Council of Great Lakes Industries (CGLI)

President: Kathryn Buckner  

Background information
The Council of Great Lakes Industries (CGLI) was formed in 1991 by the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and a group of U.S. and Canadian companies with significant investment in the Great Lakes Region. The mission of CGLI is to promote the economic growth and vitality of the Great Lakes region in harmony with its human and natural resources (sustainable development).

Activities
CGLI maintains constructive working relationships with Great Lakes Regional policy bodies, including U.S. and Canadian government agencies and other stakeholders, through coordinated industry engagement on key policy issues. Current (2011) policy issues include:

• Revision of the pioneering Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada (which predated Clean Water legislation in both Parties) with the goal of incorporating sustainable development principles;
• Chemical management policy and programs in the Basin including chemicals of emerging concern. Clean up of legacy sediment issues - called Areas of Concern – in support of economic development;
• Implementation of the landmark Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact/Agreement among the States and Provinces to assure that industry and other stakeholders in the Region have access to and are assured responsible use of sustainable water supplies;
• An evaluation of the applicability of world-wide water footprinting/accounting initiatives to the Great Lakes Basin which is being undertaken jointly with the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) with support from the Great Lakes Protection Fund;
• Supporting and monitoring the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to restore the Great Lakes ecosystem through U.S. Federal grants to projects identified in the Great Lakes Restoration Strategy;
• Monitoring the development of strategic action plans for the U.S. National Ocean Policy initiative as it applies to the Great Lakes.

Working to maintain and support science and risk-based decision making in Great Lakes policy by supporting science-based efforts like the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) program.