On my walk to work, I cross Duluth’s iconic Aerial Lift Bridge. During the shipping season, my commute can be seriously disrupted by traffic…shipping traffic that is. The span of the bridge is nearly as long as a city block, and when a boat comes off of Lake Superior, the entire span raises up about 200 feet to get out of the way. Out of any given five days of work, there’s at least one day when I have to wait five, ten, even fifteen minutes to continue to work.

On the flip side, I get to walk down to the edge of the ship canal and experience the boats up close. They are stunning to watch and hear.

Just as these ships are a mixed blessing for my walk to work, they are a mixed blessing for the harbor ecosystem.

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From Congresswoman Betty McCollum

On September 23, House Republicans passed a destructive bill called the TRAIN Act (H.R. 2401).  This legislation institutes needless bureaucratic delays and stall tactics to permanently weaken EPA’s ability to uphold the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. The bill also orders EPA to indefinitely delay its rules to address cross-state air pollution and mercury emissions from power plants.  (more…)

April 15, 2011

It is Friday afternoon and both the Twins and the Legislature is out of town. The Twins are in Tampa Bay and the 201 Legislators are getting ready to go home for a full week of Easter Break! (more…)

Thanks to everyone who participated in the We Heart EPA campaign! We are happy to report that the effort resulted in some great actions: (more…)

I was able to attend the first MEP in-district meeting of this year. Held in Alexandria on Friday, Feb. 4, around 75 folks attended the MEP-sponsored meeting with Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen. (more…)

From the Minnesota Budget Project

The primary task of the 2011 Legislative Session is to pass a two-year state budget that will set funding levels for critical state investments from health care to education to affordable housing to environmental protection…all while tackling a $6.2 billion budget shortfall. These budget decisions will have a profound impact on our communities and Minnesota’s future. (more…)

Info from the Healing Our Waters coalition:

Please contact your member of Congress and urge them to fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $300 million in the 2011 federal budget.

The House will begin debating the FY11 budget on Monday, Feb. 14, which means we have one additional week to let Great Lakes members of Congress know that funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $300 million is critical to the health of the Great Lakes and our way of life in the Great Lakes region. It is critical that members hear from their constituents about the importance of funding the GLRI. (more…)

We all know that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plays a vital role in protecting our health and Minnesota’s Great Outdoors

- Our nation’s bedrock of federal environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, are enforced by the EPA.

- In our region, the EPA helped protect Northeastern Minnesota’s water from serious environmental damage, after it declared that the draft Environmental Impact Statement for PolyMet’s proposed toxic non-ferrous sulfide mine presented unacceptable risks to the environment.

- Just recently, the EPA put a stop to catastrophic water pollution from mountaintop removal coal mining in West Virginia.

- And, the agency is currently leading efforts nationally to confront global warming pollution and ensure environmental justice.

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Now, however, the strength of those protections is at risk, because the Obama administration is receiving pressure to rein in the EPA’s authority and many new members of Congress are attacking the agency’s ability to do its job. (more…)

By Erin Stojan Ruccolo, senior policy associate, Fresh Energy

Great Lakes states are predominantly served by coal generation, the impacts of which are well-documented. Mercury advisories are in place across much of the Great Lakes, and global warming may cause other serious problems, including increasing water temperature in the lakes and decreasing water levels, impacting wildlife, fisheries, water quality and the associate tourism and shipping activities that rely on these attributes.

Wind generation on the Great Lakes could be part of the solution. Indeed, the Great Lakes is estimated to have 250 gigawatts (GW) of wind potential, enough to power 75 million homes. About 160 GW of that power is located in areas 30 meters in depth or less, where current technologies could most easily be implemented. (more…)

Bill includes more than $650 million in restoration funds

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (June 30) – A landmark Great Lakes restoration bill advanced in the U.S. Senate today. The Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act of 2010, which authorizes more than $650 million for restoration initiatives, passed out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee by a vote by voice vote.

“This is a major step forward in the effort to restore the Great Lakes and revitalize the region’s economy,” said Jeff Skelding, campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “Millions of people, businesses and communities will benefit from the swift passage of this bill. We encourage the full Senate and House to pass this landmark legislation before the problems facing the Great Lakes get worse and more costly.”

Read rest of the news release from the Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition.