Save the Date - 2017 Annual Meeting!

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative 2017 Annual Member Meeting and Conference will be held June 14-16, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec.  Please check http://glslcities.org/events/annual-meeting/ regularly in the coming months for details and registration.  

Thank You to Laura Bretheim

The Cities Initiative would like to thank Laura Bretheim for her work and commitment to the organization and its members over the last two years.  It is bittersweet for us to announce that Laura is pursuing a new endeavor.  We wish her all the luck on her new adventure!   

Cities Challenging Waukesha Water Diversion

In late August 2016, the Cities Initiative requested a hearing to challenge the decision by the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Council (Compact Council) to allow the City of Waukesha to divert water from Lake Michigan.  The challenge is to make sure the long term integrity of the Great Lakes and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact is preserved.  Depending on the outcome of the hearing, we may consider an appeal of the approval in U.S. District Court. We will keep the membership up to date on developments via email.  In the meantime, please contact David Ullrich at 312-201-4516 or david.ullrich@glslcities.org if you have any questions.

Action on Coal Tar Sealants

US EPA recently reached a settlement regarding the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) for Stormwater Discharges Associated with Industrial Activity.  With this settlement, EPA is poised to take the first federal step, albeit small, toward restricting the use of coal tar sealants.  The settlement requires EPA to propose for comment, when the next MSGP is being developed, a condition that operators who use coal tar sealants are not eligible for coverage under the MSGP.  As coal tar sealant gets worn down, it releases polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a known human carcinogen, as a toxic dust and in stormwater runoff.  PAHs pose particular risk for young children.  To learn more about coal tar sealants, click here or here. 

Of note, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada recently released a Risk Management Scope for public comment regarding coal tar sealants.  The Government of Canada is proposing to consider regulatory or non-regulatory initiatives that would, among other things, minimize the use of coal tar sealants in order to reduce exposure to the general public and the environment.  To read more, click here.