On Sept. 7, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and Canadian Environment Minister Peter Kent signed an updated Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. For the first time in 25 years, the revised agreement commits the two countries to implementing Great Lakes restoration and protection efforts based on input from municipalities, tribes, states, provinces, businesses, and public interests. The agreement, last updated in 1987, addresses critical health issues in the Great Lakes region and is a model of binational cooperation to protect water quality. The two governments began negotiations in 2009 to strengthen the agreement. Read more.

On Sept. 13, as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), EPA gave more than $1.7 million to the Cleveland area for green infrastructure projects. In the last 3 years, GLRI has provided more than $29.8 million in grants to restore watersheds and improve Great Lakes water quality. The names of all grantees and their projects can be found here.