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.

These ships are critical to the economy of Duluth and Northeastern Minnesota. Followers of the progressive think tank Minnesota 2020 may have read their detailed report Safe, Clean and Efficient: Moving Minnesota to Market by Water, which does a great job explaining the economic benefits to Minnesota taxpayers.

These ships carry taconite, coal and grains out. That’s where the money is. They also carry ballast water in. That’s the problem. Ballast water can contain exotic species, invaders from foreign ports. Aquatic invaders such as zebra mussels and the spiny waterflea arrived in the Duluth-Superior harbor in the hulls of these same ships. These invasive species have dramatically affected the food chain in Duluth and other harbors around the Great Lakes. Annual costs of dealing with these invaders run up to $200 million per year in the Great Lakes basin.

Those concerned about Minnesota’s economy and Minnesota’s environment can and should support Great Lakes shipping. But the economic and ecologic impact of exotics species needs to be part of the discussion.  In coming months, the federal government will take major steps forward in protecting our harbors from these invaders. The Environmental Protection Agency has a draft permit for marine vessels, requiring them to treat ballast water before releasing it. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has passed a bill with similar provisions. Another mixed blessing: many environmental groups think both proposals, though a step in the right direction,  are too weak to prevent further aquatic invasions.

Minnesota will always move to market by water; now we can ensure that water stays healthy.

(This article initially appeared in Hindsight, the Minnesota 2020 blog)

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. 

I had the privilege of offering the final amendment on behalf of the House Democratic Caucus, which would have ensured EPA could continue its work cleaning up toxic air pollution and water pollution under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. You can watch my floor speech here or read my comments here. To my disappointment, all 232 Republicans, including Representatives Chip Cravaack (MN-08), John Kline (MN-02), and Erik Paulsen (MN-03) voted against protecting the Great Lakes with Michele Bachmann (MN-06) not voting. This was just the first of many attempts House Republicans will be making in the coming weeks to undermine our nation’s landmark air and water quality laws.

When I returned home last week, I joined the leaders of Environment Minnesota, the American Lung Association and other clean-air leaders at a press conference at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul to call attention to the House Republicans’ “all-out assault” on air quality. You can read my complete remarks here.

Be assured I will continue fighting in Congress to safeguard the health of Minnesota families and protect a generation of hard-won progress for cleaner air.

*Minnesota Environmental Partnership accepts posts by Minnesota’s elected officials that comply with our nonprofit’s 501(c)(3) status. Read our blog submission guidelines here.

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!

The Legislature had another busy week that featured many hours in committee and on the floor as they debated and voted on many budget, tax, and policy bills. With all the general cuts that are being used to close the $5 billion budget gap without any new revenue, the debate has been long and heated. Many of these cuts go deep into program after program that have be developed and delivered over the years. The pain is real and the concern is being expressed by many affected parties.

Bills to lift Coal Plant Restrictions:

On Thursday the Senate voted 42-18 to lift restrictions on carbon dioxide from coal production. The bill, SF86, is authored by Senator Julie Rosen (R-Fairmont).

Both the House and Senate versions of this legislation would remove restrictions on building new coal-fired power plants in Minnesota and would allow Minnesota utilities to pay for electricity from dirty coal plants in North Dakota. The House bill is awaiting floor action.

HF72, authored by Rep. Mike Beard (R-Shakopee), would repeal the current standards for building new coal-fired power plants without a plan for offsetting the emissions. This legislation would undo a critical part of the 2007 Next Generation Energy Act which passed the legislature and was signed into law by Governor Pawlenty.

Now the Next Generation Energy Act goals of a 15% reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions by 2015 and 80% by 2050 are being re-debated in the coal bills debate. Opposition centers on back tracking on the renewal energy alternatives and exporting Minnesota energy dollars to other states.

MEP opposes these bills.

Environmental Budget Bill:

The House and the Senate have named their five conferees (Reps. McNamara, Hackbarth, Torkelson, Hoppe and Dill and Sens. Ingebrigtsen, Rosen, Gerlach, Pederson and Dahms) who will negotiate the differences in the dollars and the policy issues rolled into the two environmental budget bills. MEP testified on both bills and twice expressed major concerns over the deep general fund cuts, as well as a number of bad policy bills that have been rounded into the budget bills.

House Environmental Budget Bill:

HF1010, authored by committee chair Rep. Denny McNamara (R-Hasting), passed the House floor on a 72-57 vote after a number of hours of debate. There are deep general fund cuts in the environmental and conservation areas in MPCA, DNR, and the BWSR. The bill would close the two state nurseries in a money-saving effort. The DNR has indicated they may have to close a number of state parks if these general fund cuts become law.

The bill also moves money from the LCCMR recommendations to “emerging issues” like CWD, AIS, and a sulfate study. While these emerging issues are very important and need to be dealt with this session, it is being done at the expense of the citizen-involved LCCMR process. The bill also sets aside some of the LCCMR dollars in order to properly manage newly acquired lands and provide dollars to local government for payment for lands coming off the tax rolls.

HF1010 also contains a couple of policy issues. The current sulfide pollution discharge standard for waters capable of growing wild rice is changed from 10 milligrams of sulfate per liter of water to 50 milligrams. This new, weaker standard would be used in the interim while the two-year study takes place. The weaker standard would benefit mining operations and their wastewater discharges, as well as wastewater treatment plants discharges.

Senate Environment Budget Bill:

SF1029, authored by committee chair Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen (R-Alexandria), does not cut the environmental conservation state agencies as deeply as the House bill. However, the general fund cuts also hit hard in the waters and eco-services division, as well as parks and trails.

SF1029 contains a number of policy changes to current state law.  The bill would suspend the current sulfide pollution discharge standard while a new standard is researched and put in place through rule making. The bill lowers the water quality standard for phosphorous discharges into Lake Pepin, places a two-year moratorium on all water rule-making, repeals the protections provided under the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area guidelines, exempts from EAW’s ethanol facilities expansions, and lessens the permit standards of large feedlots.

MEP continues to oppose both bills for financial reasons and concerns, as well as the environmental protection rollbacks that are contained in both bills. We will be working with the governor’s office and the conference committee members to improve these bills into one final bill that the governor could sign.

Nuclear Power Plant Moratorium Lifting:

The conference committee on SF4 / HF9 continues to be on hold. The debate has paused after the problems with nuclear power plants occurred in Japan.

This legislation would repeal the 17-year-old moratorium on building new nuclear power plants in the state. The Governor is actively involved in this legislation and has established three concerns that would need to be addressed if he is going to sign the bill.

SF4 is authored by Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch (R-Buffalo). HF9 is authored by Rep. Joyce Peppin (R-Rogers).

MEP and MEP member organizations oppose the legislation and are encouraging the Governor to veto the bill.

Legacy Clean Water Dedicated Dollars:

The House Legacy Division met this week and merged three bills into one, including the legacy dedicated funds, the clean water dedicated dollars, and the parks and trails dedicated dollars bill. HF1061, authored by Rep. Dean Urdahl (R-Grove City), has become the Legacy Amendment bill to watch. The bill will be finished the week after Easter and be moved to the House for final action.

The bill appropriates the $170 million of clean water dollars raised from the dedicated sales tax funds over two years. There is money for local governments and nonprofit organizations to continue to clean up our lakes and streams. The bill also calls for some changes in the makeup of the current clean water council and its duties. HF1061 now contained the language of HF471, authored by Rep. Denny McNamara (R-Hastings). This section of the bill appropriated the Lessard-Sams legacy dollars for the third year since the constitutional amendment passed in 2008 to dedicate a portion of the sales tax to habit, water, parks, trails, arts, and history. Language in the bill reserves 20% of the Lessard-Sams money for maintenance of lands purchased under the bill and dollars for payments to local government for taking the land off the tax rolls.

MEP and many other organizations are concerned over the deep cuts in environmental and conservation funding in the budget bills and now the possibility that the Legacy dollars could be used to “backfill” the gaps created by the deep general fund cuts. This is not what the voters expected when they voted strongly in support of the Legacy Amendment in 2008.

On Thursday the Senate began putting its Legacy bill together. SF657 is authored by Environment Committee Chair Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen (R-Alexandria). The committee discussed and debated the clean water legacy portion of the bill and will continue putting the bill together after Easter. Both bills are expected to contain the funding provisions for the habitat legacy, clean water legacy, parks and trails legacy, and the arts and history legacy dollars. This bill would replace the current Clean Water Council with a new Clean Water Council modeled after the Lessard-Sams Council. These two bills are where the debate is occurring over state land purchases and money to improve and maintain them, as well as what level PILT payments to local governments for property taxes need to be made and where will they be paid from.

Water Rules Two-Year Moratorium:

SF196, authored by Senator John Pederson (R-St. Cloud) would place a two-year freeze on all water rulemaking currently taking place and calls for a study due back next session regarding consolidation of the water agencies and functions. This bill language is also included in the Senate Environment Finance bill.

HF182 is the House companion and is authored by Rep. Mike Beard (R-Shakopee).

Phosphorous Standards in Lake Pepin:

SF161, also authored by Pederson would require the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin to establish a phosphorous standard for Lake Pepin and implement that new standard only in certain months of the year. This bill language is included in the Senate Environment Finance bill.

HF368 is the House companion and is authored by Rep. King Banaian (R-St. Cloud).

Waters with Wild Rice, Sulfate Standards:

The battle continues over sulfate standards for water where wild rice grows! Changes to the current sulfate standard are included in both the House and Senate Environment Finance bills. An MPCA-led study to determine the appropriate level or standard based on good science is also included and funded in both bills. The current sulfate level in wastewater discharges of 10 milligrams has been in place since 1973. Mining operations and certain legislators believe this standard is not based on any good science and is too strict for them to meet. MEP supports the sulfate standards study to be headed by the MPCA and supports leaving the current sulfate standard in place until the study is complete.

Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area Repeal:

SF39, authored by Senator Benjamin Kruse (R-Brooklyn Park), would repeal the Mississippi River corridor critical area designation that covers the river front planning and development along the 72-mile Mississippi river from Dayton through Hastings. SF39 passed the Senate floor over a week ago on a 35-27 vote.

The bill is also included in the Senate Environmental Finance bill.

The House companion is HF95, authored by Rep. Melissa Hortman (D-Brooklyn Park). Her bill is pending in the House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee.

These bills would repeal state rulemaking for the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area. This 2009 law directs the DNR to work with local units of government and other stakeholders to update minimum standards and guidelines for the river corridor. That work is nearly complete. If allowed to become law, this legislation would prevent new standards and guidelines designed to update protections for the Mississippi River from being enacted.

MEP and many MEP members oppose these bills.

Aquatic Invasive Species Controls:

The legislature is moving forward with an increased effort in the battle against aquatic invasive species. The Governor’s plan is contained in HF1162, authored Rep. John Ward (D-Brainerd).  The fight against AIS includes zebra mussels, Eurasian watermilfoil, and Asian carp. HF1162 increases fines for boaters who don’t properly drain their boats and bait buckets. The Governor has proposed to pay for the increased effort with an increase in the current $5 surcharge every three years tied to boat licenses. These license surcharges would vary depending on the watercraft size and type and are projected to raise $4 million per year for the educational, enforcement, and public awareness AIS campaign. However, HF1162, as currently written, contains policy changes by no increased funding sources.

In the Senate, SF1115, authored by Senator Ingebrigtsen is moving, as well.

Both the House and Senate Environment Finance bills fund an increased AIS effort by the DNR with LCMMR dollars for two years.

The reaction to license fee increases, including boat license fees for AIS, has not been well received at the State Capitol. The majority party considers fees to be taxes and does support raising either at this point in the legislative session. Currently in both budget bills, lottery dollars are being redirected to increase the efforts surrounding the fighting of AIS through education and enforcement.

Bonding Bill:

Rumors around the Capitol continue to include the strong possibility that a bonding bill will be part of the “final solution.” Both the House and Senate Bonding Committees are readying a smaller bonding bill that would deal with flooding concerns and problems for the state and local government in terms of highways and buildings.  The House Bonding Committee has also prepared a working list of existing bonds authorized that, if canceled, would save the state money through reduced debt payments.  The Governor’s $500 million bonding bill, HF607, received one hearing and was laid on the table.

Legislative Approval of Agency Rules:

Legislation is moving that would require legislative approval of any state agency rule making process that would cost of $10,000.  Similar legislation has been introduced relating to elections, education, and health and human services. The philosophy is one of legislative control of rule making so that the rules to do not move too far from the original intent of the legislation.

HF203 is authored by Rep. Torrey Westrom (R-Elbow Lake) and has passed the House.

SF261 is authored by Senator David Senjem (R-Rochester) and is awaiting action on the Senate floor.

Governor Dayton has indicated opposition to these bills, noting that Governor Pawlenty vetoed similar bills in the past.

Local Control:

Legislation of concern has been introduced that could potentially weaken local control for townships, cities, and counties. SF270, authored by Senator Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove) and HF389, authored by Rep. Mike Beard, have raised concerns to some MEP members. To date, no hearings have taken place, but MEP and its members are watching these bills.

LCCMR Dollars:

Both the House and Senate Environment Finance Committees decided to make major changes in the recommendations of the citizen-involved LCCMR. The changes include dropping funding for more than 20 recommended projects in order to free up money for other emerging issues/priorities like chronic wasting disease control, a sulfide standard study, and an AIS control program. Projects cuts were generally research-oriented projects.

Citizen Participation in LCCMR and Lessard-Sams Decisions:

This has been a tough year for citizen participation in the two councils that “make recommendations” regarding lottery dollars and dedicated sales tax dollars. Both the recommendations from the LCCMR and the Lessard-Sams Council have been changed in the legislative process. Changes have been made in the past regarding the old LCMR recommendations and process, but the newer LCCMR version and even newer Lessard-Sams model are not accustom to the Legislature holding and playing the bigger cards. The jury is still out over the fallout of this year’s actions, but a bill, HF1073, has been introduced that would do away with both councils and all the citizens involved and move the decisions back to the legislature. HF1073 is authored by Rep. Rick Hanson (D-South St. Paul).

Innovative Energy Projects:

MEP members are monitoring a new energy bill. SF417, authored by Senator Dave Tomassoni (D-Chisholm), and HF618, authored by Rep. Mike Beard (R-Shakopee), would modify the innovative energy project standards in current law. The bill calls for the use of a combustion turbine generation technology using synthesis gas derived from coal and other hydrocarbon resources as a primary fuel. No hearings have been held to date.

Streamlining of Environmental Review:

HF1 is now Chapter 4.

With the Governor’s signature, a major rollback of environmental review and permitting has taken place.

HF1 establishes a goal of petition decision making within 150 days of application by the DNR and the MPCA in order to provide faster environmental review and permitting.  The Governor had already addressed this concern and legislative priority with a January executive order. The legislature chose to go further then the provisions in the executive order.

The new law eliminates the district courts as the first line of defense for individuals or groups to appeal EIS decisions – leaving only the appeals court to be the court of pubic input.

The bill also allows the proponent of a project to prepare the draft EIS and then have the Responsible Government Agency (RGU) review and approve the document. MEP and others believe that this two-step approach to environmental review could actually slow down the entire process.

The biggest environmental roll back in the bill is language that exempts the IRRRB from MEPA’s requirement that environmental impacts be taken into consideration before making financial decisions relating to proposals in front of the IRRRB. MEP believes strongly that before the IRRRB decides to loan public money to a project such as PolyMet, it should first understand the environmental impacts of what it is funding. This provision was not in the bill as introduced but was added by amendment on the house and senate floors with Republicans and Iron Rangers voting in support of the provision.

This type of environmental review and permitting covered by this new legislation usually occurs in the MPCA on permits for big agriculture feedlots, large construction sites, power plants sitting and building, and the DNR for mining and forestry projects.

MEP and MEP members opposed this bill all the way along the legislative process and asked the Governor for a veto. It did not happen!

Environmental Cut Backs:

These GOP-authored bills are strongly backed by the state Chamber of Commerce and are part of the GOP “jobs creation” and “get government off of the backs of business” package. These bills are, in theory, what the Republicans heard from the general public and business during the campaigns of last year.

The majority party is also against raising taxes for fees—thus the deep cuts to address the $5 billion deficit.

MEP does not support the deep cuts in the budget or the legislative effort to roll back environmental protection in this state. Many gains have been made in the environmental arena over the 10-20 years. Republicans and Democrats, working together, crafted public policy for clean energy alternatives to coal and nuclear energy, stronger protections for our lakes, rivers, and streams, and established ways that the general public and interested parties in general to participate in decisions that affect their communities and lives.

In MEP’s annual polling, Minnesotans indicate that clean energy and clean water are keys to the future of this state. Over 80% of Minnesotan’s polled last fall indicated that they support the need for industry to continue to follow existing laws that protect water, land, and the air—not roll back the protections!

MEP Message & Mission:

With about one more month to go before the Legislature has to adjourn many “experts” around the Capitol are already predicting a special session or “over time.”

The Legislature has agreed on one conference committee report for Agriculture and sent the bill to the Governor, who signed it into law Friday morning.

MEP’s position of protecting our environment, preserving of habitat, improving the quality of our lakes and streams, and using clean energy are strongly supported by the majority of Minnesotans. Our message remains clear. Minnesotans want clean water. They want clean energy jobs.  And they want our Great Outdoors to be protected and preserved for future generations.

MEP and its members groups will continue to lobby the 2011 Legislature and the Governor Dayton administration to “Protect Minnesota’s Future.”

If you have any questions or concerns about the issues mentioned above, or any other, feel free to contact me at gary@capitolconnections.com.

We urge you to contact your local representative and senator and talk to them about good clean energy jobs and the need to continue to enhance and protect the environment. They need to hear from you; grassroots is the key to success!

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

Environment America, with the help of their Minnesota branch, Environment Minnesota, delivered more than 5,000 Valentines Day cards and letters to Lisa Jackson, administrator of the Environment Protection Agency. You can read more about Environment America’s Valentines here.

Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness were also in D.C. on Valentines Day and delivered their bundle of Valentines and petition signatures to Minnesota’s 4th District Congresswoman Betty McCollum. Congresswoman McCollum said she would mention them in an upcoming House Floor deabte about the EPA.

Even though Valentine’s Day is over, you can and should continue to show your support for the EPA’s authority to protect our land, clean water and air. The threats to limit the EPA’s ability to do its job continue:

Business Groups’ Target: EPA (Wall Street Journal)

House GOP readies bill to prohibit EPA from regulating carbon emissions (Washington Post)

Wyoming Senator Seeks to Lasso E.P.A. (New York Times blog)

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It’s important to keep letting Congress and the White House know that we want the EPA to be able to do its job!

You may contact your member of Congress through the Capitol Switchboard: 202.224.3121

Or, find individual contact information for Minnesota’s delegation here

While the issues of strong environmental and financial assurance protection for sulfur mining, clean water protection and investment, and solar industry development were addressed, the audience was full of Minnesota Lakes Association members. They wanted to, and did, talk about aquatic invasive species, especially zebra mussels. Sen. Ingebrigtsen was moved by the strong interest and concerns displayed at the meeting. He has a hearing on the issue this week and is expected to take a strong leadership role in this issue yet this year!

Upcoming in-district meetings include:

Sen. Geoff Michel and Reps. Downey and Mazarol (SD 41)*
Feb. 7, 7-8 p.m.
Edina

Sen. John Howe (SD 28)
Feb. 11, 1-2:30 p.m.
Red Wing

Sen. Sheran and Reps. Morrow and Brynaert (SD 23)
Feb. 12, 10-11:30 a.m.
Mankato

Sen. Reinert and Reps. Huntley and Gauthier (SD 7)
Feb. 18, 3-4:30 p.m.
Duluth

Rep. McNamara (LD 57B)
Feb. 22, 7-8:30 p.m.
Hastings

Please RSVP to Andrew Spaeth at 651.290.0154 for detailed information about these meetings.

*Update, 2/7/2011
The In-District Meeting tonight in Edina has been canceled. Senator Michele’s staff notified MEP this morning. We may reschedule for a future date.

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.

Governor Dayton will release his budget plan on Feb. 15. Come get a look at the details from Abigail Read, Executive Budget Coordinator at Minnesota Management & Budget. There will be time for you to ask questions and to hear ideas from the Minnesota Budget Project about opportunities for you to get involved in the budget debate.

Friday, Feb. 18, 1-2:30 p.m.
Wilder Center, 451 Lexington Parkway North in St. Paul
Parking: Free parking is available and accessible by #16 bus
Fee: Free, but please RSVP.

Read more

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.

Please call your Representative AND Senators to urge them to support $300 million for the GLRI in the fiscal year 2011 budget because of its importance to our region’s environment and economy.

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Let members of Congress know that:

1. Great Lakes restoration is a solid investment.

-    Restoring the Lakes produces $2 for every $1 we invest, and restoration projects create good-paying jobs now, while laying the foundation for long-term prosperity.

2. We’re making progress using the investments from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; hundreds of projects are funded and ready to get under way.

-    Restoration projects deliver results: people and business are re-connecting with their restored waterfronts, fish are returning, toxic sediments are being removed, and the quality of our drinking water is being improved.

-   PROVIDE EXAMPLE of compelling restoration projects by type—habitat, run-off, etc.

3. If we allow restoration efforts to stall, these problems will get worse and the price we pay will be higher.

You may reach your Representative and Senator’s offices through the Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121

- 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.

We need to join together and publicly show our support for the EPA’s role in keeping our nation’s water and air clean and healthy. It is imperative that the EPA is allowed to continue its effective work.

Please join people and organizations from around the country to help support the important work of the EPA:

1. Join the campaign: “Send the EPA a Valentine”
Visit WeHeartEPA.org to sign a Valentine stating, “We love the EPA’s role in protecting our water, air and health.” We want this campaign shared across the state and across the country. The signatures will be delivered in person to the EPA on Feb. 14. Please share this website with others as soon as possible.

2. Write a letter from your organization to the Obama Administration urging them to continue to support the EPA’s role in enforcing existing laws that protect our Great Outdoors. Download a template letter to use and/or modify for your own purposes.

Together, we can make it known that we value the EPA’s efforts to keep us healthy by working for clean air and water.

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.

It’s not a surprise, then, that the National Wildlife Federation identifies 35 separate proposed wind farm projects on the Great Lakes. At the same time, the patchwork of state and federal regulations offer no clear or consistent set of development guidelines for wind developments. And a complex series of obstacles remain – questions about siting wind projects and constructing them to best address concerns about bat and bird populations; viewshed issues of how turbines located on the Great Lakes appear from shore; technical issues that make offshore wind development, at least for the immediate future, most feasible in depths no greater than 30 meters; and issues of siting transmission needed to bring wind onshore and connect it to the population centers who would use it. (There are two offshore demonstration projects in the world in depths greater than 30 meters; these are still in the research phases and will take time to commercialize.)

However, offshore wind development on the Great Lakes offers several compelling advantages as well. Offshore wind as a whole blows more consistently, day and night, and at higher speeds, than its onshore counterpart. Indeed, capacity factors are high enough in some proposals to allow the developers to gain a “capacity payment” from organized electricity markets, usually offered to fossil fuel generation. Moreover, offshore wind is often locate close to population centers. And because offshore wind is available during the day, it can offer power during peak pricing times, making the resource even more useful and more economic. This is to say nothing of the jobs and economic opportunity afforded by manufacturing and constructing these turbines in Great Lakes states, who already have a manufacturing base.

Significant questions, though, remain. Little is known about bird activity in the middle of Great Lakes – where birds land, the impact of taking away a particular landing site, for example – that will be critical to responsibly siting wind projects. Scientists in the Great Lakes area are already working to gather this data as quickly as possible. In the meantime, conservation and environmental advocates continue to work with wildlife experts, scientists, wind industry representatives and other Great Lakes stakeholders to determine what role Great Lakes wind might play in our electricity mix.

You, too, can see a map weighing these factors. The Great Lakes Wind Atlas includes “layers” to better understand the impact of various Great Lakes birds and wildlife, economic activity and other uses of the Great Lakes, available at http://erie.glin.net/wind/.

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.