Great Lakes Commission Develops Plan to Track Phosphorus Reduction
By Beth Florkowski of Fausone & Grysko, PLC posted in Environmental Law on Wednesday, June 29, 2016.
Back in June 2015, the Governors of Michigan and Ohio, as well as the Premier of Ontario, pledged to reduce phosphorous loads in the Western Lake Erie Basin by 40%. Environmental groups were skeptical of this agreement, believing that it was just another empty promise. There was no method of tracking reduction efforts across State and international borders… until recently.
The Great Lakes Commission announced an information tracking platform called ErieStat. Under this system, the most qualified experts will deliberate and determine the standardized measurements used to track progress against shared, region-wide goals. In turn, this collaboration of information will allow governmental leaders to better set priorities and allocate resources where needed.
The implementation of ErieStat demonstrates the regional leaders’ commitment to real change. Interested parties will now be able to monitor progress, propose new initiatives in response to changing conditions, and provide real data to reassure the public that their waters are seeing improvements.