Great Lakes Law

When it comes to pollution in Lake Michigan, we all live in a glass house

Lake Michigan is one of our national treasures. Millions of people enjoy the lake from Wisconsin’s Door County, to the urban Chicago lakefront, to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northern Michigan. Lake Michigan is also a critically important source of drinking water for large portions of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. And while it’s not pretty, the heavy industry on the lake in northwest Indiana is a major part of the Midwest economy. When... Read more →

Over ninety environmental law professors sign letters to Congress and EPA supporting the full reopening of EPA libraries

It’s not often that 94 environmental law professors will agree on anything, but we all know how important open and accessible government information is for good policy and decision-making. That’s why we all signed letters to Congressional leaders and EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson supporting the full reopening of EPA libraries (thanks to Professor Joel Mintz for leading the effort). In 2006, the EPA began closing its public libraries, which are a critically important resource for... Read more →

U.S. House overwhelmingly passes legislation to regulate ballast water pollution and control the spread of invasive species

After years of inaction, the federal government has finally taken a major step towards regulating ballast water discharges to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. The U.S. House passed HR 2830, titled the Coast Guard Authorization for 2008, by a vote of 395 to 7 (with 29 members not voting). Title V of the legislation, which would be called the Ballast Water Treatment Act of 2008, establishes a “national goal that ballast water discharged... Read more →

Another legal victory to control the spread of aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes

Aquatic invasive species (also known as aquatic nuisance species) are one of the biggest threats facing the Great Lakes and their fisheries and wildlife. Invasive species like the zebra mussel are causing unacceptable environmental and economic damage. New invasive diseases, such as Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) threaten to devastate Great Lakes fisheries. Aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes can often be traced to ships’ ballast water discharges. The problem is both historic and ongoing,... Read more →

2008 ABA Eastern Water Resources Conference: Eastern Water Law – A Climate of Change

The American Bar Association’s eastern water law conference is next week in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it looks like an exciting and timely event. Many excellent speakers will discuss climate change impacts on water resources, the future of riparianism, and interstate water conflicts (I’ll be speaking on Great Lakes interstate water management). Ben Grumbles, the EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Water, will be giving a keynote speech on the Clean Water Act and also participating on... Read more →

Great Lakes news highlights delivered every week

Readers of this blog may be interested in an excellent new website and news service, Great Lakes Country. It is run by Dan Wendt, whose expertise extends beyond environmental issues to trade and economic development. I highly recommend the weekly email news service, which selects the top ten media articles on Great Lakes issues and delivers the highlights every Friday. Read more →

The Dalai Lama discusses sustainability at Earth Day lecture in Ann Arbor

The Dalai Lama was in Ann Arbor yesterday to deliver the Peter M. Wege Lecture on Sustainability, sponsored by the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment’s Center for Sustainable Systems. My wife and I were able to attend the sold-out event held at Crisler Arena (U of Michigan’s basketball arena). Just having thousands of people gather to hear the Dalai Lama’s simple message of peace, love, and universal responsibility was amazing. His... Read more →

I Heart Tap Water Student Video Contest

Food & Water Watch has been running an “I Heart Tap Water” student video contest. The video contest builds awareness about the environmental costs of bottled water through a far more entertaining format than congressional hearings or blog posts. The finalists in the contest were just announced, and I’m quite pleased that students from my alma mater, the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources & Environment, have made the final cut. Check out their... Read more →

Want to double your money? Spend it cleaning up the Great Lakes

Whatever your views on government spending, it’s good sense to make an investment that doubles your return. A study released last fall by the Brookings Institute determined that a government investment of $26 billion to clean and restore the Great Lakes would produce over $50 billion in long-term benefits to the national economy and between $30 and $50 billion in short-term benefits to the Great Lakes regional economy. To bring those numbers closer to home,... Read more →

The Wayne Protocol – a model global climate change treaty

Rising to the challenge of climate change requires both reducing our greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation) and preparing for a future with a different climate (adaptation). Most water wonks (myself included) are focused on adapting to climate change impacts on freshwater resources, but we must also help in the effort to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. (For a balanced perspective on the “adaptation vs. mitigation” debate, see Michael ‘Aquadoc’ Campana’s recent commentary... Read more →