Great Lakes Law

Michigan Senate holds hearing on Asian carp; briefing in Supreme Court case delayed

I just returned from a Michigan Senate hearing on Asian carp. It was a joint hearing of the Senate Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee (chaired by Senator Patty Birkholz) and the Senate Hunting, Fishing, and Outdoor Recreation Committee (chaired by Senator Jim Barcia). Senator Birkholz is a Republican whose district includes Lake Michigan shoreline, while Senator Barcia is a Democrat whose district includes Lake Huron shoreline, so the hearing had a nice bipartisan/bi-lake balance.... Read more →

Climate change, water, and adaptive law symposium in Houston

The Environmental & Energy Law & Policy Journal and the University of Houston Law Center are hosting a symposium later this week -Climate Change, Water, and Adaptive Law. The topic is timely and critically important, as climate change is certain to put new stresses on water resources and demands innovative adaptive management policy reforms. The symposium has a great line up, including Dan Tarlock (Chicago-Kent), Robin Kundis Craig (Florida State), Elizabeth Burleson (South Dakota), Amy... Read more →

Public participation and governance under the Great Lakes Water Quality Act

After years of delay, the United States and Canada finally agreed to begin the process of updating the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement last year, with an announcement by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in June 2009. Updating the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement is long overdue, as many new threats and concerns (invasive species, non-point pollution, toxic and pharmaceutical residues in drinking water, etc.) have emerged since the last revision in 1987. Further, there... Read more →

Special edition of Wayne Law Review commemorates Boundary Waters Treaty Centennial

Last year, to commemorate 100 years of the Boundary Waters Treaty and its prospects for the future, the Wayne Law Review hosted a symposium featuring most of the International Joint Commission members, leading academics, and cutting-edge practitioners. The Wayne Law Review has now published a special edition with articles, commentary, and speeches from the symposium participants – all available free online here. The special issue (Volume 54, Issue 4) includes: Introduction (The Centennial of the... Read more →

Armed with new economic study, Michigan renews request to the Supreme Court to close Chicago locks and keep Asian carp out of Great Lakes

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox has just filed a renewed motion with the U.S. Supreme Court for a preliminary injunction to close Chicago-area locks to keep Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. The Supreme Court previously denied Michigan’s motion for a preliminary injunction. However, Michigan relies on new information regarding eDNA tests showing evidence of Asian carp in Lake Michigan, which the federal government failed to disclose to the Supreme Court until after the... Read more →

President Obama will nominate Lana Pollack for the International Joint Commission

The White House just announced that President Obama will nominate Lana Pollack as a Commissioner on the International Joint Commission. I’ve known Pollack for many years, going back to her days as a Michigan state senator representing Ann Arbor. I worked with her while she was president of the Michigan Environmental Council, which she grew into the most effective environmental advocacy organization in the state. She is one of the most knowledgeable, experienced, and savvy... Read more →