Great Lakes

Federal Regulations Are Needed to Help Stop Ocean-Faring Vessels from Bringing Harmful Invasive Species into the Great Lakes

November 1, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold and a group of his Senate colleagues from Great Lakes states want the Senate to address the critical issue of ballast water bringing invasive species into the Great Lakes.    » read more »

September 26, 2007 -- LANSING - Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox today urged the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation to oppose provisions of a proposed law that would limit the ability of Michigan, other states and the EPA to protect the Great Lakes from harmful ballast water discharges. Cox and the Attorneys General of five other Great Lakes States - Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - sent a joint letter to the Committee urging them not to approve parts of Senate Bill 1578.    » read more »

CHICAGO (Sept. 25, 2007) - Experts will discuss Lake Michigan and Great Lakes beaches at concurrent conferences in Traverse City, Mich., Oct. 3 to 5. Scientists and beach managers will present the latest research on sustainability and environmental issues affecting the lake, Grand Traverse Bay and Great Lakes beaches.    » read more »

September 12, 2007, Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton joined several of her colleagues in urging the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry to provide assistance in the upcoming 2007 Farm Bill to states whose aquaculture and fishing industries have been blighted by the deadly fish disease, Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS).    » read more »

August 29, 2007 -- LANSING - Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today sent a letter to the governors of the Great Lakes states as well as to the premiers of Ontario and Quebec, urging them to follow Michigan's lead in protecting the Great Lakes from aquatic invasive species by enacting legislation that regulates ballast water discharge from ocean-going ships.

Granholm's letter follows a recent federal court decision that upheld legislation she signed into law that regulates ballast water discharges in Michigan.    » read more »

From the Shore of Lake Superior, Feingold Calls for an Immediate and Comprehensive Approach to Address Decreasing Water Levels

August 18, 2007 -- Port Wing, WI - During his Bayfield County listening session today in Port Wing, Wisconsin, located on the shores of Lake Superior, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold announced he will demand swift action to address the reported dramatic drop in water levels in the Great Lakes.    » read more »

August 6, 2007 - "The Great Lakes have a problem. Freighters are getting stuck in Great Lakes shipping channels, and they need tugboats to turn them around. Many boats can’t reach their docking sites, other ships are carrying reduced loads, and some shipments have simply ceased altogether.

For example, one freighter ran aground in the Saginaw River last year and its rudder was torn off and never found. And shipping at the Wirt Stone Dock in Buena Vista Township has dropped by a whopping 25 percent.    » read more »

July 5, 2007 -- WASHINGTON - Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) hailed inclusion of millions of dollars for Michigan and the Great Lakes in the Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which the Senate Appropriations Committee approved last week. The bill includes over $53 million for operation and maintenance – including dredging – for navigation projects in Michigan , and authorization to upgrade and construct Asian carp barriers on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, which was requested by the senators.    » read more »

Contaminated Water Along Great Lakes Beaches Continues to Threaten Public Health

May 24, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is part of an effort pressing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to improve state assistance for keeping beaches clean, including those along the Great Lakes.    » read more »

May 3, 2007 -- A recent presentation by a conservation officer of the Department Natural Resources to the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce in the Detroit area highlighted the potential adverse effects of introducing Asian carps - black, bighead, grass and silver - to Michigan waters.

DNR Commercial Fish Specialist Steven Huff gave the presentation in April to 85 members of the organization at a recent meeting in Detroit. Huff emphasized the impact the fish could have on the state's commercial and sport fisheries.    » read more »