A Clean Energy Hub in the Great Lakes Region

The Detroit News
Light Rail Proposal Moves Forward

July 16, 2008 Plans for a light rail system in Detroit progressed this week when a regional planning group green-lighted the proposed development. Officials with the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments approved a Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) plan to construct and operate light rail service on Woodward Avenue between downtown and Eight Mile.

"This is an important step toward the establishment of a reliable rail transportation system that will assist Detroiters in getting to and from their destinations," Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said in a statement. "This approval of DDOT's rail project will also multiply economical opportunities for business growth." Check out Detroit Light Rail for the rest of the story.

Farm bill and the Great Lakes

News release from the Great Lakes Commission

Contact: Tom Crane
E-mail: tcrane@glc.org
Phone: 734-971-9135
Fax: 734-971-9150
For immediate release May 28, 2008

2008 Farm Bill important for the Great Lakes

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Passage by Congress of the 2008 Farm Bill (H.R. 2419) means some good news for the Great Lakes. Provisions of the bill will help efforts to control soil erosion in the Great Lakes basin, and support research on a deadly fish virus in the lakes, among other priorities.

As a member of the Farm Bill Conference Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee, Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) played a leading role in crafting the Food, Conservation and Energy Act, also known as the Farm Bill, which was approved by Congress this month. Sen. Stabenow was instrumental in reauthorizing the only Great Lakes-specific Farm Bill program, the Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control, and adding language linking the program to the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy (GLRC) to restore and protect the Great Lakes. The GLRC strategy was adapted in 2005 by a partnership of federal, state, municipal and tribal interests following a year-long collaboration.

Beyond the Great Lakes-specific provisions of the Farm Bill, many national conservation measures included in the bill will benefit the Great Lakes region. The bill included increased funding and policy improvements for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program to reward farmers for land and water conservation practices. It also boosted funding for Wetland Reserve and Grassland Reserve programs to protect water resources and expand wildlife habitat.

Created by the legislation were both a new conservation loan program to leverage additional funding for agriculture conservation and a new cooperative conservation program to more effectively address natural resource concerns.

“We are pleased that the 2008 Farm Bill includes important provisions to protect and restore the Great Lakes. We congratulate Sen. Stabenow and other members of the Great Lakes Congressional Delegation for their leadership and dedication to protecting the Great Lakes,” said Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry, chair of the Great Lakes Commission. “This is one piece of federal legislation that acknowledges the value of the Great Lakes and the wisdom of investing in their protection.”

The Commission also commends Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn., 7th District), chair of the House Agriculture Committee, for his leadership in guiding the bill through the legislative process.

The Great Lakes Basin Program – which gained renewed support in the Farm Bill – is administered by the Great Lakes Commission, with funding provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Basin Program supports improved erosion and sediment control and sound land use practices through demonstration grants, technical assistance and information/education projects. Grant recipients include conservation districts and other non federal units of government, nonprofit organizations and academic institutions in all eight states of the Great Lakes basin. Over the past 17 years, the Basin Program has supported nearly 400 projects and invested almost $12 million in water quality improvement efforts. These projects have prevented an estimated 250,000 tons of sediment and 900,000 pounds of phosphorus from entering the Great Lakes and tributaries. Sediment pollution covers spawning beds, suffocates aquatic vegetation habitat, and increases the cost of treating potable water and maintaining drainage infrastructure. Phosphorus pollution can lead to excess growth of plants and algae and rob lakes and rivers of oxygen.

Another provision of the Farm Bill authorizes research grants for the study of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), a lethal fish virus that has been blamed for several large-scale fish die-offs in the Great Lakes since 2005.

The Great Lakes Commission, chaired by Lt. Gov. John Cherry (Mich.), is a nonpartisan, binational compact agency established under state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region and its residents. The Commission consists of governors' appointees, state legislators, and agency officials from its eight member states. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a " Declaration of Partnership." The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Appalling Vote on Great Lakes Waters

MICHIGAN

International water interests are using the Farm Bureau as their cover with state legislators. The proposed legislation in the House has basically excused agricultural operations from permitting and yet the Farm Bureau is carrying the water for those seeking to manipulate and export our cherished streams, rivers and groundwater. In the floor debate yesterday, private water interests stepped aside and let the Farm Bureau do their bidding outside the House chamber. Unfortunately, lawmakers are being duped by their arguments ... or, perhaps, their checks.

Fortunately, we still have an opportunity to make certain the House gets it right. Four bills were voted out yesterday and the three remaining bills will expected to be taken up next week.

Now is the time to contact lawmaker offices insisting they fight for our water and challenge the corporate interests desiring to seize control of our water. House members have to support the remaining three bills pending before the House.

Great Lakes Pact

Important article by Tom Henry of the Toledo Blade on the Great Lake pact and Republican efforts in Ohio and Wisconsin to stall it by amendment.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080217/NEWS06/802170304/-1/NEWS

Ohio: Clean Water Fund

Governor Strickland’s State of the State address called of $400 million for the Clean Ohio Fund.

$400 million for the Clean Ohio Fund, to advance efforts to reclaim brownfields
and other damaged lands and preserve farm land and open spaces.

http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/02/06/state.html?adsec=politics&sid=101

Commission urging reauthorization of GL Legacy Act

The Great Lakes Commission is beginning the 2008 legislative season by renewing its call on Congress to pass legislation to halt the introduction and spread of AIS, and is calling upon Congress to reauthorize the Great Lakes Legacy Act. The Legacy Act, passed into law in 2002, authorizes funding to remediate contaminated sediments in the 30 remaining U.S. and binational Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCS) designated under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and is a cornerstone of Great Lakes restoration efforts. To date, five cleanup projects and seven projects to monitor and evaluate contaminated sediments have been implemented under the Legacy Act, with eight additional projects now under review. To better reflect the long-term costs of remediation efforts, the Commission is urging that the annual authorization under the Legacy Act be increased from $54 million to $150 million annually. The Commission is also recommending that the Act be amended to allow the use of funds to support pilot projects demonstrating innovative remediation technologies and techniques, and for habitat restoration. Contact: Matt Doss, mdoss@glc.org.

Nestlé's water pumping harmful to Michigan

Saturday, January 05, 2008
By Terry Swier
Special To The Press

I am writing to set the record straight on the harm done to Michigan's waters by Nestlé water mining operations. When the guest column, "Nestlé success in Michigan in spotlight" by Nestlé Vice President of Corporate Affairs Heidi Paul in The Grand Rapids Press was being read Dec. 12, I was testifying in front of the U.S. Congress.

I am the president of Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation (MCWC). I was on the same panel as Ms. Paul, testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives Domestic Policy Subcommittee Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and was asked many of the same questions. Ms. Paul stated that Nestlé's pumping is good for Michigan, and the company has caused no harm.

Courts have determined otherwise. Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation won on this point in all three courts in the case MCWC v Nestlé.
The finding of fact that Nestle would cause substantial harm at levels lower than they are pumping now, was made by the Mecosta County Circuit Court and the Michigan Court of Appeals, and affirmed by the Michigan Supreme Court when it rejected Nestlé's argument that the findings were in error.

A picture of the mudflat at Dead Stream was projected on the walls at the hearing. As stated in my written testimony, before pumping, there was water in the stream, even during natural low flows and levels. Sound science, considered and argued over during 19 days of trial in MCWC's case, found Nestlé's pumping at 400 gallons per minute would reduce stream flow by 24 percent, drop levels by 2 to 4 inches, and drop the levels of two lakes by 4 inches to 6 inches.
The findings can be found in Judge Lawrence Root's opinion following the bench trial. The stream has narrowed and wetland edges and bottomlands have been invaded by plant species. Nestlé did not halt pumping. Where is Nestlé's "good neighbor" policy?

At the hearing, Congressman Dennis Kucinich asked witness Dr. David Hyndman about the picture, and asked if beaver dams had anything to do with the harm of Dead Stream. Dr. Hyndman testified, as the courts agreed, that the beaver dams had nothing to do with low levels on Dead Stream. He testified that the low levels were caused by Nestlé's pumping during low flow or growing season when the stream is most vulnerable.
Nestle continues to claim there is no harm. Nestle continues to present itself as just another business using a little water. Instead, this is water mining, pure and simple -- at the expense of the public and at enormous profit to Nestlé. No amount of Nestlé bubbly talk can obscure that fact.

Nestlé also recently argued to the Michigan Supreme Court that citizens have no right to bring a lawsuit to protect wetlands or lakes on Nestlé's own property, even though it has been undisputed that their water resources are protected by state laws.

MCWC believes much of what it has done and stands for is supported by a majority of citizens in Michigan and the Great Lakes. Many citizens oppose the removal of water for export and sale as water, because this converts water under public control to private control and profit without adequate consideration of the public trust, the environment or an accounting for a substantial subsidy of a private exporter without public purpose.

Every gallon extracted as "spring water" as it appears on the label of Nestlé's Ice Mountain bottles, extracts a gallon of water that would otherwise feed a wetland, stream or lake. The diminishment of flow and level causes significant adverse impacts to these water bodies and their habitat and wildlife.

Water grabbers, like Nestlé, undermine the interest of our sixth-generation residents who live in Mecosta, on its lakes and streams; the public that fishes, boats, swims and enjoys our lakes and streams; farmers who rely on our groundwater; industry and our economy that are so dependent on our water, and the environment and public trust.
Our water is our heritage and our culture. It must be protected for our future generations. Let the water stay where it flows, not where it goes.

-- Terry Swier is President of the grassroots group Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation in Mecosta.

©2008 Grand Rapids Press
© 2008 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.

Video: Lake Superior Winter Storm Footage

An up-close and personal view of Lake Superior during the March 2, 2007 winter storm. Footage from the North Shore.

Opponents vow to fight DEQ approval of UP sulfide mining permit

Disappointment over decision to allow dangerous mining linked with acid mine drainage leads groups to plan next steps

Community and environmental leaders united today in their opposition to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s issuance of a permit for a dangerous sulfide mine on the Upper Peninsula’s Yellow Dog Plains.

Some opponents are now poised to legally challenge the flawed decision that would allow the mine to operate beneath a critical Lake Superior tributary.

The nickel mine would generate hundreds of thousands of tons of acid-leaching waste rock from underneath the Salmon Trout River near Marquette, putting the region’s water at risk, including Lake Superior.

"We are extremely disappointed that after all the work which went into crafting the law governing non-ferrous mining in Michigan that the DEQ has chosen to simply ignore key components of that law. They’ve granted Kennecott a permit which clearly doesn’t even meet the intent, let alone the letter of the law," stated Anne Woiwode, state director of the Sierra Club Michigan Chapter.

National Wildlife Federation attorney Michelle Halley said she and other opponents are currently considering a variety of administrative and court actions. “We need time to review the final permit conditions and will proceed after that,” she explained.

Opponents of the permit include: Huron Mountain Club, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Landowners Opposed to Sulfide Mining, Michigan Environmental Council, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Students Against Sulfide Mining, Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, Save the Wild UP, and a host of other ad hoc groups throughout the region.

Less than two months after receiving more than 4,000 public comments, including a technical analysis that numbered more than 700 pages, the MDEQ upheld its preliminary decision to allow Kennecott Eagle Minerals Co. to blast a mine beneath a blue-ribbon trout stream.

“NWF and key allies that share our concerns are prepared to challenge these permits because they do not meet legal standards,” Halley said. “We cannot stand idly by while the DEQ permits fatally flawed projects.”

Halley questioned whether the MDEQ adequately considered the expert testimony that concluded the mine posed an unacceptable risk to the state’s water resources and the safety of mine workers.

“The MDEQ has always said they would make the decision based on science and yet they have ignored the technical information submitted by leading mining industry experts,” she explained. “Technical analysis was submitted by people who specialize in groundwater, subsidence, air pollution and a myriad of other specialties and all pointed to egregious errors in the permit application. For the MDEQ to turn a blind eye indicates that something other than science is prevailing in Lansing,” Halley continued.

Speaking on behalf of the Huron Mountain Club, Paul Townsend questioned whether the MDEQ ever seriously considered the risks.

“On October 17, we filed comprehensive comments in opposition to the proposed permits, including reports of scientific and engineering consultants, all well-respected experts in their fields. The complete filing was more than 700 pages,” Townsend recalled.

“Now the DEQ has approved the mining permits. While disappointing, this is not surprising, given the past performance of DEQ. We are even more disappointed in Governor Granholm’s lack of leadership on this critical issue. Had the technical comments been properly evaluated, she and her DEQ would have found repeated instances where Kennecott had submitted false or incomplete information which experts believe show that this mine will cause significant environmental damage to the Upper Peninsula,” Townsend said.

Cynthia Pryor, executive director of the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, said she believes fear is what is motivating the state agency.

“Unfortunately, Kennecott is holding the State of Michigan hostage to the notion that they will sue them for takings if this mine is not permitted. Why else would our government - who is bound to protect us - sell our lands, our waters and our natural resources to this company from England, despite the will of the people and the scientific realities of the project?” Pryor asked.

Save the Wild UP, the grassroots group that has vocally opposed the project, believes the state has sold out the people of the Upper Peninsula.

“DEQ has made a charade of listening to the public. Governor Granholm seems willing to hold her nose and allow the inevitable nasty pollution of the U.P. and the Great Lakes,” said Dick Huey, co-founder of Save the Wild UP.

While the mining company gained MDEQ approval today, opponents say the project still has several hurdles to clear, including at least one federal permit required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and permission from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to utilize 120 acres of state lands for the mine’s surface facilities via a 40-year land lease. One week ago, Kennecott was notified by MDNR of seven areas of concern related to the company’s plans for the property after the mine’s closure.

Michigan DEQ Approves Kennecott Mine in Upper Peninsula

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDecember 14, 2007
Contact: Robert McCann(517) 241-7397

DEQ Announces Decision on Kennecott Mine

The Department of Environmental Quality announced today its decision to approve a series of permits to the Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company to conduct mining operations at the proposed Eagle Project Mine near Marquette. The department’s decision follows a period of extensive review by the DEQ of public comments and supporting information to determine whether Kennecott’s proposal met the strict standards contained within Michigan’s air quality, groundwater, and mining laws. The DEQ is required to make its decision based solely on whether a proposal meets those standards.

“This has been one of the most thorough reviews of an application ever done by this agency,” said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester. “In the end, Kennecott’s proposal met the high standard set by Michigan’s environmental laws.”

This project is the first to be subject to Michigan's new Nonferrous Metallic Mineral Mining rules that were enacted in response to concerns over potential environmental impacts from mining of metallic sulfide ores. The rules, among the most stringent in the nation, were drafted and agreed to by a multi-stakeholder work group that included representatives from environmental, business, and mining organizations.

Director Chester noted that information received during the public comment period resulted in a number of changes to Kennecott’s permits to alleviate concerns that were expressed by the public and ensure that Michigan’s resources are protected.

“We have made every effort to address the public’s concerns within the limits of what the law allows,” said Director Chester. “We must now remain vigilant in ensuring that Kennecott complies with its permits and lives up to its end of the bargain in keeping Michigan’s environment safe.”

Examples of changes made to the permits during the public comment period include:

• Limiting the mining activities to elevations below 327.5 meters to address concerns about the stability of the mine. Mining will only be allowed above that level when approved in writing by the DEQ based on further field investigations and analysis to be conducted by Kennecott.


• Requiring annual certification that the rock stability is sufficient and providing for immediate work stoppage and notification to the DEQ if stability is questionable.


• A requirement for a filter system in the mine shaft ventilation stack that will result in a significant decrease in particulate matter emissions.


• A comprehensive fugitive dust plan.


• Setting maximum daily limits for all groundwater parameters, and increased monitoring requirements.

Kennecott must still acquire a surface use lease from the Department of Natural Resources for the project.

A list of all permit changes and supporting information can be found on the DEQ website at www.michigan.gov/deq, then click on Kennecott Eagle Project.

Wisconsin - State slow to act on Great Lakes compact

Water officials in other Upper Midwest states are watching Wisconsin with some concern as the state debates whether to sign on to a compact that would regulate withdrawal of water from the Great Lakes and ban pumping water out of the region.

"The quicker we can get this passed, the quicker we can get it to Congress, " said Ken DeBeaussaert, director of the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes in Lansing.

DeBeaussaert said bills proposing approval of the compact have been introduced in both houses of the Michigan Legislature and have broad bipartisan support. The compact has been approved by Illinois and Minnesota. Wisconsin is the only one of the eight Great Lakes states considering the compact in which supporting legislation has not been introduced.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/topstories/index.php?ntid=261451

Sierra Club Says: Keep push on for dioxin cleanup

IN OUR OPINION

Keep push on for dioxin cleanup

December 11, 2007

The toxic residues downwind and downstream of Midland have to be cleaned up. If any doubts remained, they should disappear after the past month's momentous discoveries -- one in some buried federal paperwork, the other in Saginaw River sediment.Accumulated dioxins from Dow Chemical Co.'s operations are extraordinarily high. Jaw-dropping would be a better word after the revelation last month that the sample of riverbed sediment showed a dioxin level higher than any test results ever reported to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Melissa Damaschke
Sierra Club Conservation Organizer
1723 West Fourteen Mile Road
Royal Oak, MI 48073
Phone: (248) 549-6213
Website: www.sierraclub.org/community/oakland

Together, we will keep the Great Lakes GREAT!

My Vote for the Best On-line Conservation Publication

The 2007 Inaugural Issue of Conservation Minnesota (CM) Magazine–The State of Water, is the best put together publication I've seen in a long time. Filled with color photographs and interesting stories about Minnesota's natural world, CM magazine is easy to read. Articles generally focus on wildlife and nature, but the magazine frequently features topics explicitly related to sustainability. I especially love the interactive features.

Flip open the Inaugural Issue and enjoy >

Whose Water is it Anyway?

A letter to the editor of the Detroit News from the President of the International Bottled Water Association restates all the old canards in defense of the private capture for profit of the public's water. Here are a few:

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007712060307

1) The headline implies that packaging and selling water from springs or rivers or lakes is just another 'use' like any other. But common law has traditionally linked the right to use water with its use in the watershed, not its export. Selling water to distant customers for profit is a radically different concept, and not a traditional use.

2) "Proponents of the bills are seeking to make radical changes to the law that are not based on sound science." Where is the sound science that justifies the current Michigan law's distinction between unlimited amounts of water leaving the state in containers less than 5.7 gallons (not a diversion) and water leaving the state in containers 5.7 gallons or greater in the same volumes (diversion)? A spring or river won't know the difference.

3) "Interestingly, the International Joint Commission determined in its 2000 final report to the U.S. and Canadian governments that the Great Lakes basin imports about 14 times more bottled water than it exports and is a net importer of bottled water." Interestingly, this was before Nestle's large-scale operations began in Michigan in 2001. Even more importantly, the issue is not current ratios of export vs. import but the potential for major water taking expansion in an industry which has been growing 5-10% per year.

4) "The bills ignore the fact that bottled water is a consumed use of ground water, as is the case with other beverage and food producers. The bills change bottled water into a diversion of water. If bottled water is produced according to Food and Drug Administration regulations, it is without question a product, and all products should be treated equally." Water is an ingredient in beverages and food; water itself is claimed to be the 'product' in bottled water.

Michigan's conservation and environmental community is right to seek reinstatement in Michigan law of the centuries-old principle that water belongs to the public and there is no right to export it for sale.

Source:
Dave Dempsey
http://www.davedempsey.org/index.htm
davedem@hotmail.com

Michigan: State house Committee Pass Great Lakes Compact

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 5, 2007

Contact:

Patrick Schuh/517.214.4288

Cyndi Roper/517.490.1394

(Lansing)—The Michigan House of Representatives Great Lakes and Environment Committee today approved legislation ratifying the Great Lakes Compact, taking a crucial first step toward protecting Michigan's water resources from abusive withdrawals and diversions. The multi-state, and a companion multi-nation agreement establishes basic guidelines to prevent Great Lakes water diversions and ensure resource sustainability; the Compact requires each state to pass implementing legislation.

"As the Great Lakes State, we must be leaders in providing water resource protection. As other states still undecided consider whether to approve the Compact, they look to see how Michigan weighs in on this historic agreement for our waters," said David Holtz, Michigan Director for Clean Water Action. "The House committee action today demonstrates that Michigan—which has the most at stake in protecting the Great Lakes—has taken this important action in moving the Compact forward toward eventual approval by the full Legislature."

The legislation (House Bill 4343) will ban the diversion of water outside the Great Lakes Basin and it signals that Michigan is serious about protecting the Great Lakes from exports. Upon legislative approval, Michigan will be the third of eight states to ratify the Compact.

A strong package of companion bills implementing the Compact that protect Michigan's inland waters from damaging withdrawals by extending public control over all lakes, rivers and streams and giving residents a role in permit decisions also received a boost by the committee. Those bills were moved forward when the committee conditioned support for controversial water withdrawal technology favored by Senate Republicans to passage of the stronger water withdrawal protections in the Democratic bills.

Water use legislation this year has taken different directions in the House and Senate with the Senate's proposal relying soley on untested technology—a web-based assessment tool supported by industry groups—to determine how much water can be taken from Michigan's inland rivers,streams and groundwater. Local citizen groups and anglers concerned about the impacts on fishing streams throughout the state have expressed concern that the Senate approach would ignore local input thereby allowing large-scale water withdrawals that could impact local waterways.

"Any legislation that is passed must provide clear public oversight and strong protections against over pumping Michigan's water, said Holtz. " We applaud the house committee's leadership in passing the Compact and eagerly await passage of the strong implementing legislation to which it is tie-barred."

# # #
Clean Water Action is Michigan's leading grassroots environmental organization with over 205,000 members statewide. Individuals can learn more about the organization and its campaigns atwww.cleanwateraction.org/mi.

State of the Strait Report Assesses the Health of the Detroit River and Western Lake Erie

This indicator project and report are a product of the Canada-U.S. State of the Strait Conference held every two years to bring together government managers, researchers, students, members of environmental and conservation organizations, and concerned citizens to collaboratively assess ecosystem status and provide advice to improve research, monitoring, and management programs for the Detroit River and western Lake Erie.

Major findings include pollution prevention and control programs have resulted in substantial improvements in environmental quality in the Detroit River and western Lake Erie that have led to dramatic ecological recovery. However, there are also signs of deteriorating conditions.

Six key environmental and natural resource challenges remain: transportation expansion resulting in land use changes and regional population growth; nonpoint source pollution; toxic substances contamination; habitat loss and degradation; introduction of exotic species; and greenhouse gases and global warming.

The report recommends that resources be pooled on a regular basis (at least every five years) to undertake comprehensive and integrative assessments through a Canada-U.S. partnership of key management organizations. In addition, the report recommends that: a higher priority should be placed on quantifying targets for indicators (only 17 of 50 indicators have quantitative targets); future assessments should include more pressure, response, economic, social, and human health indicators; and greater emphasis should be placed on making sure that there is equivalent data coverage on both sides of the border.

For a complete copy of the report titled “State of the Strait: Status and Trends of Key Indicators,” please visit the following websites:

www.epa.gov/med/grosseile_site/indicators/index.html

State of the Strait

Source and Contact:

Dr. John Hartig

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

(734.692.7608)

Michigan: River, Stream and Creek Cleanup Grants Available for 2008

The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) are pleased to announce the release of the 2008 Grant Application Package (GAP) for Michigan’s Volunteer River, Stream and Creek Cleanup Program (VRSCCP). A total of $25,000 (plus carryover from FY 2007) is available under the program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. This funding is provided by the MDEQ through fees collected from the sale of the State’s Water Quality Protection license plates (Public Act 74 of 2000). The application deadline for Volunteer River, Stream and Creek Cleanup grants is January 25, 2008.

The Michigan VRSCCP provides small grants to local units of government to help implement the cleanup and improvement of the waters of Michigan’s rivers, streams, and creeks. Local units of government may partner with nonprofit organizations or other volunteer groups to carry out the cleanups. There is a minimum local match requirement of 25 percent of the total project costs.

The Volunteer Stream Cleanup GAP and application instructions are available online at http://www.glc.org/streamclean/app08. The GAP contains detailed instructions, including eligibility requirements and other information for developing a proposal, evaluation criteria, and items that should be included with your application. Applications will be reviewed and assessed by GLC and MDEQ staff, with final decisions anticipated in March 2007. Contractual arrangements will be facilitated by the GLC, which is administering the VRSCCP on behalf of the MDEQ.

Once again, the deadline for submitting grant applications under the FY 2008 Volunteer River, Stream and Creek Cleanup Program is January 25, 2008. If you have questions regarding the GAP or your application, please contact John Hummer at the Great Lakes Commission at 734-971-9135 or jhummer@glc.org.

Editorial: Dow Shall Not Pollute Our Water

Thanks Aviva!

The Saginaw River should be known as a river full of life, enjoyed by anglers, boaters, and citizens alike, with thousands of people flocking every year to the various festivals held on the banks of the river. Unfortunately, the Saginaw River now has a much darker, dirtier legacy. Thanks to industrial pollution by Dow Chemical Company, the Saginaw River is now making national headlines as home to the highest concentrations of dioxin ever recorded.

This is a massive environmental and public health threat that every Great Lakes citizen should be concerned about.

Dioxins are a class of chemicals that are highly carcinogenic and act as endocrine disruptors. According to EPA , "Dioxins are highly toxic compounds that pose serious risks to human health and the environment." Eating fish contaminated with dioxins can pose serious health threats, especially in pregnant women. And, dioxins have been shown to cause reproductive failures in birds and other wildlife. Dioxins are some of the most toxic chemicals out there- they were the toxic byprofuct of Agent Orange, and they contaminated and sickened the residents of Love Canal!

Early this month, Dow notified EPA and Michigan DEQ of measurements of over 1.6 million parts per trillion (ppt) of dioxin in one sample of sediment taken from the Saginaw River. This concentration is 50 times higher than the previous 32,000 ppt level. According to the AP story, that level is also about 20 times higher than any other level recorded in the EPA archives!

Despite the fact that this is the largest contamination of one of the most toxic classes of chemicals, Dow spokesman John C. Musser said, "We don't believe there's any imminent or significant human health or environmental threat."

Source:
Aviva Glaser
Communications Manager
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
aviva@michiganlcv.org
http://www.michiganlcv.org/blog/

Group says ‘no to coal’ for new NMU power plant

By MIRIAM MOELLER,
Journal Staff Writer

POSTED: November 28, 2007

MARQUETTE — Northern Michigan University students and faculty demanded “no new coal” at a Michigan Department of Environmental Quality hearing Tuesday on NMU’s permit proposal for a power plant that could burn wood, coal and other fuels.
“My professional opinion is that even the potential of burning coal is a step in the wrong direction,” said Ron Sundell, NMU geography professor and director of the environmental science program. “We can do a number of things with alternative energy. It’s a new energy age. No new coal.”
-SNIP-
http://www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/502196.html?nav=5006