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Citizens who live near New York’s Lake Ontario shoreline are afraid the severe flooding and erosion they saw last year are just a preview of what’s to come. Niagara County officials are already planning and preparing for potential flooding. Read and view the full story by WIVB – TV, Buffalo, NY. View the full article

More details are coming to light after the city of Oshawa, New York announced the sudden cancellation of a pair of proposals to develop a public marina along the waterfront. City council shelved plans for the marinas in response to too-pricey construction bids. Read the full story by the Oshawa Express. View the full article

Many advocates for the Great Lakes are in Washington, D.C., this week to push back against President Trump’s proposal to slash funding for the region. They want Congress to continue its bipartisan support on issues such as cleaning up pollution and protecting drinking water. Read the full story by Great Lakes Today. View the full article

A recent research project, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, is testing the first large-scale open water use of a new invasive mussel control near Petoskey, Michigan. Read the full story by the Petoskey News-Review. View the full article

A Republican report from a U.S. House committee found that online trolls from Russia tweeted and posted about controversial U.S. energy issues — including Enbridge’s Line 5 oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press. View the full article

A regional plan developed by Niagara, Orleans, and two other Lake Ontario counties in New York calls for retaining a contractor to ensure the harbors are deep enough to handle the fishing and pleasure craft that use them. Read the full story by The Buffalo News. View the full article

Following efforts to cap contaminated sediments in Minnesota Slip, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on Monday asked for public comments on sediment-capping efforts planned for Slip 3 and Slip C in the Duluth harbor. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune. View the full article

Work conducted under the federal Great Lakes Legacy Act, focused on sediment cleanup, has been improving water quality in the Great Lakes since the law was created in 2002. Read the full story by WXXI – Rochester, NY. View the full article

Last week, the first hearings were held on a bill in Michigan that would not only make it easier for farmers to get permission to draw large amounts of groundwater, but would also exempt certain data on agricultural water use from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Read the full story by WVIK – Rock Island, IL. View the full article

Wednesday and Thursday, a coalition representing business, industry, and environmental organizations will meet with members of Congress in Washington, D.C., to rally support for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Read the full story by Public News Service. View the full article

Foxconn’s planned LCD manufacturing facility in Racine, Wisconsin, will require loads of water for its production process. The Racine Water Utility wants to pipe Lake Michigan water from the Great Lakes basin across Racine County, into the Mississippi River basin that eventually drains into the Gulf of Mexico. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI. View the full article

Pushed around by wind, battered by waves and rotting under a week of warm sunshine, Lake Superior’s winter ice is quickly disappearing. Read the full story by the Duluth News-Tribune. View the full article

Researchers from the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Natural Resources Research Institute are investigating how the base of the food chain acts when the lake is covered in ice. Read the full story by the Superior Telegram. View the full article

Climate change is expected to increase the incidence of extreme weather, including flooding. So there is no time like the present to prepare for what awaits. Read the full story in the Montreal Gazette. View the full article

Wisconsin’s leading conservation organization dedicated to walleyes would like to help restore a fishery for the state’s favorite game fish in the Milwaukee River. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. View the full article

Fisheries officials with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources expect to make a decision soon about future management of rainbow trout in Lake Superior. Read the full story by the Duluth News-Tribune. View the full article

City leaders will consider seeking a $2.3 million grant for The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay’s ongoing project to improve Kids Creek’s water quality. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record Eagle. View the full article

Ohio State Senator Randy Gardner, R-Bowling Green, and State Representative Steve Arndt, R-Port Clinton, are praising the state’s new Capital Appropriations Bill as having more good news for clean water and Lake Erie. Read the full story by the Port Clinton News Herald. View the full article

Because President Donald Trump has declared his intent to reduce the Great Lakes funding cleanup by 90 per cent, it has gotten enough attention by the Sault Ste. Marie, ON city council that it is on the agenda for tomorrow’s council meeting. Read the full story by the Sault Online. View the full article

The federal budget proposal for 2019 calls for defunding the College Sea Grant Program for the second year in a row, despite the threat of a bipartisan pushback from lawmakers in the Great Lakes states. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Echo. View the full article

News Washington, D.C. – Ahead of Great Lakes Day this week in Washington D.C., a coalition representing business, industry and environmental groups and states, cities and tribes released joint priorities for sustaining Great Lakes restoration and economic revitalization. The coalition presented a joint agenda for the lakes, which serve as the source of drinking water for more than 48 million people in the U.S. and Canada and directly generate more than 1.5 million jobs. The agenda urges members of Congress and the administration to fully fund the critical Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, preserve and strengthen agricultural conservation programs, invest in aging water infrastructure, maintain and upgrade ports, locks and other navigation infrastructure, and protect the Great Lakes from aquatic invasive species. “These joint priorities show how essential the Great Lakes are to both our region’s unique ecosystem and $5 trillion economy,” said John Linc Stine, chair of the Great Lakes Commission and commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. “On behalf of our member states and provinces, I am proud to stand with this diverse coalition and present joint priorities for restoring and protecting the lakes.” “We’re asking Congress to not let up now: Federal Great Lakes restoration investments have been producing results for our environment and economy—but serious threats remain,” said Todd Ambs, campaign director for the 150-member Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “Until drinking water restrictions, fish consumption advisories, beach closures, and toxic hotspots are a thing of the past, our work is not done. We’re counting on Congress to maintain support for a robust Great Lakes platform that includes continued restoration work and a bipartisan water infrastructure package that provides financial relief to local communities and ensures that every person has access to clean, safe and affordable drinking water.” “The Great Lakes Congressional delegation has a strong history of rallying behind the Great Lakes, largely because we are united in our interest in protecting and improving these invaluable resources,” said Robert Lambe, executive secretary of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. “The Fishery alone is worth $7 billion annually to the people of Canada and the United States, and we appreciate the strong, binational commitment to the Lakes.” “It is imperative for Washington to understand the value of protecting our drinking water for current and future generations,” said Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative chairman, Mayor Paul Dyster (Niagara Falls-NY). “If they do not act now, taxpayers will face greater costs moving forward.” “We’ve all come together to repair these Great Lakes and we can’t walk away now,” Jane A. TenEyck, Executive Director of the Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority. “Much work remains to be done.” “The Great Lakes are a critical resource for this region’s economy, and restoring them spurs economic revitalization and creates jobs,” said Kathryn Buckner, president of the Council of Great Lakes Industries (CGLI). “CGLI members look to the bipartisan Great Lakes congressional delegation to fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, strengthen investments in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, and maintain and upgrade commercial ports, locks and other navigation infrastructure.” The priorities were endorsed by the Great Lakes Commission, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative,Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority, Council of Great Lakes Industries, and the Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition. They were released in advance of Great Lakes Day, an annual event that brings hundreds of people from dozens of organizations to Washington, D.C., to educate elected officials about the importance of the lakes. To learn more or RSVP for the public Great Lakes Day Congressional Breakfast Reception, contact Beth Wanamaker at the Great Lakes Commission. # # # ← Previous news release The Great Lakes Commission, led by chairman John Linc Stine, commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, is an interstate 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. Learn more at www.glc.org. Contact For questions or media inquiries, please contact Beth Wanamaker, [email protected]. Recent GLC News Coalition of states, cities, tribes, business, industry and conservation organizations release joint priorities for the Great Lakes Great Lakes Commission releases new framework to improve Western Lake Erie through investments in water quality credits Position available: Adaptive Management Program Specialist Request for Proposals: Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program Upcoming GLC Events 2018 Great Lakes Commission Semiannual Meeting and Great Lakes Day March 6 - March 8 Webinar – Beneficial Use of Dredged Material: Can Soil Save Peoria Lake? March 19 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm 2018 Great Lakes Commission Annual Meeting October 2 - October 3 View GLC Calendar > View the full article

In the wake of 2017’s historic flooding, the Quebec government said it will pour more money into disaster preparedness, and make it easier for future victims to get compensation. Read the full story by Montreal Gazette. View the full article

The ozonation complex being built to remove bacteria, viruses and pharmacological toxins from the city’s waste water before it’s flushed into the St. Lawrence River will be the largest in the world. Read the full story by Montreal Gazette. View the full article

The United States imports far more steel than it exports, but American steel mills such as those that ring Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana still send metal abroad to trade partners like Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Read the full story by the NWI Times. View the full article

Essentially, lakefront landowners own a pie-shaped piece going out into the center of the body of water. While this rule applies to all inland bodies of water, the rule is different along any of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Herald Times. View the full article