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Northeast-Midwest Institute
Weekly Update
 
November 20, 2013
In This Issue
Ohio Task Force Releases Recommendations to Reduce Harmful Algal Blooms in Lake Erie
Bicameral, Bipartisan Coalition Requests Fisheries Disaster Support
NEMWI President Speaks at Governor-Hosted Port Conference in Chicago
Ohio Task Force Releases Recommendations to Reduce Harmful Algal Blooms in Lake Erie      

The Ohio Phosphorus Task Force II issued recommendations on reducing the overall inputs of phosphorus to the western Lake Erie basin in order to reduce harmful algal blooms. The Task Force is funded by The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and includes representatives from federal and state agencies as well as academia, industry, and non-profits. The group released its recommendations in a final report last week. In freshwater, phosphorus levels are the main cause of algal blooms, which have increased in frequency and intensity in western Lake Erie since the late 1990s and early 2000s. Specific recommendations include: the development of targets for the Maumee River watershed, the main river feeding into western Lake Erie, as well as other tributaries; expansion of current phosphorus monitoring programs; and working with area stakeholders to improve soil health, nutrient retention, and proper timing and placement of fertilizer. Due to their impact on recreational fishing, marinas, and the local population, harmful algal blooms are receiving greater public scrutiny. The bloom of 2011 was visible from space, and blooms in 2013 led to drinking water advisories, caused by algal toxins not removed by drinking water treatment processes. 

 

For more information, please contact Danielle CheskyNortheast-Midwest Institute.

Bicameral, Bipartisan Coalition Requests Fisheries Disaster Support

A group of 38 members of Congress from the Senate and House-including Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition Co-Chair, Rep. James McGovern (MA-02) and ten other Northeast-Midwest Coalition members-sent a letter to leadership in the Senate, House, and Appropriations Committees, requesting the inclusion of fisheries disaster relief in any FY2014 funding package. The letter cites five specific fisheries disasters, as declared by the Secretary of Commerce, including the impacts from Superstorm Sandy on fisheries in New York and New Jersey and the challenges in the Northeast Multispecies, or Groundfish, Fishery. The members request $150 million, an amount originally included in the Senate's version of the Superstorm Sandy Appropriations bill that was later reduced to $5 million and restricted to just Superstorm Sandy impacts.  

 

For more information, please contact Danielle CheskyNortheast-Midwest Institute. 

NEMWI President Speaks at Governor-Hosted Port Conference in Chicago  

NEMWI President Allegra Cangelosi spoke to a multi-sector gathering in Chicago, IL on integrating ecosystem restoration and maritime industry near- and long-term objectives in the Great Lakes region. The State of Illinois, in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the Great Lakes Commission and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, convened the meeting to advance the field of port management and development in Illinois and throughout the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway marine transportation system. The meeting, entitled "Great Lakes Ports and Regional Growth: Integrating environmental health and economic prosperity" involved some 130 invited participants representing Great Lakes/Seaway port authorities, regional finance and economic development institutions, freight, logistics and transportation interests, industries served by waterborne commerce, environmental protection agencies and non-governmental organizations. Ms. Cangelosi presented a talk entitled "Can Great Lakes Maritime, Job, and Ecosystem Restoration Goals Come Together at the River Mouths?" It urged development of an informed, forward-looking and consensus-driven process for redesigning our approach to Great Lakes harbor use to encourage "right-sizing" of the industry footprint in light of changes in maritime industry trade patterns, and strategic incorporation of ecosystem restoration objectives to deliver bang for the restoration dollar. This reconciliation and integration of restoration and maritime objectives will yield best near- and long-term prospects for Great Lakes River Mouth communities' economies and their resident workforces.  

 

For more information, or a copy of the presentation, please contact Allegra Cangelosi, President, Northeast-Midwest Institute, and Director, Great Ships Initiative.   


   

The Northeast-Midwest Institute: Taking the Rust out of the Rust Belt!

   

 

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