Original Intent

Using the Clean Water Act as their compass, Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) are navigating murky political waters to deliver legislation that would return the brawn and intent to the original Act signed by President Nixon in 1972.

More than one-third of America’s waterways are subject to “No Fishing and No Swimming” signs because polluters continue to evade the rules set by the Clean Water Act. After years of poisonous industrial waste invading U.S. waterways, the Clean Water Act was passed by Congress in 1972. It was meant to stop the abuse of all water resources. But in the intervening decades, court decisions and the deliberate whittling away at the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority have resulted in a muddled law that has lost touch with the original intentions of the Congress that approved it and has allowed more pollution to seep into our waterways.

U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006 require regulators to prove a body of water’s connection to larger, navigable waters before the federal government can protect them. Unless reversed soon, the effect will surely be increased erosion, pollution, flooding and the destruction of fish and wildlife habitat.

Wetlands are especially endangered as more than half have been drained for development, farming and other reasons. At this point, 100 million acres of once pristine wetlands have been destroyed, according to the Great Lakes Restoration Council.

In a recent Op-ed in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) and Oberstar make it clear that the Clean Water Act was meant to cover all water not just “navigable waters” - the goal was to prevent pollution. They wrote:

“Contrary to what some would have you believe, Congress intended the Clean Water Act’s protection to extend to all waters and wetlands, including tributaries that flow only intermittently and do not have a continuous surface connection.”

The Oberstar-Feingold bill would restore the Act by clearly reaffirming its intention to protect all waters of the United States, thereby turning back recent court decisions, cleaning up the confusion among regulators, and jumpstarting stalled projects. The bill has more than 170 cosponsors from both parties in the House; 20 cosponsors in the Senate; and more than 300 organizations supporting it, including dozens of members of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.

It’s now time to finish the job and pass the Clean Water Restoration Act to protect all U.S. waters that serve as the basis for our economy, public health, and way of life.

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Coalition Applauds Sen. Stabenow for Introducing Key Farm Bill Amendment

ANN ARBOR, MI (October 24)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition today applauded Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) for introducing an amendment to re-authorize a vital program in the Farm Bill, the Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control. 

“We thank Sen. Stabenow for standing up for the Great Lakes and the millions of people who depend on them for their economy and quality of life,” said Jeff Skelding, national campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “The program is one of the manageable solutions we need to implement now to restore the lakes, because the longer we wait the problems get worse and the solutions more costly.”

Conservation programs contained in the Farm Bill like the Great Lakes Basin Program are key elements of a comprehensive strategy to restore the lakes, as identified in the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy, a plan put forward in 2005 to prevent sewage contamination, stop invasive species introductions and restore wetlands and other habitat.

That strategy has since been introduced in Congress as the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act, which awaits passage.

The Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control is a federal and state partnership to protect and improve Great Lakes water quality by reducing soil erosion and controlling sedimentation.

Sen. Stabenow’s amendment authorizes $5 million for the program, which seeks to reduce the on-site damages caused by soil erosion on farms, developments, stream banks and shorelines, while also curbing off-site damage to harbors, streams, fish and wildlife habitat, recreational facilities, and public works systems.

Since 1991, the program has funded 389 projects. The program has recently helped communities in Michigan restore coldwater trout streams and horse farm owners in Ohio operate facilities that do not harm the surrounding natural resources.

For every $1,000 spent by the program, 128 tons of soil is kept on the land and out of Great Lakes rivers and lakes.

“This program is vital to the restoration of the Great Lakes, and it’s vital to people in our communities,” said Skelding. “This program clearly illustrates that we have solutions. It is time to use them.”

Farm Bill conservation programs are critical to restoring the Great Lakes, providing funding and technical assistance to farmers to restore and protect wetlands and wildlife habitat that serves to filter pesticides, fertilizers and sediment out of water that millions of people depend on for drinking, bathing and swimming.

Farm Bill programs also support the region’s $18-billion annual hunting, fishing and wildlife-watching industry.

However many more Great Lakes farmers want to participate in the Farm Bill conservation programs than can be accommodated because of insufficient federal funding. Two out of three farmers willing to take actions to help the environment are turned down due to lack of funds.

The recently passed Farm Bill includes increases of $4 billion to enroll more farmers in the successful conservation programs.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 24, 2007

CONTACT:
Jeff Skelding, Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, (202) 797-6893, JSkelding@nwf.org
Jordan Lubetkin, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, (734) 887-7109, Lubetkin@nwf.org

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Do Over

Bill Richardson took back his recent blunder suggesting the Great Lakes become a source of sprinkler water for the parched West, but not before illuminating the issue and drawing a visceral response from the Midwest.

The brouhaha began when New Mexico Governor and presidential hopeful Richardson seemed to suggest that states such as Wisconsin, which he said is “awash in water,” provide the precious fresh water to the West.

Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Michigan) sent a letter to the New Mexico Governor and presidential hopeful asking for clarification. “I hope Governor Richardson did not mean to suggest he supports diverting water from the Great Lakes basin, so I wrote him to ask for clarification,” Stupak said in an October 18 press release.

Richardson “clarified” by retracting the statement all together. His press secretary Tom Reynolds scrambled to say that Richardson wasn’t proposing the transfer of water from one region to another and added in a statement: “Richardson believes firmly in keeping water in its basin of origin and of the rights of states to oversee water distribution.”

That’s a good thing, since as Stupak points out record low water levels would make diverting the water a very bad idea.

Still, Richardson’s gaff stirred the pot of hot political issues and helped elevate the Great Lakes. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm appreciated his retraction and told the Free Press that Richardson’s original statement “underscores why we are pushing for the Great Lakes Water (Resources) Compact” – multi-state legislation that would prevent such diversions.

(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

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Study Finds Great Lakes National Parks Neglected

Neglect can be added to the list of problems plaguing the Great Lakes region. Nearsighted federal policy that has steered dollars away from one of our nation’s greatest resources has left crumbling lighthouses, empty trout nets and retreating dunes in the wake, according to a recent study by a national park advocacy group.

Environmental problems, such as air pollution and invasive species in the Great Lakes are have an equally dangerous effect on six national parks studied by the National Parks Conservation Association. For example, 20 percent of the fish the researchers sampled exceeded Michigan’s mercury consumption advisory level. This is in addition to the lack of funds to preserve historical landmarks. The report focused on Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Isle Royale National Park, Keweenaw National Historical Park, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

In 2000, the national parks conservation association began assessing the condition of U.S. parks in an effort to see how well the National Park Service is protecting the parks. They hope to positively impact the nation’s parks policies.

Click here to view: State of the Parks: National Parks of the Great Lakes: A Resource Assessment of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Isle Royale National Park, Keweenaw National Historical Park, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

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Money, Money, Money…Money

Most things really do come down to money. Conserving and restoring the Great Lakes is one more example that this adage bares truth. The Farm Bill is up for reauthorization – the outcome of the Senate’s deliberations will be in effect for the next half decade – and it is critical that the program that helps Great Lakes farmers conserve land, farm wisely and protect the health of the lakes gets additional funding.

In the past, farmers who have wanted to participate in the conservation program that improves water quality and restores wildlife habitats that supports an $18 billion hunting and fishing industry, have been turned away empty handed due to insufficient funds. Well, it’s looking like the farmers may see more of the same. There is only so much money to go around and the Senate Agriculture Committee, feeling strangled by dangling purse strings, has moved away from the House-approved bill that would provide nearly $5 billion in additional funds for this program. Instead Senators are considering siphoning $2 billion off to other uses and shorting the in-demand program.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) is politely wrangling with committee members in an attempt to incorporate their ideas into the bill and ensure swift passage when it hits the floor. Reportedly, Harkin favors reducing direct payments to farmers as a way to pay for more conservation programs, but this isn’t a super popular idea among lawmakers.

It is essential that Congress fund this successful program. Here are some steps you can take to help push through the much needed funding.

Call the Senate switchboard (202)224-3121 and ask for your Senator’s office, then ask for the staff person working on the farm bill and request at least $5 billion in additional funding for the Conservation Programs. For more info on what you can say or do click here.

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URGE GREAT LAKES SENATORS NOT TO CUT BACK FARM BILL CONSERVATION PROGRAMS

Farm Bill conservation programs are critical to restoring the Great Lakes. They help farmers put marginal cropland to work for the health of the Great Lakes. However many more Great Lakes farm families want to participate in the Farm Bill conservation programs than can be accommodated because of insufficient federal funding. Conservation programs are woefully under-funded. Two out of three farmers willing to take actions to help the environment are turned down due to lack of funds.

Now, the United States Senate may cut conservation programs even further as it rewrites a new Farm Bill within the next few weeks.

You can help prevent these damaging cuts by contacting Great Lakes Senators today.  Here’s what to do:

Step 1) Call the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your Senators’ office.

Step 2) Ask for the staff person working on the farm bill (if they’re not available, talk to whoever answers the phone).

Step 3) Tell them:

• Ensure that at least $5 Billion in additional funding is allocated for Conservation Programs in the Senate Farm Bill! Conservation programs should not take a step back from the last Farm Bill!
• The Farm Bill Conservation Programs are critical towards achieving the goals of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, a group of 95 environmental and conservation organizations and businesses.
• The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration restoration plan, developed by more than 1,500 people, specifically relies on Farm Bill Conservation programs to bring much-needed improvements to water quality, soil loss, and fish and wildlife habitat-all of which contribute to our quality of life.

BACKGROUND: Thousands of farmers are restoring imperiled wildlife habitat and wetlands around our Great Lakes with the assistance of conservation programs authorized by the 2002 Farm Security and Rural Investment Act, more commonly known as the Farm Bill. The hard work of these local stewards is critical to protecting the Great Lakes, but their success is at risk unless programs are fully funded and expanded under the next Farm Bill.

Our Great Lakes are a gift from the glacial age. Spread across eight states, the Great Lakes are the catch basin for a region nearly the size of Texas. They are the world’s single-largest source of fresh water, quenching the thirst of many U.S. cities and fueling everything from transportation to recreation.

Yet, science shows that the lakes are near a tipping point of ecological collapse. Toxic levels of phosphorus, a pollutant that is killing Lake Erie, are increasing again. Valuable topsoil is being washed into the lakes, clouding shallow shoreline water. Smelly algae and high bacteria levels contaminate the water between the shoreline and up to two miles out—closing beaches and harming fish and wildlife.

Thankfully, farmers are taking an active role in restoring the Great Lakes. As illustrated in this report, Farm Bill conservation programs help farmers return land to nature, farm their land wisely and protect the health and quality of the Great Lakes, while maintaining their family’s way of life.

Farm Bill conservation programs have ensured that once-marginal farmland now provides millions of acres of high-quality wildlife habitat, which supports the local $18-billion hunting, fishing and wildlife watching industry. These farmland conservation programs also serve to filter pesticides, fertilizers and sediment out of water that millions of Great Lakes residents depend upon for drinking, bathing, fishing and swimming. Conservation easements slow urban sprawl and ensure supplies of productive farmland.

Many more families want to participate in the Farm Bill conservation programs than can be accommodated because of insufficient federal funding. Congress must fully fund and expand the Farm Bill conservation programs. The health of our Great Lakes, the local farming families that live around the lakes and our communities cannot afford to have these programs shortchanged.

Farm Bill programs are expiring and need to be renewed.  Congress has been working on a new bill that replaces the old version this year.  The House passed its bill on July 27.  The House bill provided nearly $5 billion more for conservation programs (not including CSP), but did not adequately fund them all.  The Senate Agriculture Committee is still drafting its bill.  Senators are targeting conservation funds for other uses leaving conservation programs at least $2 billion short of the $5 billion in additional funding needed to begin addressing unmet demand.

Cultivating Restoration Report: http://www.healthylakes.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/final_how-reportcultivating-restoration.pdf

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Memories of Great Lakes Lead to a Call for Action

I grew up an hour from Lake Michigan and it was a special occasion to be able to go to “the lake” for a day. There were many days, however, where you didn’t want to get anywhere near the lake because of the giant mounds of dead, rotting, alewives communities were attempting to manage. Many of the beach towns, like Saugatuck and South Haven had boarded up hotels and downtowns. But a commitment to clean water and the introduction of salmon into the Great Lakes changed all of that…..

Today we are faced with new threats to the Great Lakes. Invasive species are destroying native species and altering the lake’s ecosystem. Sewage overflows are fouling the water and closing beaches. Filled and drained wetlands are not available to nursery wildlife and buffer stresses to the lakes. Southern and western politicians are calling for “national
strategies” of moving Great Lakes water to thirsty desert and drought impacted states. The list goes on.

What we need is a national commitment to restoring and protecting these fresh water seas, not a strategy of neglect. It is time to move federal legislation to stop invasive species from entering into ballast water discharge; To fund conservation as part of a re authorization of the Farm bill; To pay for separating storm water from sewers; To clean-up toxic hot spots; and to Fix the hole in Lake St Clair.

A visit to “the Lake” is still a special occasion; I want to keep it that way.

Donna Stine is Deputy Director of Policy for Michigan United Conservation Clubs.
 

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Cities on the Front Line in Effort to Restore Great Lakes

Cities are on the frontlines when it comes to the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River…literally. Cities along the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence are faced with threats to the resource, and their impact, on a daily basis. These threats hit very close to home.  For many cities in the Great Lakes region, the Lakes and River are the foundation for their existence. The resource provides drinking water, a base for economy and industry, and an opportunity for recreation. Protection and restoration of this treasure is imperative to cities because they depend on it for their very livelihood.

Cities recognize the importance of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River and have been taking action to advance their protection and restoration. Every day cities are working to ensure they make a positive impact on the resource, from the work done in Goderich to separate the town’s sanitary sewer system; to Racine’s efforts to address sources of contamination at beaches; to storm water management projects like the McCormick Center storm water tunnel in Chicago; to Toronto’s work to restore and protect vital wetlands in the Lower Don River. And through the emergence of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, a coalition of U.S. and Canadian mayors and other local officials that work to protect and restore the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence, local government now has a prominent voice in federal, provincial and state arenas to impress the significance of this treasure.

Despite large municipal investments of time, effort, and money into the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence, there is only so much local action can accomplish. Focused and committed federal attention is necessary to achieve adequate protection and restoration of this vital resource. For more information on what cities are doing, and what more needs to be done, please visit http://glslcities.org/.

David Ullrich is executive director of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.

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Restored Great Lakes Will Attract Business, Industry, Investment

Industry supports the recommendations of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy that will lead to the restoration of the Great Lakes Region.  A healthy ecosystem and a strong economy are two key elements to the sustainable development of the Great Lakes. Federal funding of the Strategy’s recommendation is vital to the Great Lakes ecosystem and the business and industrial future of the Region.

An example of specific environmental improvements that can improve the Region’s attractiveness to business is specific improvements to sewer system infrastructure in the Great Lakes.  Expanded treatment capacities for sewer systems can not only eliminate some beach closings but can also provide attractive opportunities for industrial investment.

The Great Lakes Region must be attractive to investment from outside the region. Our Region can no longer rely on sufficient capital from within the Region.  We must attract outside investment to create high value-added jobs the Region needs. We need to make ourselves attractive to outside capital by offering a highly skilled, committed workforce, dependable governance, a supportive infrastructure and an attractive environment where people will want to live and work.

The recent Brookings Institution’s study, Healthy Waters, Strong Economy, The Benefits of Restoring the Great Lakes Ecosystem, has given us an economic return analysis that is critical to our ability to attract the investment necessary to pursue ecosystem restoration and sustainable development. 

George H. Kuper
President and CEO
Council of Great Lakes Industries

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Political Primer for Presidential Hopefuls

If you remember nothing else, please remember this – it will be on the test – in the words of political Great and former House Speaker Thomas “Tip” O’Neill - all politics is local. Even if your personal politics are of a different flavor than Tips, his words ring truer and truer as we move deeper into the 21st Century.

Since all politics are local then let’s talk jobs and the economy. National prosperity is the result of humming regional economies, and according to experts, many US regions aren’t doing so well. One of those regions happens to be the old Rust Belt States.

From Buffalo to Pittsburgh and St. Louis to Detroit, local economies are barely creaking by hemorrhaging jobs and talent at an alarming rate that is affecting the productivity of the entire nation. The region is graying, twenty-something’s are choosing not to return and once well-established towns are becoming default retirement communities.

But there is a strategy that will return vitality to this region. A Brookings Institution study finds that by investing in restoration efforts, the United States would effectively jump start the Great Lakes expanse’s economy, providing new jobs and innovative industries that would pay back the original investment two fold. John Austin, one of the report’s authors recently told ABC News that all the presidential candidates should focus on nurturing regional economies.

Now, let’s throw in a bit of strategy – the next president will have to deliver eight Great Lakes states and the 141 electoral votes these states control.

“The Great Lakes area is key to anyone winning the Presidency,” said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), the number four Democrat in the House and noted political strategist.

Bruce Katz, vice president and director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings told ABC that this is a critical moment for the nation’s economy – the federal investment in our competitiveness is missing a very important element – a regional focus. “The next president should recognize the Great Lakes region’s national economic importance and adopt policies that speed its economic transition and growth.”

Really it is a win-win, local jobs win local votes and generate economic growth that spreads prosperity across the United States, and therefore, local politics are national politics.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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