Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species and their Impacts on Milwaukee, WI Prepared for: City of Milwaukee, Department of Administration, Budget and Management Division May 7, 2010 By: Adam Felts, Evan Johnson, Margaret Lalor, Scott Williams, Noah Winn-Ritzenberg

Objectives  Define the context in which AIS affect Milwaukee  Develop policy-relevant goals and priorities  Identify potential policies that Milwaukee should support  Consider connections to the Port of Milwaukee Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs

Motivation  Great Lakes are important for Milwaukee economy, recreation, resources, heritage  Harmed by last two centuries of human activity  Role of Port of Milwaukee

Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs Roadmap  Context  Ecological impact of AIS  Economic Impact of AIS  Economic benefits of Great Lakes shipping  Regulatory environment  Goals for AIS policy  Policy recommendations

Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs Aquatic Invasive Species  Non-native species  Cause economic or environmental harm  Potential for more invasions

Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs How AIS Enter the Great Lakes  AIS enter Great Lakes in many different ways -Canal systems -Dumping -Fish farming -Boats & trailers moving between water bodies -Ballast water release  Ballast water is key  55 to 70 percent of AIS introductions since 1959

Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs

Lessons from Current Ecological Damage  Numerous impacts  Many different species Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs

Economic Impact of AIS  AIS threaten a number of industries  Great Lakes fisheries – $7 billion annually  Great Lakes recreation  Industrial raw water users  Sources of uncertainty  Difficult to measure ecological damage  Difficult to monetize Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs

Estimated Costs of AIS  Estimated costs of AIS in the Great Lakes range from $200 million to $5.7 billion annually  Impacts on Milwaukee  Raw water users and lakefront recreation Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs

AIS Prevention Options  Ballast water treatment  Onboard  Offboard  Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway infrastructure changes (GL-SLS)  Close the GL-SLS to oceangoing ship  Close the Chicago locks  Build a longer term electrical barrier Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs

Economic Impacts of Ports  Wisconsin ports generate 11,338 jobs  Transport 78 percent of state commodities  Port of Milwaukee generates 2,028 direct and indirect jobs  $80 million industry revenues  $35 million tax revenues Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs

Regulations  International Maritime Organization  2004 Treaty  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency  Federal permit system  U.S. Coast Guard  Proposed ballast water regulation Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs

State Level Regulations  Great Lakes states such as Minnesota, Michigan, New York and Wisconsin  Wisconsin regulations are designed to incentivize innovation Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs

Inferences from Research  Milwaukee cannot tackle AIS on its own  AIS policy should be guided by the precautionary principle  Prevention is more cost-effective than managing an established AIS  AIS management options are cheaper than doing nothing at all Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs

Policy Goals  Ecological responsibility  Prevent economic damage by AIS  Preserve economic vitality of Milwaukee  Political feasibility Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs

Policy Recommendations  Support strong but flexible national regulation on ballast water  Do not support closing the Chicago Locks as a sole means of controlling Asian carp  Collaborate to secure funding for AIS management  Use media attention to educate public Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs

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