Annual Meetings
Annual Meetings
The GLLC Annual Meeting makes it possible for GLLC members to network with their peers from across the region and learn about the latest developments in Great Lakes-St. Lawrence policy. The GLLC meets annually, with meetings rotating around the eight states and two provinces that share the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.
We rely on event sponsorships to make it possible to host annual meetings of the GLLC. If you are interested in becoming an event sponsor for an upcoming meeting, please contact us at jlienhardt@csg.org.
The GLLC 2025 Annual Meeting will be held in South Bend, Indiana on September 15-16 at the Aloft South Bend. To book with the GLLC group rate of $110/night, please use this link. There is free self-parking at the hotel parking garage.
Registration will be open in the coming months, and travel scholarships for legislators will be available.
Past Annual Meetings
2024 Annual Meeting in Duluth
Forty legislators representing six U.S. states and two Canadian provinces traveled to Duluth, Minn., in early September to explore policies designed to protect and restore the Great Lakes.
At this year’s Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus (GLLC) Annual Meeting, participating legislators adopted policy recommendations on climate resiliency, passed a resolution to study large water withdrawals from within the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin, and elected new officers and an Executive Committee to serve in 2025-2026.
The two newly elected officers of the caucus are Illinois Sen. Laura Fine and Indiana Rep. David Abbott. Along with these two officers, the caucus has an Executive Committee of legislators to oversee and guide its work (see photo and caption). Officers and committee members are chosen for two-year terms.
At the Annual Meeting in Duluth, participants heard presentations on flood resilience, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s water program, green infrastructure, the Great Lakes compact, the management of plastic waste, international science collaboration on the Great Lakes, and Minnesota’s implementation of recently passed PFAS regulations. In addition, the group toured the Duluth Seaway Port Authority terminal and went out on Lake Superior with researchers from the University of Minnesota’s Large Lakes Observatory.
GLLC leadership also participated in a tree planting in partnership with the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers and the city of Duluth as part of the Regional Tree Initiative. The goal of the initiative is to plant 250 million trees in the Great Lakes region by 2033.
Thank you to our sponsors!
2023 Annual Meeting in Quebec City
The 2023 GLLC Annual Meeting was held on September 8-9 in Québec City, Québec at the Hôtel Chateau Laurier Québec. During the meeting, GLLC members considered resolutions and a new strategic plan, as well as attended sessions on water quality, maritime trends, climate resiliency, and nutrient management.
Thank you to our sponsors!
2022 Annual Meeting in Chicago
The 2022 GLLC Annual Meeting was held on September 23-24 in Chicago. Over the course of two days, legislators from across the basin explored a wide range of topics related to protecting the Great Lakes and the region’s other water resources.
Overview of Great Lakes issues covered during sessions at 2022 GLLC Annual Meeting
Thank you to our sponsors!
2020 Virtual Annual Meeting
The 2020 GLLC Annual Meeting was held as a series of virtual meetings in September and October.
Resolutions
- Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Great Lakes Basin
- The Risk Posed to Great Lakes Basin Water Resources and the Health of Residents by Sulfide-Ore Copper Mining
- In Support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
- Recommending Lifting the Private Activity Bonds’ Volume Cap for Water and Wastewater Projects
- Recommending Federal Rate Relief Remedies for Low Income Water and Wastewater Customers Resulting from the COVID-19 Health Emergency
- Calling for Federal Guidance and State Planning to Address Potential Contamination from PFAS Chemicals
- The Dangers of Coal-Tar-Based Sealcoats and Other High-PAH Sealants
- Resolution Honoring Senator Ed Charbonneau, GLLC Chair
Recordings
- Four Years After Flint: Assuring Access to Safe, Affordable Drinking Water
- Meeting Binational Goals: Improving the Management of Nutrients in the Region
- Forever Chemicals: Responding to the Contamination of Drinking Water with PFAS
- Building Regional Opportunities: Building Resilient Communities, Coastal Priorities, and the Great Lakes Impact Investment Platform
Presentations
- Policy Update: GLLC Policies for Reducing Exposure to Lead in Drinking Water
Elin Betanzo, Safe Water Engineering - GLLC Task Force on Nutrient Management
Senator André Jacque, Wisconsin
Chair, GLLC Task Force on Nutrient Management - Meeting Binational Goals for Nutrient Management in the Region
Santina Wortman, US EPA Great Lakes National Program Office - Forever Chemicals: Michigan’s Response to PFAS Contamination
Liesl Clark, Director of Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy - Building a Resilient Great Lakes Basin
Erika Jensen and Eric Brown, Great Lakes Commission - Municipal Engagement on Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Issues
Matt Doss and Eamonn Horan-Lunney, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative - Great Lakes Impact Investment Platform
Mike Piskur, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers
Thank you to our sponsors!
2019 Annual Meeting in Chicago
The 2019 GLLC Annual Meeting was held on September 13-14 in Chicago.
Resolutions
- Urging Additional Research on Nonnative Fish Stocking in the Great Lakes
- Urging the Federal Government to Fund Research on Microplastics in the Environment
Presentations
- Assessing the Investment: The Economic Impact of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
Matt Doss, Great Lakes Commission - Great Lakes St. Lawrence Collaborative: Great Lakes Action Plan 2030
Mark Fisher, Council of the Great Lakes Region, and Betty Sutton, Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Cities Initiative - Implementing the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Water Resources Compact
Peter Johnson, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers - Update on Great Lakes Restoration Initiative/Great Lakes National Program Office
Chris Korleski, Great Lakes National Program Office - Draining Chicago: A Complicated, Ever-Changing and Surprising Story
Richard Lanyon - Risk of Bighead and Silver Carp to the Great Lakes: The Case for Prevention
Dr. John Dettmers, Great Lakes Fishery Commission - Too Much of a Good Thing: The Problem of Nutrient Pollution
Nicole Zacharda, Great Lakes Commission
Thank you to our sponsors!
2018 Annual Meeting in Erie
The 2018 GLLC Annual Meeting was held on September 21-22 in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Resolutions
- Reducing Exposure to Lead in Drinking Water
- Support for Binational Efforts to Reduce Phosphorus Runoff
- Support for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in its Efforts to Stop Asian Carp from Invading the Great Lakes
- Opposing Construction of a Nuclear Waste Repository in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin
- Support for Establishing a Great Lakes St. Lawrence Appreciation Day
- Tribute to the late Patricia Birkholz
Presentations
- Assuring Access to Safe, Affordable Drinking Water in the Great Lakes Region
Katie Rousseau, American Rivers - Federal Initiatives in the U.S. and Canada
Chris Koreleski, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Michael Goffin, Environment and Climate Change Canada - Climate Change and Impacts in the Great Lakes Region
Laura Briley, Great Lakes Integrated Sciences Assessment Center - Green Infrastructure in the Great Lakes States and Provinces: Policy Barriers and Solutions
Margo Davis, Great Lakes Commission
Thank you to our sponsor!
2017 Annual Meeting in Toronto
The 2017 GLLC Annual Meeting was held on September 22-23 in Toronto, Ontario.
Resolutions
- Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Great Lakes Basin
- Supporting the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
- Recognizing the Risk Posed to Great Lakes Basin Water Resources and the Health of Residents by Sulfide-Ore Copper Mining
- Supporting Modernization of the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Presentations
- U.S. Federal Policy & Program UpdateCameron Davis, GEI Consultants
- Great Lakes Great ResponsibilitiesDr. Gail Kratzberg, McMaster University
- IJC Perspectives: Hydrocarbon Transport and Potential Great Lakes Basin Water Quality ImpactsInternational Joint Commission
- Great Lakes Protection
Michael Goffin, Environment and Climate Change Canada - Great Lakes Prosperity: The Promise of Investing in PeopleDr. Rolf Pendall, Metropolitan Housing & Communities Center
Thank you to our sponsor and host!
2016 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee
The 2016 GLLC Annual Meeting was held July 15-16 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Agenda
Attendance
Presentations
- U.S. Federal Policy & Program Update
Cameron Davis, GEI Consultants - Revitalizing Great Lakes Communities: What Works and Why
Brian Vandewalle & Jolena Presti, Vandewalle & Associates - Spotlight on Lake Michigan
J. Val Klump, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences
Thank you to our sponsor!
2015 Annual Meeting in Buffalo
The 2015 GLLC Annual Meeting was held September 25-26 in Buffalo, New York.
Resolutions
- Maintaining Great Lakes Commercial and Recreational Harbors
- Opposing Construction of a Nuclear Waste Repository in the Great Lakes Basin
- Supporting the Waterfront Community Revitalization Act of 2015
- Waukesha Water Diversion
- Supporting Agreement to Reduce Phosphorus in Western Lake Erie
Presentations
- Update on Asian Carp and Efforts to Control Its SpreadMike Weimer, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- Binational Cooperation on Reducing Phosphorus Loadings and Harmful Algal BloomsDereth Glance, International Joint Commission
- Spotlight on Lake ErieKerrie Gallo, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper
- Harbor Maintenance Operations and Funding: Opportunities and Challenges for the Great Lakes Region
Josh Feldman, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Risks and Impacts of Crude Oil Transport in the Great Lakes RegionDr. Susan Christopherson, Cornell University
- Waukesha, Wisconsin: Putting the Great Lakes Compact to the TestNate Drag, Alliance for the Great Lakes
Thank you to our sponsors!
