Approved: January 13, 2006

MINUTES OF DECISIONS
INTERNATIONAL JOINT COMMISSION
COMMISSIONERS MEETING
December 13, 2005
Chicago, IL

The International Joint Commission met at the Corps of Engineers' offices in Chicago, Illinois, on December 13, 2005, chaired by Dennis Schornack.

1. PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS FOR THE GREAT LAKES WATER

Commissioners:

1. approved a production schedule for a synthesis report, with the addition of a conference call on Friday, January 20, 2006, at 1:30pm EST for each Commissioner to provide comments on the draft report;
   
   
2. approved the general approach suggested by staff regarding the content of the report subject to discussed refinements, including highlighting main messages early in the report and incorporating newspaper articles and radio stories into a CD to included with the report;
   
   
3. noted that, from the record of the public consultations conducted, the public not only appears to have presumed the IJC will have a further public consultation role during the review of the Agreement but also provides suggestions for how that role should be conducted. Commissioners agreed to consider as one main message suggesting an IJC public consultation role during the review of the Agreement;
   
   
4. approved sending the proposed thank-you letters to panelists who assisted with the web dialogue, subject to edits; and
   
   
5. approved sending thank-you letters to members of the advisory committee and to providers of venues for the public consultation meetings.

2. IJC ADVICE ON THE GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY AGREEMENT REVIEW

Commissioners approved:

1. sending soon, and again following the Canadian elections, a letter signed by six Commissioners to the President and Prime Minister and copying the appropriate Departments in each country to request that (1) Foreign Affairs and State Department take the lead in undertaking the review of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and (2) to expedite the anticipated review by governments, and then following up with meetings at the highest levels of government to discuss these requests;
   
   
2. issuing separately a second letter to suggest that governments ensure that progress under the current Agreement continues during the time when the Agreement is being reviewed, and to provide advance notice that the Commission anticipates providing its report synthesizing public comments early in 2006 as requested and providing its own advice on the review of the Agreement in June 2006;
   
   
3. staff determining when governments intend to issue to the public their plan for conducting the review; and
   
   
4. staff preparing a document for Commission consideration that provides early advice on the review of the Agreement, including drawing on advice from the Commission's boards, that could be useful to working groups established for the governments' review process.

3. 13^TH BIENNAL REPORT

• Commissioners approved Option 1B, issuing a special report to the governments on Commission advice on the review of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and a separate biennial report in the fall of 2006; agreed that the biennial report would address governments' progress under the Agreement and any further advice concerning the review of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement that would be timely then; and requested that the biennial report be shorter and emphasize what is most important.

4. REVIEW OF IJC MISSION STATEMENT AND PRINCIPLES

• A review of the Commission's mission statement and principles was deferred to a later date.

5. REPORTS

1. SPILLS REPORT. Commissioners approved the draft report subject to minor edits and including an introductory statement at the start of the section on "Findings" emphasizing the need for greater commitment to coordination and noting the key role of detection; and asked staff to translate, print, and send to all levels of government involved with a covering letter.
   
   
2. INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY REPORT. Commissioners approved the report subject to a minor edit and asked staff to translate, print, and distribute to appropriate parties, including dam owners and operators, while remaining cognizant of any security concerns.

6. UPPER LAKES PLAN OF STUDY

1. Commissioners discussed beginning the study in the spring of 2006 and the availability of funding for the study and agreed that the U.S. Section would send the Canadian Section a letter advising it of the availability of U.S. funds, that the Canadian Section would approach agencies to discuss funding and personnel, and to revisit the subject at a meeting in conjunction with the January 24-26, 2006 meeting of the Science Advisory Board at Wingspread.
   
   
2. Commissioners approved the draft directive provided by staff subject to clarifying language concerning independent review, adding language regarding communications support to the Study Board, adding language from the IJC Guiding Principles on board composition, and confirming a revised draft during its conference call on December 16, 2006.
   
   
3. Commissioners approved Public Participation Guidelines subject to removing the number of members of the Public Interest Advisory Group (PIAG) and to specifying that the PIAG shall meet at least twice per year and more often as needed.

7. OTHER BUSINESS

1. GREAT LAKES REGIONAL COLLABORATION, ANNEX 2001.
   Commissioners discussed the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Summit held December 12, 2005, noted the anticipated signing of Annex 2001 documents on December 13, 2005, and requested that staff provide copies of the formal documents for each event with a staff analysis.
   
   
2. COMMISSION REPORTS. Commissioners agreed, as a general practice, to seek high level meetings concerning Commission reports.
   
   
3. RECOGNITION. Commissioners asked staff to prepare a letter to Dan Egan of the Michigan Journal Sentinel congratulating him on winning the John B. Oakes Award for Environmental Journalism for his three-part series on invasive species, "Troubled Waters: The Great Invasion".
   
   
4. 12^TH BIENNIAL REPORT. Commissioners deferred discussion of governments' responses to the Commission's 12th Biennial Report to a later date and provided available comments to staff.
   
   
5. CENTENNIAL OF THE BOUNDARY WATERS TREATY. Commissioners Blaney and Olson updated the Commission on a meeting held with Messrs. Brooks and Rabe that morning regarding a history of the Boundary Waters Treaty.
   
   
6. DECEMBER 16, 2005 CONFERENCE CALL. Commissioners agreed to hold the December 16 conference call from 11:00 a.m. to noon Eastern Standard Time.