.
  4. Progress on climate change requires action. Global warming is wreaking havoc on our environment, economy, and public health. It is causing increased toxic algal blooms, more destructive flooding and untold costs to people, businesses and communities. While it is expected that a Biden Administration will re-join the global Paris Agreement to combat climate change and use executive authority to help control climate pollution, it remains hard to see how executive action alone will meet climate reduction goals. Cooperation with Congress will be key.
  5. There is still unfinished business for this Congress that must be addressed. Though the election is over, the congressional session is not. COVID-19 continues to ravage Great Lakes communities, disproportionately impacting communities of color and low-income communities. Blown-apart state and local budgets require urgent remedy. And the day-to-day business of government – the services that Great Lakes communities rely upon – must be funded. Foremost among these priorities must be a moratorium on drinking water utility shutoffs. No one should have to go without the basic need of clean water because of an inability to pay. The Coalition will be working with Congress in the coming weeks to advance clean water and Great Lakes priorities in the Water Resources Development Act, end-of-year federal budget, and COVID-19 relief.

Stay tuned for updates from Washington in the coming weeks as the Coalition continues to navigate the results of the 2020 election and its attendant transfer of power.

 

The post 2020 Election: Implications for Great Lakes, Drinking Water, Public Health appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/2020-election-implications-for-great-lakes-drinking-water-public-health/

Pavan Vangipuram

On:
In: Press Releases

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (November 12, 2021) – The U.S. Senate released its annual budget bills on Tuesday, providing status-quo funding for core Great Lakes and clean water programs and omitting more than $11 billion in House-backed supplemental investments to fix drinking water and sewage infrastructure and tackle chronic lead contamination.

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

“The Senate’s budget bills signal business as usual at a time when urgent threats to our drinking water and public health demand a more robust response. We urge Senate and House members, as they work to forge a budget compromise, to ensure that every person has access to clean, safe and affordable water by substantially boosting federal investments in clean water priorities that will accelerate progress in restoring the Great Lakes, protecting our drinking water, improving access to affordable water, safeguarding our public health, and bolstering the economy.”

The U.S. Senate funding bills include:

  • Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Senate Proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2021: $320 million – same as Fiscal Year 2020 enacted. House FY2021: Up to $335 million — $15 million increase from FY2020.
  • Clean Water State Revolving Fund: Senate FY2021: $1,638,826,000 — no increase from FY2020. House FY2021: same.
  • Drinking Water State Revolving Fund: Senate FY2021: $1,126,088,000 — no increase from FY2020. House: same.
  • Small and Disadvantaged Communities program: Senate FY2021: $26.408 million — $1 million increase from FY2020. House FY2021: $26 million — $592,000 increase from FY2020.
  • Lead testing in Schools program: Senate FY2021: $26.5 million — $500,000 increase from FY2020. House FY2021: $26,000,000 — no increase from FY2020.
  • Reducing Lead in Drinking Water program: Senate FY2021: $21.511 million — $2 million increase from FY2020. House: $20 million — $489,000 increase from FY2020.
  • 221 Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grants: Senate FY2021: $32 million — 4 million increase from FY2020. House FY2021: $56,700,000 — $28.7 million increase.

The U.S. House has included the following emergency supplemental funding. The Senate has not included any emergency supplemental funding in its budget bills.

  • Clean Water State Revolving Fund: $6.355 billion
  • Drinking Water State Revolving Fund: $3.855 billion
  • Lead Testing in Schools: $50 million
  • Reducing Lead in Drinking Water: $500 million
  • 221 Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grants: $400 million

The post U.S. Senate Releases Business-As-Usual Budget Bills appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/u-s-senate-releases-business-as-usual-budget-bills/

Pavan Vangipuram