Insider Intelligence

This week, Governor Rick Snyder announced “The Michigan Invasive Carp Challenge.”  Using a $1 million appropriation authorized by the Governor and the Michigan Legislature, the challenge seeks to find the best solutions to tackle the looming crisis posed by invasive species in the Great Lakes.  The goal is to find the most cost effective manner […]

Registration has opened for the “Water Infrastructure Conference: A National Conversation in Flint”.  The conference is bringing together local governments and key stakeholders in a national conversation about the urgent need for reinvestment in critical water infrastructure.  The conference will be held March 7-9, 2017 at the Riverfront Banquet Facility in Flint.  Attendees will include […]

On Wednesday, the Office of the Great Lakes (OGL) released their 2016 State of the Great Lakes report.  The OGL, housed within the Department of Environmental Quality, invited authors from state agencies, academia, and the private sector to discuss initiatives and events of note to the region and the watershed for the annual report.  The […]

On December 16, President Barack Obama signed into law the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act.  The new Act authorizes the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) at $1.5 billion over the course of five-years, dedicates funding for maritime priorities including the Great Lakes Navigation System, strengthens protections for fish and wildlife, and authorizes funding […]

On Tuesday, the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes released the final part of the State Water Strategy.  The collaboratively-developed plan features a series of seventy-five strategic recommendations for the sustainable management, protection, and enhancement of Michigan’s water resources. The fourth and final part of the strategy highlights recommendations for developing water monitoring systems and […]

This week, the Senate Natural Resources Committee announced they will hold an advice and consent hearing on September 7.  The hearing will be for Heidi Grether, the newly appointed director of the Department of Environmental Quality.  Governor Rick Snyder appointed Ms. Grether in July (see previous article) and the appointment is subject to the advice […]

On Tuesday, Governor Rick Snyder sent a letter to Michigan’s Congressional delegation formally requesting the federal government to full fund reconstruction of portions of the Soo Locks.  Specifically, he requests funding for replacing the Davis and Sabin Locks with a larger, single lock to make waterway traffic and shipping more reliable. In 2015, the United […]

This week Governor Rick Snyder, along with seven other Great Lakes states, voted to allow Waukesha, Wisconsin to draw eight million gallons per day from Lake Michigan.  Currently the city is drawing water from the Lake Michigan Basin for their municipal water supply, treats and diverts the water to the Mississippi River Basin.  Under the […]