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by Dan Egan | Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

The fish have migrated to within 15 miles of the new barrier. The only defense for the Great Lakes for the past several years has been a smaller, weaker “experimental” barrier that has a history of failing and that biologists believe is not strong enough to repel juvenile carp, which, because of their size, are less affected by electrified water.

Some Great Lakes advocates are beyond frustrated with the way the Army Corps of Engineers has handled the project, noting that the ravenous filter-feeders, disparagingly dubbed the “100-pound zebra mussel,” could destroy what’s left of the lakes’ ecological integrity and multibillion-dollar fishing and tourist industries.

“They are not looking out for the public’s interest,” charges Tom Marks of the New York chapter of the Great Lakes Sport Fishing Council. “They’re looking out for the barge operators.”

To date nearly $1 million has been spent to examine such things as what would happen if someone tumbles off a barge and into the electrified water in the barrier zone, which covers a half-mile of canal.

According to documents the Journal Sentinel obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the U.S. Navy’s Experimental Diving Unit was hired to do that job. It took $100,000 and more than a year of computer modeling and analysis, but the Navy has finally reached a conclusion: Similar to falling into icy water, you might be incapacitated and die. Or, you might not.

Read the full story, concerns, quotes and many more details at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel >>

By Amy Ryan | Source: Wausau Daily Herald

Dan Dillabough spent 14 years cooking on freighter ships on the Great Lakes, so when he opened his restaurant in the Cedar Creek Mall, he wanted it to reflect that experience.

Dillabough decorated The Galley Cafe, which opened Sept. 17, with charts of oceans and lakes and photographs he took while working on the ships.

The menu, however, is all land-based, with a selection of gourmet hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken sandwiches. Although many of the items are your typical sandwiches, some, such as the Hawaiian burger with grilled pineapple, are more exotic.

“Everybody loves burgers,” Dillabough said. “I wanted to offer a lot of different varieties and combinations you don’t see everywhere.”

The Galley Cafe is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays. Call 262-298-3118 for take-out orders or delivery.

Read more about the places Dan visited and his galley favorites at the Wausau Daily Herald >>

by Dan Egan | Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

President Bush signed the Great Lakes compact into law Friday morning, culminating a decade-long push to pass sweeping protections for the world’s largest freshwater system.

The two Canadian provinces that border the Great Lakes have signed a parallel agreement.

Read the full story at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel >>

Source: RedOrbit

A new rule requiring all ships to flush their ballast tanks in the Atlantic Ocean before entering the Saint Lawrence Seaway should be enough to save the Great Lakes, an expert says.

Collister Johnson, administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation said the rule solves the issue of protecting the five lakes from invasive species carried by incoming ships.

“I just wonder sometimes if (environmental groups) appreciate that they’ve won the battle. And whether we ought to move on to other things like sewage runoff, and infrastructure, and other things that are problems for the Great Lakes,” Johnson said.

Read the full story at RedOrbit >>

Related: Michigan could find energy windfall just off its shores - Detroit Free Press

By TINA LAM | Source: Detroit Free Press

Michigan has far greater potential for wind energy than anyone previously thought — offshore in the Great Lakes that surround it, according to a new report.

The report by Michigan State University’s Land Policy Institute said Michigan could produce as much as 321,000 megawatts of electricity from offshore wind, if turbines could be erected at any depth, without regard to shipping lanes or aesthetic concerns.

That’s more than 10 times the amount of electricity generated now statewide, at its peak, from all sources, including coal and nuclear plants, the report said.

Read the full story at the Detroit Free Press >>

by Jeff Alexander | Source: The Muskegon Chronicle

Freighters may continue to wash unlimited quantities of coal, limestone and other dry cargo residues into the Great Lakes under a new federal policy.

The U.S. Coast Guard Monday finalized an interim policy that allows the long-standing but controversial — and possibly illegal — practice of washing dry cargo residues into the lakes to continue indefinitely. The policy enacted Monday replaces a 1998 interim policy.

The new policy requires shippers to keep records of where and when they wash cargo residuals into the lakes and the quantities involved. It also banned the practice, known as washdown or dry cargo sweeping, in 11 ecologically sensitive areas on the lakes.

Read the for/against reactions from many stakeholders >>

by Elizabeth Dunbar | Source: Forbes

ST. PAUL - The state pollution control agency approved strict standards for ships that discharge ballast water into Lake Superior, hoping they will cut down on the spread of harmful invasive species.

Unlike federal proposals pending in Congress, the new permit process will cover both oceangoing vessels and ships that stay within the Great Lakes.

…. by 2016, ships will be required to treat their ballast water before dumping it into Minnesota waters.

Details of interim and longer-range management, enforcement at Forbes >>

James Rowen | Source: The Political Environment

The Great Lakes Compact won overwhelming approval in the US House of Representatives today, and moves to the White House for the president’s promised signature.

On balance, this is an important advancement for Great Lakes preservation, and hats off to the many activists and public officials who spent years getting this document created and approved.

Several issues remain.

The first is the need for …

Read the full article at the Political Environment >>

by Tom Meersman | Source: Star Tribune

Weary of waiting for federal action, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is scheduled to vote on a precedent-setting rule today that will prohibit ships from dumping untreated ballast water into Duluth-Superior harbor and other state waters.

State officials say they have to act because Duluth receives far more ballast water than any other Great Lakes port, making it more at risk from invasive species.

The state’s proposal would require all large ships to begin treating their ballast water before dumping it, beginning in 2016. Possible treatment includes filtering through extremely fine screens or sand; using chemicals such as chlorine or ozone; or applying methods such as ultraviolet radiation or heat.

New ships would have to have the treatment technology working by 2012.

Ship owners and trade associations agree that invasive species are a problem, but object to Minnesota’s plan.

Read the full story at the Star Tribune >>

Source: Duluth News Tribune

After months of quagmire, a compromise may be emerging. Under a new Senate “discussion’’ bill, the criteria for killing organisms (how small and how many are allowed in the ballast water after treatment) would increase to 1,000-times greater than the IMO standard. That would bring the federal legislation in line with California’s law and was expected to spur Boxer to allow the ballast bill to advance.

Some issues remain, however. Boxer and California environmental groups want the Clean Water Act to apply to ballast discharges in addition to the new law. That would allow citizens to sue if they felt the ballast laws weren’t working to protect waterways. Industry officials and many Senators say that amounts to double jeopardy, putting the shipping industry under two separate sets of rules.

Another problem for some Minnesota groups, including the PCA, is that the federal legislation still doesn’t include Great Lakes freighters.

More issues, full story at the Duluth News Tribune >>

Source: Canadian Press

Senator Barack Obama will propose a $5-billion trust fund for Great Lakes cleanup and restoration if elected president, his campaign said Tuesday.

The fund, to be phased in over 10 years, would be the centrepiece of a plan that also includes designating a co-ordinator to oversee Greats Lakes programs and a stepped-up fight against invasive species.

… The trust fund would be paid for by rolling back tax breaks for oil companies, Obama’s campaign said. It would support a variety of projects including sewage system repairs, cleanup of polluted sediments and restoration of wetlands and wildlife habitat.

The Great Lakes co-ordinator, based in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, would help develop a priority list for federal, state and local initiatives.

Obama’s program also pledges a “zero toxics” policy for the lakes, which make up nearly one-fifth of the world’s fresh surface water. It calls for measuring pollution already entering the lakes, determining the sources and reducing future deposits.

Another priority would be strengthening federal standards against mercury, a leading Great Lakes pollutant, the campaign said.

The plan also promises a more aggressive effort to prevent additional exotic species from reaching the lakes, particularly the Asian carp, which has infested the Mississippi River and is moving toward Lake Michigan.

It says Obama would work with the eight Great Lakes states to stop freighters from bringing exotics to the region in their ballast water.

Full story, quotes, and McCain camp reply at Canadian Press >>

Source: Lake Carriers Association

With higher water levels allowing Great Lakes freighters to carry bigger cargoes, the iron ore trade on the Great Lakes totaled 6.8 million net tons in August, an increase of 8.6 percent compared to a year ago.

The increase in water levels did allow one U.S.-Flag Laker to twice carry more than 68,000 tons in a single trip. However, if dredging of the Great Lakes Navigation System was sufficient to allow for a full load, the 1,000-foot-long vessel would have carried more than 71,000 tons each trip.

For the year, the Great Lakes iron ore trade stands at 39 million tons, an increase of 10 percent compared to a year ago. Shipments also are ahead of the 5-year average for the January-August timeframe by a like margin.

Related: Seaway unionized workers OK strike after October 10th - Seaway System

by Matthew Van Dongen | Source: St. Catharines Standard

St. Lawrence Seaway workers, including about 300 in Niagara, have given their union a strike mandate.

In three separate votes this month, 445 Seaway workers gave their union a mandate to strike after Oct. 10, said Mike Menicanin, a national representative for Canadian Auto Workers.

That includes operations and maintenance workers, supervisors and headquarters staff from Niagara to Quebec.

… If a strike happened, the seaway would close. The company said it is preparing a contingency plan for “an orderly shutdown.”

Read the full story at the St. Catharine’s Standard >>

by Richard Palmer | Source: The Crooked Lake Review Blog

During the mid-19th century, Oswego was a major port on the Great Lakes. More than 100 schooners were owned here and the harbor was a beehive of activity. There were also several shipyards.

Such stirring scenes as a half-dozen ships sailing into the harbor have long since vanished. But this heritage is being reborn in the form of the Oswego Maritime Foundation’s pride and joy, the “OMF Ontario,” which is to proudly sails out of the harbor into Lake Ontario as in days of old.

Excellent detailed article on the history of this great port at Crooked Lake Review Blog >>

Source: Sault Boat Watching

The Valley Camp Museum Ship is one of our favorite spots to bring visitors to our cabin in the summer. Young and old love the chance to see a Great Lakes freighter. Plus, the Valley Camp has great exhibits including the lifeboat from the Edmund Fitzgerald and an aquarium of Great Lakes fish.

Other museum ships, vessels available and great photos at the Sault Boat Watcher >>

Steve Orr | Source: Democrat and Chronicle

After holding public hearings, the commissioners failed to adopt Plan B+ or anything else. Instead, another plan was developed behind closed doors. That regimen, called Plan 2007 and released early this year, was cast as protecting shoreline properties while aiding the environment somewhat.

More public hearings, including one in Greece, were held. Many shoreline residents said they could live with Plan 2007 or with the current rules. Environmentalists continued to lobby for B+ and panned Plan 2007.

But now that plan, too, is being scrapped by the IJC. In its letter, the commissioners said the hearings revealed “serious divisions” and “little support” for Plan 2007.

Instead, they want help in crafting yet another plan, one that would, according to the IJC letter, “move toward more natural flows to benefit the environment, while respecting other interests.”

For the first time, though, the IJC is asking the government agencies to put together specific plans to deal with the impact of the higher and lower water levels that might result from a pro-environment regimen.

Very lengthy article, quotes from many affected and possible consequences at the Democrat and Chronicle >>

By JOHN FLESHER | Source: Chicago Tribune

Day after day, ships longer than three football fields depart Great Lakes ports after picking up or delivering loads of iron ore, coal and other cargo. Reaching open water, crews wash the decks with high-powered hoses.

It’s called “cargo sweeping,” because residues that spill onto decks during loading and unloading are swept overboard. The U.S. Coast Guard estimates that 1 million pounds of such debris is washed into the lakes every year.

… But shippers say requiring them to collect the residue, move it onshore for treatment and flush it into municipal wastewater systems would impose ruinous costs. A Coast Guard report last month estimated the price tag at $51.8 million up front, plus $35.7 million a year — more than the annual profit for the entire industry.

“What some are proposing could mean the end of Great Lakes shipping and the movement of cargo by more expensive and less eco-friendly modes of transportation,” said Glen Nekvasil, spokesman for the Lake Carriers Association, which represents U.S.-flagged freighters on the Great Lakes.

Nice analysis of the conflict, quotes from both sides at the Chicago Tribune >>

Source: Lake Carriers Association

Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 4.4 million net tons in August. While the total represents an increase of 12 per cent compared to a year ago, shipments in August of 2007 were sluggish, said the Lake Carriers’ Association.

“The five-year average is the better barometer,” said the Association, “and in that regard, this August was off the pace by nearly 100,000 tons.”

Although water levels have risen, the dredging crisis continued to limit the amount of stone vessels could deliver to customers. Read the rest of this entry »

by Jeff Alexander | Source: The Muskegon Chronicle

Ocean freighters spew twice as much soot into the air as previously believed and tugboats are among the worst maritime offenders when it comes to air pollution, according to a new government study.

“Commercial shipping emissions have been one of the least studied areas of all combustion emissions,” said Daniel Lack, a NOAA scientist who led the study.

Researchers studied plumes of black smoke from 96 different ships, including cargo freighters, tankers, ferries, large fishing boats and tugs. Most of the boats were sampled in the Houston Ship Channel.

James Weakley, executive director of the Lake Carriers Association, said lake freighters that operate exclusively within the Great Lakes emit less soot than ocean ships. The reason: Lake freighters burn a lighter grade of diesel fuel, which produces less soot than the thicker fuel ocean freighters use.

“A straight comparison between an oceangoing ship and a laker is not a fair comparison,” said Weakley, whose group represents 63 U.S.-flagged ships on the Great Lakes.

Tugboats emit nearly a gram of soot per kilogram of fuel burned — twice as much as any other vessel type, according to the researchers. They attributed the disproportionate amount of soot emissions from tugs to the thick, tar-like fuel the small but mighty vessels burn in their engines.

“Tugboats are a huge source of black carbon that may be underreported or not reported at all in emissions inventories compiled by ports,” Lack said in a press release.

Weakley said lake freighters, which are equipped with bow thrusters to improve maneuverability, use tugboats less often than ocean freighters. He said freighters are the cleanest way to move large volumes of cargo; freighters haul about 200 million tons of cargo on the Great Lakes annually.

“If you take into account the economies of scale and the tons of cargo moved per mile of fuel consumption, our ships move a ton of cargo from Duluth to Detroit on one gallon of fuel,” Weakley said. “That’s a distance of about 800 miles on one gallon of fuel — you couldn’t get that kind of mileage in a Toyota Prius.”

Much more about this study and previous studies at the Muskegon Chronicle >>