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DEQ BUDGET NOT
CONTINGENT ON BEACH GROOMING
The
DEQ Land and Water Management
Department, the department responsible for protecting our wetlands,
no longer has to worry about zero funding for next year just because
of the “beach grooming” issue.
Originally, the budget was contingent upon a resolution allowing
the removal of vegetation and beach maintenance along the Great Lakes shoreline. Inappropriate to the bill in the
first place, the “beach grooming” provision has been stripped from
the budget bill and has been replaced with a provision requiring the
DEQ to report to the Legislature on “beach grooming” activities. The DEQ report will come from the
recommendations of the Michigan Shoreline Management Policy workgroup,
a group of stakeholders including shoreline property owner advocates
and representatives from the environmental and conservation community,
attempting to reach a resolution that will allow access and use of
the shoreline while protecting our valuable coastal wetlands.
The
workgroup has been meeting throughout the summer and will continue to
do so. Look for updates in
future MWAC Newsletters.
SENATE PASSES WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT
Last week, the Senate
approved the long-awaited Water Resources Development Act (WRDA)
addressing needs of the Great Lakes
region including a provision to protect our Lakes from the Asian
carp. WRDA authorizes the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers to upgrade the current demonstration barrier
into a permanent one, complete construction of the permanent barrier,
and operate the electric barriers to prevent Asian carp and other
invasive species from entering the Great Lakes.
Other Great Lakes
provisions include the authorization for the removal of obsolete or
deteriorating dams, or modification of dam operations, in order to
preserve valuable habitat by restoring natural flow conditions and
protect downstream resources against possible dam failures;
authorization of projects consistent with the St. Clair River-Lake
St. Clair Comprehensive Management Plan, which addresses
environmental problems such as pollution and invasive species in the
watershed; and
doubling the money authorized for the Improvement and Restoration of
Ecosystems Program for projects to restore aquatic habitats.
Additionally, an
Independent Peer Review amendment to WRDA offered by Feingold [D-MI]
and McCain [R-AZ] passed. This
amendment will help ensure that future Corps projects are based on
solid engineering, are fiscally responsible, and technically and
environmentally sound. We hope by eliminating waste, limited funds
can be made available for other national priorities, such as Great Lakes restoration and protection.
Now that the Senate and
House of Representatives have both passed their versions of WRDA, the
next step is to resolve differences between the two bills in
conference before a final vote.
OSWEGO RIVER, NEW YORKED AOC DELISTED
The
Environmental Protection Agency announced on Tuesday that the lower
Oswego River is the first U.S. area to come off the list of Great
Lakes Areas of Concern, which originally included 43 severely
degraded geographic areas in the United States and Canada. The delisting made history when the
U.S. EPA, and its state, local, and international partners improved
conditions through cleanup efforts to remove it from the list of the
most polluted areas in the Great Lakes Basin.
The former Oswego
River/Harbor AOC is located on the southeastern shore of Lake Ontario, centered in the City
of Oswego, New York. A legacy
of pollution problems, uncontrolled wastewater discharges, and
impacted fish and fish habitats led to the listing but pollution
reduction activities, watershed best management practices,
cooperation by local municipalities, industry, power utilities, and
many other improvements have all contributed to a healthier
watershed.
REMINDER: WETLANDS 2006
International
Symposium
Wetlands 2006
Applying Scientific, Legal, and Management Tools for the
Great Lakes and Beyond
August 28-31, 2006
Grand Traverse Resort
Near Traverse City,
Michigan
Wetlands
2006, an international symposium, will provide a forum for
presentations and discussion on the scientific, legal and management
tools relevant to sustaining and restoring wetlands and watershed
functions. The symposium will include presentations, posters and
discussion on activities in the Great Lakes area as well as projects
describing "lessons learned" from other parts of the United States and Canada.
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