How can this region prosper in the global economy in the years ahead while also protecting and restoring vital natural resources such as the Great Lakes? A new policy report offers several policy ideas for Great Lakes state and federal lawmakers.

The Brookings Institution study, "Vital Connection," recommends the following:

• establishing a bi-national innovation fund that targets investment and research in next-generation energy technologies, the science of the Great Lakes, and areas such as advanced manufacturing and medical health;
• enhancing and marketing the "Freshwater Coast" with a deeper investment in Great Lakes restoration and the establishment of a new Great Lakes Coastal Development Authority;
• improving the movement of goods along the U.S.-Canada border;
• creating a common market in the Great Lakes region for human capital and commerce; and
• setting and meeting renewable energy standards and carbon-reduction goals.

The study can be accessed here. Its chief author, John Austin, will serve as a presenter during an upcoming Great Lakes Legislative Caucus regional teleconference. More details on the call are available here.