Michigan Department Of Environmental Quality News

A U.S. Coast Guard marine science technician and an environmental quality analyst for Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality surveyed the Straits of Mackinac onboard a vessel Thursday. The responders did not identify any mineral oil sheens, signs of pollution, or adverse impacts to the environment or wildlife. Earlier this week, hundreds of gallons of mineral oil has been released from a leaking underwater utility line in Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac. Members of the U.S.

Hundreds of gallons of mineral oil has been released from a leaking underwater utility line in Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac, this week. Initial reports from the responsible party, American Transmission Company (ATC), indicate that approximately 600 gallons of product has been released, with maximum spill potential of more than 4,000 gallons. The U.S. Coast Guard said it has established a Unified Command comprised of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, county emergency managers, local tribes, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that two U.S. Areas of Concern, Deer Lake in the Lake Superior basin and White Lake in the Lake Michigan basin, have been removed from the binational list of toxic hotspots that were targeted for cleanup in the U.S.-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. After decades during which only one U.S. Area of Concern was delisted, federal agencies have accelerated cleanup actions during the past five years by using Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding.

The Coast Guard 9th District, partner agencies, and Enbridge Energy Limited Partnership will conduct a full-scale oil spill response exercise in Indian River, Michigan, Wednesday. More than 200 participants from the Coast Guard; Enbridge; the Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet County Office of Emergency Management; Michigan Department of Environmental Quality; and the Environmental Protection Agency, will participate in the exercise, which simulates a breach in Enbridge’s Line 5 and a worst-case discharge of light crude oil.

The Michigan Boating Industries Association (MBIA) thanks the Michigan State House and Senate for speedy support of bills. The package included assistance to public and private marinas and helped streamline the regulatory process within the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The package received near unanimous support from both sides of the aisle and is headed to the Governor for his signature. "We commend the Senate and House for their commitment to help Michigan's marinas and Michigan's boaters," said MBIA Board Chairman Jim Coburn . "We are pleased our legislators recognize the importance of Michigan's boating industry to the future of Michigan. Thanks also needs to be given to Governor Snyder for identifying the crisis in early January and issuing a call to action.

Coast Guard, Response Agencies deploy equipment for oil-recovery training in Michigan waters. Members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, oil spill response organizations, Enbridge Energy Partners and several other agencies this week participated in a unique exercise out of St. Ignace, Mich., Monday through Wednesday, during which several techniques for recovering spilled oil and other hazardous materials from icy waterways were tested and evaluated.

The maritime community is reminded that the Final Determination and Notice regarding Ballast Water Treatment for Oceangoing Vessels on the Great Lakes, issued by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality on April 13, 2005, came into effect on January 1, 2007. The State of Michigan has determined that one or more ballast water treatment methods are available to prevent introduction of aquatic invasive species into the Great Lakes by oceangoing ships. Oceangoing ships planning to operate on the Great Lakes are expected to identify, select, install, and operate such devices. Note: It is unclear how this unilateral mandate will be applied, particularly with regard to oceangoing vessels that elect to not call in Michigan ports and merely pass through Michigan waters.

Attorney General Jennifer M. Granholm has joined Attorneys General from around the Great Lakes states in filing a brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that asks the Court to order the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address the problem of aquatic nuisance species in the ballast water of Great Lakes ships. In a "friend of the court" brief filed jointly with the states of New York, Minnesota, and Illinois, Granholm asked the EPA to repeal its exemption of ballast water from federal Clean Water Act (CWA) regulations. Currently, the CWA requires sea-going vessels that discharge pollutants to obtain a permit, but ballast water is exempt from the requirement.