Environmental Law & Policy Center » Protecting Natural Places

Statement from Howard Learner: Separating the Chicago Area Waterway System is an Important Step to Protect the Great Lakes’ Ecology and Economy

Kcoleman — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:59:25 +0000

Today, the Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative released its Chicago Area Waterways Study (CAWS), which offers recommended action steps to protect the Great Lakes from Asian carp and other invasive species. ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner released this statement about the study and its recommendations.

“Separating the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River Basin is a key step to protect both the ecological and economic value of the Great Lakes. More than 30 million people live in the Great Lakes Basin and rely on its abundance of freshwater, which is under increasing threat from Asian carp and other invasive species. The release of this important study and action framework today advances important Great Lakes values.

“The Study shows that strong and effective action is needed sooner than later to protect Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes. We have to get this right from the start. There are no do-over ‘Mulligans’ if invasive species get into our Great Lakes.”

Mr. Learner served as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Chicago Area Waterways Study project.

New Report Demonstrates that Permanent Physical Barriers to Stop Asian Carp at Chicago are Feasible

Kcoleman — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:57:16 +0000

Strategies for restoring the natural divide between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes – and, in the process, modernizing the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) – are identified in a report released today by the Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.

“Physically separating the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds is the best long-term solution for preventing the movement of Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species, and our report demonstrates that it can be done,” said Tim Eder, executive director of the Great Lakes Commission.

The threat of Asian carp looms large for communities in the Great Lakes region. The lakes provide over 35 million residents with drinking water, contain 20 percent of the Earth’s fresh surface water, and support a thriving tourism industry and world-class fishery, which generates an estimated $7 billion in economic activity annually.

Voracious feeders that can grow up to 90 pounds, Asian carp have overrun other ecosystems and could cause irreversible damage to the Great Lakes if allowed entry. Once established, invasive species are nearly impossible to eliminate.

“This is a unique opportunity for both protection of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River and for a Chicago waterway system for the 21st century and beyond,” said David Ullrich, executive director of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative. “No single use of the CAWS, including transportation, flood control and wastewater treatment, can be considered individually. The system requires an integrated approach and that is what we have taken.”

The three separation alternatives include a down-river single barrier between the confluence of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and the Cal-Sag Channel and the Lockport Lock; a mid-system alternative of four barriers on CAWS branches between Lockport and Lake Michigan; and a near-lake alternative of up to five barriers closest to the lakeshore. All three include measures to improve the CAWS’s role in flood management, wastewater treatment and maritime transportation, as well as stopping the interbasin movement of aquatic invasive species.

The three separation alternatives in the report were developed by the engineering firm HDR, Inc., which considered some 20 possible barrier locations in its analysis. No recommended alternative is identified. However, one alternative, the mid-system solution, is the least costly and offers other advantages.

The analysis concludes that preventing just a single invasive species from entering the Great Lakes can save as much as $5 billion over 30 years. The Corps of Engineers has identified 10 species that are poised to invade the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River.

According to the report’s economic analysis, the cost of the barriers themselves is as low as $109 million. The addition of all improvements to address water quality, flood prevention and transportation brings the cost to between $3.2 billion and $9.5 billion, depending on the location and the degree to which the wastewater treatment plants on the system are improved to meet future Clean Water Act requirements.

The analysis also finds that households in the Great Lakes basin would have to be willing to pay, on average, about $1 a month from now through 2059 to cover the cost of the mid-system alternative, based on a projected cost of $4.27 billion. The Great Lakes Commission and the Cities Initiative point out that the construction costs to build the current CAWS in today’s dollars would be $11 billion.

Asian carp have been migrating up the Mississippi River system since the early 1990s and were detected in 2009 to have breached electronic barriers operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the CAWS. In 2010 a live Asian carp was captured in Lake Calumet just six miles from Lake Michigan.

“The current efforts by the state of Illinois, the Corps of Engineers and others to monitor and slow the carp migration are critical and are buying us time to implement a long-term solution,” said Eder.

“While we recognize and support the work being done by others to find solutions to the Asian carp threat, we need to appreciate fully the urgency of this matter,” Ullrich emphasized.

The Great Lakes Commission, representing the eight Great Lakes states plus the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Québec, and the Cities Initiative, a coalition of U.S. and Canadian mayors, embarked on the accelerated study in 2010 believing separation to be the best strategy for preventing the movement of Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species between the two watersheds via the CAWS. The $2 million project was funded by a collaboration of six regional funders: the Joyce Foundation, C.S. Mott Foundation, Great Lakes Fishery Trust, Wege Foundation, Great Lakes Protection Fund and Frey Foundation.

To provide guidance and input for the project, a bipartisan Executive Committee was established and a diverse Advisory Committee was convened among stakeholders from the Great Lakes region, with an emphasis on interest groups in the Chicago area. In addition, a Resource Group made up of governmental and quasi-governmental entities with a direct interest in the project also participated.

The report and all supporting materials are available at www.glc.org/caws.

Download this news release.

Michigan Radio: Power line fight in the U.P.

Kcoleman — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:36:42 +0000

“New power lines would cut a swath for more than a hundred miles through northern forests, and they’d be expensive,” says a story by Bob Allen for The Environment Report. ELPC is working to ensure the proposed new transmission lines are studied thoroughly instead of fast-tracked through a proposed special process. Read the story.

Milwaukee J-S: Groups oppose rush toward northern Wisconsin power lines

Kcoleman — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:56:42 +0000

ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: “Consumers should not be asked to pay for $1 billion of new transmission lines running through Wisconsin’s North Woods, without a full and fair review of alternatives that might save money and prevent the disruption of key habitats and natural areas.” Read the article.

$1 Billion Transmission Proposal Should Receive More Thorough Review of Costs and Alternatives, Not Fast-Tracked Special Treatment

Kcoleman — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:31:41 +0000

Environmental Law & Policy Center and Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin Call for Fair Review

A massive $1 billion proposal for transmission lines that would run through Northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula should not be allowed to continue on a special, fast-tracked “out-of-cycle” approval process, according to the Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) and Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin (CUB)

American Transmission Company’s (ATC) proposed “Northern Plan” transmission proposal is being reviewed on a rapidly accelerated schedule by the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO), a regional organization that manages access to the electricity grid. MISO granted the faster, out-of-cycle review process because of WE Energies’ statements that it might shut down the Presque Isle coal plant in the Upper Peninsula, Marquette, Michigan. Recently, WE Energies and Wolverine Power Cooperative announced a joint venture to explore retrofitting the coal plant with modern pollution control equipment and continuing to run the plant.

“Consumers should not be asked to pay for $1 billion of new transmission lines running through Wisconsin’s Northwoods, without a full and fair review of alternatives that might save money and prevent the disruption of key habitats and natural areas,” said Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center.

According to the groups, a more thorough, normal review process should include a consideration of the cost impacts of siting, as well as a detailed consideration of alternative transmission routes. The proposed high-voltage transmission lines would run through the Northwoods in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

“Should we spend many years and consumer dollars to analyze the technical details of a plan that might not even happen because of the significant natural resources and other concerns it already raises,” asked Charlie Higley, Executive Director of Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin. “Should we build transmission lines through one state to primarily serve another state? These are questions MISO should ask – and answer – after careful review.”

Although the MISO review process is closed to the public, MISO agreed to allow ELPC and CUB to submit expert comments for its consideration. Read them here.

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The Environmental Law & Policy Center is the Midwest’s leading environmental legal advocacy and eco-business innovation organization. www.ELPC.org

Indianapolis Star: Is Bear Run coal mine putting Hoosiers at risk?

Kcoleman — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:30:55 +0000

The Bear Run coal mine will soon become the largest — and least regulated — coal mine in the Eastern United States. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has decided to “rubber stamp” the mine with the same weak general permit that governs many small mines in other parts of the state, rather than fulfill its obligation to protect Hoosiers and aquatic life. As ELPC Staff Attorney Jessica Dexter tells the IndyStar, the idea that a mine the size of Bear Run is not a project IDEM thinks “could have a significant impact” is ludicrous. Read the article.

Chicago Tribune Editorial by Howard Learner: Mercury Pollution Reduction Standards Protect Children’s Health and the Great Lakes

Kcoleman — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:35:33 +0000

In the Chicago Tribune’s lead editorial on Dec. 28th, ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner discusses why the EPA’s recently announced federal Mercury and Air Toxics Standard is good for public health, the environment and the economy. Illinois enacted strong state standards in 2006 and has proven that it’s possible to control pollution from coal plants. The new federal rules will level the playing field among coal plants in all states. Read the editorial.

New Federal Mercury and Air Toxics Standards Will Protect Children’s Health and the Environment

Kcoleman — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:02:23 +0000

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the first-ever federal standards to reduce mercury, arsenic, chromium and other toxic air pollutants from power plants. EPA estimates that these standards will prevent thousands of hospitalizations and emergency room visits and 17,000 premature deaths each year. Implementing the standards, which were called for in the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments and are now long overdue, creates a level playing field for the energy industry after more than 20 years of uncertainty and delays

“These standards mean power plants will invest in modern pollution controls, and that investment will create jobs, cleaner air and better public health,” said Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “Illinois adopted mercury pollution reduction standards in 2006 and modern control equipment has been installed at almost all coal plants in the state. The technology works, the lights have stayed on, mercury pollution has been reduced and children’s health is better protected. It’s time for the holdout utilities to stop crying wolf, stop stalling and clean up their pollution to protect children’s health and our rivers and lakes.”

“Illinois and other states have led the way and shown that these federal standards are reasonable and attainable,” said Learner. “With federal standards in place, all Americans will gain the benefits of better health and cleaner and safer water.”

Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can harm fetal brain development, reducing children’s IQ and their ability to learn. According to EPA estimates, about 300,000 babies are born in the U.S. every year at risk of neurological damage because of mercury.

The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards set a 3-5 year timeline for power plant owners to install widely available modern technology to reduce mercury pollution by 91% and drastically reduce arsenic, chromium, acid gases and other toxic air pollutants which are known or suspected of causing cancer and other serious health effects. The new standards will create thousands of jobs around the country as power plant owners hire people to build, install and operate modern pollution control equipment needed to reduce mercury and other toxics from their plants.

U.S. EPA Announces Final Mercury & Air Toxics Standards for Power Plants

Kcoleman — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:08:25 +0000

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a new Mercury and Air Toxics Standard that will greatly reduce the amount of mercury, acid gases and other toxic pollution emitted from coal plants. This landmark move by EPA will reinforce the important Clean Air Act public health standards enacted more than 20 years ago. Read the EPA’s announcement and final rule.

ELPC Names Three of Indiana’s Cleanest Rivers

Kcoleman — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:07:40 +0000

The Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) today identified three of Indiana’s cleanest rivers: Sugar Creek, The Tippecanoe and the East Fork of the White River. These pristine waters are popular destinations for fishing, canoeing and recreation and provide a stark contrast to the list of polluted waters ELPC released recently.

“These rivers are examples of how clean water creates recreational jobs and businesses and improves the quality of life in Indiana,” said Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center. “Indiana officials should work to ensure all our rivers are this clean.”

Indiana’s weak state policies and lax enforcement have allowed the many of the state’s rivers and lakes to become fouled by algae blooms, toxins, sedimentation and dangerous pathogens, but the work of landowners, clean water advocates and some public agencies has helped protect these valuable waterways and the businesses that depend on them.

ELPC explains the value of Indiana’s clean rivers through the stories of people who depend on them like Jason Seward, owner of Clement’s Canoes on Sugar Creek and Tom Todd, a fishing guide who works on the East Fork of the White River. These stories, as well as video and professional photos are all available at www.INourwater.org

The website will give Indiana residents the tools to tell their own stories about water and take action to clean up waterway across the state. ELPC is working to increase awareness of the pollution issues facing Indiana and engage the public in calling for solutions.

Three of Indiana’s Cleanest Rivers

1. Sugar Creek. Sugar Creek is home to a rare variety of fish and wildlife, including bald eagles, blue herons and over 70 species of fish. Indiana’s Health Rivers INitiative will protect 43,000 acres of land along this ecologically critical waterway. Jason Seward is one of the people that depend on the water quality in Sugar Creek for a living. Seward owns Clements Canoe and Outdoor Center, one of several canoe liveries on Sugar Creek.

2. The Tippecanoe River. The Tippecanoe River meanders through northern Indiana for 225 miles before emptying into the Wabash River. Biologists consider the Tippecanoe a bench mark for what healthy rivers in the region should look like today. Tom Denham’s family has benefitted from the clean waters of the Tippecanoe since the 1930’s, when they bought land along the river near Winamac and began renting out cabins. Over the years, Denham has seen water quality improve and wildlife thrive on the river.

3. East Fork of the White River. The fishing on the East Fork of the White River is good enough to attract customers from as far away as New York and Hawaii and to keep fishing guide Tom Todd busy throughout the season.

Todd works on a meandering stretch of the East Fork between Lawrenceport and Hindostan Falls. Todd’s business depends on good water quality, and he says the East Fork is cleaner today than it’s been in the past.