Echo

Advocates for cleaning Michigan toxic hotspots plot strategy for securing Great Lakes Restoration Initiative dollars

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By Allison Bush, bushalli@msu.edu
Great Lakes Echo
Aug. 5, 2009

Federal agencies and Michigan residents looking to clean up Great Lakes toxic hotspots planned Tuesday how to obtain a piece of the Obama Administration’s proposed $475 million environmental protection initiative. The meeting was held at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan has 14 of the Great Lakes’ 43 Areas of Concern, or AOCs, designated by the U.S and Canada as impaired or unable to support aquatic life. Only one U.S. site, located in New York, has been cleaned to where it could be formally delisted. “Some people feel that’s not a lot of progress over the past 20 years,” said Matt Doss, policy director for the Great Lakes Commission, who moderated the meeting.

Echo

VIDEO: Michigan residents urge public input for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

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Editors note: Catch tweets of hearing from Echo and others on Twitter at #GLRI Related stories here. Related poll here. By Allison Bush, bushalli@msu.edu
Great Lakes Echo
Aug. 3, 2009

When more than 30 Michigan residents approached the microphone at a Great Lakes public hearing Monday, two messages were repeated: the public needs to be included in the Obama Administration’s $475 million plan to restore the Great Lakes, and there needs to be an effort to educate others. “If we don’t educate people to understand how their day-to-day activities impact the quality of the Great Lakes, our efforts may be lost,” one resident said.

Echo

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative meeting in East Lansing, Mich., tonight; State Area of Concern officials plan strategy Tuesday

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By Allison Bush, bushalli@msu.edu
Great Lakes Echo
Aug. 3, 2009

Environmental Protection Agency officials are coming to Michigan tonight to discuss how the Obama Administration’s proposed $475 million to clean up the Great Lakes should be spent. The two-hour public meeting starts at 5 p.m. at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Center, 55 S. Harrison Ave. in East Lansing. This is the seventh hearing in a series of eight – one was designated in each of the Great Lakes states.

Echo

Great Lakes toxic hot spots could get restoration boost from GLRI

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Editors note: Congress is considering a $475 million appropriation for Great Lakes cleanup. This story is part of an occasional look at proposals for spending it. Weigh in on this and other ideas on Echo’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative forum. Other stories. By Andrew McGlashen
amcglashen@gmail.com
Great Lakes Echo
July 31, 2009
A plan to spend $147 million to restore Great Lakes toxic hotspots is inspiring cautious optimism among those involved in a long and often frustrating cleanup process.

Echo

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative may restore fish passages, habitats

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Editors note: Congress may invest $475 million this year in Great Lakes cleanup. This story is part of an occasional look at proposals for spending it. Weigh in on this and other ideas or suggest your own on Echo’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative forum. Other stories. By Allison Bush, bushalli@msu.edu
Great Lakes Echo
July 24, 2009

Old hydropower dams and roadways that cross streams can keep Great Lakes fish from traveling upstream to spawn.

Echo

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could play major role in Great Lakes habitat restoration

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Editors note: Congress may invest $475 million this year in Great Lakes cleanup. This story is part of an occasional look at proposals for spending it. Weigh in on this and other ideas on Echo’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative forum. Other stories. By Jeff Gillies
jeffgillies@gmail.com
Great Lakes Echo
July 23, 2009

A federal agency better known for dredging harbors than building wetlands could soon have a bigger stake in restoring Great Lakes habitats.

Echo

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative may battle beach bacteria

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Editors note: Congress is considering a $475 million appropriation for Great Lakes cleanup.  This story is part of an occasional look at proposals for how to spend it.  Is this an appropriate use of these funds? Weigh in on this and other ideas or suggest your own on Echo’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative forum. Other stories. By Allison Bush, bushalli@msu.edu
Great Lakes Echo
July 21, 2009

Getting buried in the sand at the beach is a childhood rite-of-passage that could have negative consequences. Children could also be playing with bacteria and viruses that can lead to vomiting or diarrhea.