Sen. Peters, Rep. Huizenga join effort to update Great Lakes environmental maps

A map of the Grand River entrance to Lake Michigan at Grand Haven. (Supplied/NOAA)

By WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org

As part of a bipartisan effort to update decades-old maps that assess ecological risks to Lake Michigan, including oil spills and natural disasters, Michigan’s U.S. Sen. Gary Peters and U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga joined a group of federal legislators last week to reintroduced legislation to update the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps of the Great Lakes.

The legislation, announced May 7, would direct the Great Lakes Region ESI maps to be updated for the first time in more than 20 years, according to supplied material, joining maps for the East coast, West coast, and Gulf coast that have been updated more recently.

ESI maps, which are coordinated through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), document the potential ecological impacts to natural and human-use resources from possible oil spills, natural disasters, and resource damage. The latest maps can be found at the following link.

The maps will “provide accurate assessments of coastal resources that are at risk of severe damage or a natural disaster, including endangered and threatened species, sensitive shoreline habitats, and widely used community resources such as beaches, parks and boat ramps.”

This information is also used in “planning to create cleanup strategies before an accident occurs so that authorities are better prepared to take action if needed.”

Peters co-authored similar legislation that passed the Senate last September.

“The Great Lakes are an invaluable economic and environmental resource not just for Michiganders but for countless others across the nation, and it is critical that they are monitored and studied as closely as other shorelines and major bodies of water,” Sen. Peters (Democrat) said in supplied material. “This bipartisan legislation would provide scientists and researchers with the necessary tools and data to rapidly respond to a potential oil spill and keep the Great Lakes vibrant and strong for generations to come.”

Rep. Huizenga (Republican, Michigan 2nd District) echoed the importance of the legislation.

“Whether it is responding to rapidly evolving events such as a natural disaster or planning long term projects such as habitat restoration, we need to have reliable and accurate information available,” Rep. Huizenga said in supplied material. “Having up to date ESI maps are vital to correctly identifying vulnerable locations and establishing priorities to properly protect Michigan residents as well as the Great Lakes ecosystem.”

Last year, Sen. Peter urged NOAA work to update the ESI maps for the Mackinac Straits. But this new legislation would impact all the Great Lakes shorelines, including the West Michigan Lake Michigan shoreline.