The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced on behalf of 16 federal agencies the membership of the first advisory board to support implementation of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Joan Rose, the Homer Nowlin Chair in Water Research at Michigan State University, is one of the individuals named to the Great Lakes Advisory Board for a two-year appointment.
The advisory board will provide advice and recommendations to the EPA administrator, who serves as chair of the federal Interagency Task Force. EPA considered candidates from a broad range of interests including business, agriculture, foundations, environmental justice groups, youth organizations, environmental groups, academia and state, local and tribal representatives.
The Interagency Task Force is in the process of scheduling next steps for the Great Lakes Advisory Board in the spring.
The Great Lakes provide more than 30 million Americans with drinking water and underpin a multi-billion dollar economy. In February 2009, President Obama proposed the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades. GLRI funds are being used to accelerate cleanup work in the 29 remaining AOCs identified by the U.S. and Canada under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
More information on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative cane be found here.