Great Lakes Day 2008

The Great Lakes region’s Healing Our Waters Coalition members joined forces in Washington today to hike the Hill and advocate for Great Lakes issues with US House and Senate Members and staff. They spent all of yesterday training up on a host of issues and preparing for today’s events.

“We need all the lobbying we can get,” Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-Mich) told throngs of Great Lakes advocates preparing to march the halls of Congress.

Rep. Ehlers asked coalition members to urge Congress to pass the Great Lakes Legacy Act which is up for reauthorization. It was first passed in 2002 and comes up for reauthorization every five years. It has been effective combating Areas of Concern, but that didn’t stop the President from cutting funding in his proposed 2009 budget. “We need support on it and we are trying to increase funding levels,” Rep. Ehlers said.

Advocates will also be lobbying Members to fund and pass the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act, which embodies the strategy set forth by the 1500 Great Lakes officials and advocates called together five years ago by the President’s Executive Order.

“We have to get that moving,” Rep. Ehlers said, who claimed the bill is languishing because of the $20 billion price tag “it scares the daylights out of members of Congress.”

While $20 billion is nothing to scoff at, we need to remember what we are spending across government and the impact the investment will have on the economy in the region. A Brookings Report shows that the investment promises to reap a $50 billion– paying for itself plus generating an economic revival in the region.

“Frankly, I think it is a bargain. You’re going to get more for that $20 billion for the Great Lakes then you are for the $8 billion for the Everglades,” Ehlers added before pleading with coalition members to push their Representatives and Senators to “get off the stick and get going on this.”

(2 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)

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EPA Feels the Heat at Senate Hearing

The distinct scent of a tasty roast shrouded the Capitol this morning as EPA Administrator Steve Johnson was grilled by the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee over the environmentally unfriendly 2009 budget. The Great Lakes, in particular, did not fare well in this proposed budget –but they were not forgotten by Great Lakes Senators attending the hearing.

Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) registered his disappointment with the administration’s decision to cut funding for the Great Lakes Legacy Act from $49.6 million (proposed two years ago) to $35 million. “This program shows results – hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of contaminated sediments have been removed from the Great Lakes – and I strongly encourage you to work to increase funding for this program.”

As the Ohio Senator launched into an impassioned defense of his state’s towns and villages trying to pay for wastewater treatment in an ailing economy, he pounded the dais, raised his voice and accused the EPA of living in a bubble and not knowing what is going on in the real world. “As a member of this Committee, I have sought to bring attention to the nation’s wastewater infrastructure needs. But as with previous years, the EPA’s budget is woefully inadequate.”

To this, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)said she supported all that Senator Voinovich so eloquently stated and added that the budget is a reflection of the administration’s priorities and values and, “protecting the Great Lakes doesn’t seem to be on the list (of presidential priorities).”

Hard to believe this is the same President that put all these efforts in motion five years ago. Wait, that was an election year wasn’t it? Well, the Minnesota Senator is correct when she says that money is the best indication of where the President’s true priorities lie. Let us not be fooled again. And in the meantime, let’s support Great Lakes lawmakers who are trying to secure the funding we need to restore and protect the Great Lakes.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Great Lakes, a National Resource, Is Victim of National Neglect

Statement by Jeff Skelding, National Campaign Director, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
on New Report by Great Lakes Commission and Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Cities Initiative

WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 27) – “This report underscores that the Great Lakes – a national resource – is the victim of national neglect.

“Despite the recognized importance of the Great Lakes as an economic engine and environmental masterpiece for the nation, the lakes have had to rely primarily on local governments to fight pollution and generally stay healthy.

“This report sends a clear message to lawmakers in Washington, D.C.: Stop short-changing the Great Lakes. 

“The longer you neglect the health of the lakes the more costly the lakes’ medical bills will be in the future.

“For several years, a disturbing trend has emerged in our nation’s Capitol: Escalating problems from sewage contamination, invasive species and other threats have been met with cuts to essential federal programs to improve the health of the Great Lakes.

“This is not a winning formula. Frankly, we can do better. We have manageable solutions to restore a national resource that millions of people depend on for their jobs and way of life.

“That’s why more than 150 Great Lakes citizens are in town today and tomorrow – to urge national leaders to embrace solutions to prevent invasive species from entering the lakes, to clean up toxic pollution in the most polluted waters—the so-called areas of concern—and to uphold protections to wetlands and other waters.

“Our message to Congress is this: We have solutions. It is time to use them. Because every day we wait, the problems get worse and the solutions more costly. It is time to act now to restore our Great Lakes, our public health, our economy and our way of life.

“It’s important to recognize that we have champions in Congress who are fighting for these programs. To those who are battling for Great Lakes programs, we support you. Now, we need Congress, as a whole, to stand and deliver for the Great Lakes and the millions of people who depend on them for their jobs and way of life.

“The challenges facing the Great Lakes are serious. And we can meet these challenges. But local communities cannot go it alone. We need the federal government to do its fair share as well.”

For more information visit: http://www.healthylakes.org/

For Immediate Release:
February 27, 2008

Contact:
Jeff Skelding, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, 410-245-8021
Jordan Lubetkin, National Wildlife Federation, 734-904-1589

(No Ratings Yet)

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Who Cares If The Water Isn’t Safe?

Defiance, Ohio recently lost nearly 1000 auto industry jobs. The loss takes a deep bite out of the local economy of a relatively small city of 17,000. Like many towns, villages and cities in the Great Lakes region, Defiance has an antiquated waste water treatment system – a deteriorating infrastructure plagued with combined overflow problems. Defiance needs to find $60 million to pay for these problems over the next two decades at a time when jobs are increasingly harder to find.

“Community after community can’t afford to pay the rates,” Ohio Senator George Voinovich (R) told EPA Administrator Steve Johnson in an impassioned criticism of the U.S. President’s proposed Budget for 2009. Johnson was called before the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to answer questions about the $1.74 billion budget.

The President’s proposed budget makes it clear he simply doesn’t care about the folks in Defiance and numerous other cities struggling to meet the rising costs of supporting the aging infrastructure. The President set aside slighly more than $200 million for wastewater treatment - a significant cut and the lowest funding level in the program’s history. To gain some perspective, consider Ohio – the Buckeye state needs at least $11.7 billion to deal with these problems.

“The contribution of the federal government to this infrastructure need is putrid. This budget you have submitted is an insult,” Voinovich told Johnson. “There has been a 15 to 20 percent increase each year – does anyone in your Agency take into consideration whether or not they [communities] can pay it? It seems like sometimes your agency is in a cocoon – it doesn’t know what is going on,” Voinovich’s voice trembled and he pounded the dais to emphasize his point.

In response to Voinovich’s grilling, Johnson said that while he agreed it was a very serious issue given that the EPA’s budget is $1.74 billion - “the EPAs total budget is not going to solve the nation’s waste water treatment problems.”

This is a national problem and each of the Senators took time to criticize and question the EPA Administrator for the lack of funds. New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg (D) summed up the anger best when he asked, “But it doesn’t bother your conscience? It doesn’t bother you at all?” To that, Johnson replied, “No, it doesn’t bother me.”

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Wisconsin Joins Michigan In Ballast Battle

Wisconsin has taken steps to join Michigan as the second state to regulate ballast water in the Great Lakes sending a clear signal to Washington that absent Congressional leadership and legislation, the state is prepared take the initiative to create ad hoc ballast controls. As it turns out, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has the legal authority to regulate ballast water discharges under the state’s Pollutant Discharge Elimination System so international shippers may soon have to apply for permits for discharges into Lakes Michigan and Superior.

Wisconsin’s determination of its legal authority to regulate ballast water under existing state laws was prompted by a request from the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation and twelve other conservation groups. It may have also been responding to an appeal made by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to her counterparts in surrounding states and Canada late last year. Using her state’s ballast law as an example, she argued that the region could create an ad hoc ballast law that would protect the Great Lakes from what is moving toward soon-to-be irrevocable damages that invasives produce.

The lakes are at a tipping point, according to scientists. There are so many invasive species in the lakes with new ones appearing every 28 weeks – that waiting any longer will mean a destroyed ecosystem. Invasive species are introduced into the Great Lakes in the ballast water of ocean going vessels. They wreak havoc on the fresh water ecology and cost state economies millions.

There is pending federal legislation that would create a national treatment standard for ballast water, but at the moment it is pending due to some concerns which are currently being negotiated.

Granholm wrote: “…effective congressional action to address aquatic invasive species and ballast water discharge is not assured.” She adds, “Without an effective federal response, I believe the states have a responsibility to act.”

Her letter comes on the heels of a federal court decision upholding Michigan’s ballast law in a suit brought by shipping companies. More cautious states had been taking a wait- and-see approach but now have a green light to act.

“This decision is a tremendous victory for Michigan and for any state desiring to protect its waters from the massive harm caused by introductions of invasive species from foreign shipping via ballast water,” the letter reads.

And it isn’t expensive either. The letter points out that 73 ships from nearly 30 different companies applied for permits and each paid a $75 application fee. This offsets the costs making implementation cost-effective.

“Again, I urge you to join Michigan in protecting the Great Lakes…We should seize the opportunity for coordinated state regulation to prevent the economic and environmental damage that could be caused by the next species to arrive in ballast water.”

Granholm’s imperative call to action and Wisconsin’s recent commitment to control ballast discharges is another sign to Congress that they should do all they can to work out the more controversial aspects from the Ballast Bill of 2007 and pass it as quickly as possible. If not, states may end up with piecemeal, ad hoc, regional ballast regulations that could cause shippers more headaches and will certainly lend to a decentralized, difficult-to-manage ballast system. States are serious about ending the worst threat to the Great Lakes, is Congress?

Granholm sent her appeal to:

Illinois Gov. Rod Bagojevich

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland

Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle

Honorable Jean Charest, Premier

Honorable Dalton McGuinty, Premier

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Great Lakes, a National Resource, Is Victim of National Neglect

Statement by Jeff Skelding, National Campaign Director, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
on New Report by Great Lakes Commission and Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Cities Initiative

WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 27) – “This report underscores that the Great Lakes – a national resource – is the victim of national neglect.

“Despite the recognized importance of the Great Lakes as an economic engine and environmental masterpiece for the nation, the lakes have had to rely primarily on local governments to fight pollution and generally stay healthy.

“This report sends a clear message to lawmakers in Washington, D.C.: Stop short-changing the Great Lakes. 

“The longer you neglect the health of the lakes the more costly the lakes’ medical bills will be in the future.

“For several years, a disturbing trend has emerged in our nation’s Capitol: Escalating problems from sewage contamination, invasive species and other threats have been met with cuts to essential federal programs to improve the health of the Great Lakes.

“This is not a winning formula. Frankly, we can do better. We have manageable solutions to restore a national resource that millions of people depend on for their jobs and way of life.

“That’s why more than 150 Great Lakes citizens are in town today and tomorrow – to urge national leaders to embrace solutions to prevent invasive species from entering the lakes, to clean up toxic pollution in the most polluted waters—the so-called areas of concern—and to uphold protections to wetlands and other waters.

“Our message to Congress is this: We have solutions. It is time to use them. Because every day we wait, the problems get worse and the solutions more costly. It is time to act now to restore our Great Lakes, our public health, our economy and our way of life.

“It’s important to recognize that we have champions in Congress who are fighting for these programs. To those who are battling for Great Lakes programs, we support you. Now, we need Congress, as a whole, to stand and deliver for the Great Lakes and the millions of people who depend on them for their jobs and way of life.

“The challenges facing the Great Lakes are serious. And we can meet these challenges. But local communities cannot go it alone. We need the federal government to do its fair share as well.”

For more information visit: http://www.healthylakes.org/

For Immediate Release:
February 27, 2008

Contact:
Jeff Skelding, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, 410-245-8021
Jordan Lubetkin, National Wildlife Federation, 734-904-1589

(No Ratings Yet)

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Surprise, Surprise, Cities Outspend Feds On Great Lakes Issues

Great Lakes mayors and state officials joined forces in Washington today touting a report that estimates cities, towns and villages are ponying up $15 billion to protect the lakes and keep them clean. Great Lakes residents were disillusioned to say the least when Bush revealed his Budget plan. The President sliced funding for the Great Lakes and scalped local governments efforts to update waste water treatment compounding the shortages for which they will have to make up. But there is still time for Congress to recognize the neglect and authorize spending increases to support ailing sewage systems and conservations plans.

The Great Lakes Commission along with the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative released the report today in Washington, DC. Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago, founding U.S. chair of the Cities Initiative, said “This local government investment report tells a story that Great Lakes and St. Lawrence cities have known for quite some time, but could not get anyone to listen to or believe. Cities invest enormously in the restoration and protection of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, and it is time for other orders of government to step up and help protect this significant resource at a level that matches the need.”

“Cities and towns are paying ten times more on waste water infrastructure than the Federal government,” Michigan Lt. Governor John D. Cherry, said at a press conference discussing the report.

Wastewater treatment facilities in the Great Lakes region were built so long ago that they are corroding and buckling under the pressure to sustain a growing demand. Cities, towns and villages have long had to deal with the aging systems overflows infecting the lakes and drinking water and inhibiting swimming. What is really needed is a complete overhaul and modernization of the wastewater treatment system, but cities are overwhelmed just trying to stick their thumbs in the dike – one that the report estimates is costing them about $12 billion annually.

“We all share the responsibility for this resource,” said Mayor Gary Becker of Racine, current Cities Initiative chair. “How can it be that U.S. and Canadian local governments spend an estimated $12 billion a year on crucial water and wastewater systems and operations that help keep the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence waters protected and our Federal Governments cannot even fund $1 billion for these critical systems in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Basin? Any future federal cuts for wastewater infrastructure are totally unacceptable.”

The researchers surveyed 143 US and Canadian localities and found they were spending $2.5 billion on water quality – that includes the maintenance of wastewater treatment facilities infrastructure and maintenance – a major problem in polluting the lakes and drinking water. Another $784 million is being expended on ecosystem protections – they project that to approximately $3 billion when including all localities in the region. Researchers then extrapolated the figures to include the 688 localities to reach the final figure of $15 billion.

Read the full report here.

 Read the statement from Healing Our Waters Coalition national campaign director Jeff Skelding.

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Stop The Invasion!

Forget about little green men from Mars, alien invaders are taking over the world’s waters and wreaking ecological disaster everywhere they go. A new report by the Nature Conservancy finds that 84 percent of the world’s coasts are being overtaken by invasive species. The first quantitative study of the impact that marine invasive species are having illustrates where they are located, how they are transported and what they do to the natives once they occupy new ground.

The Great Lakes are no stranger to the ecological devestation these species are capable of and have spent nearly $5 billion annually to ward off more invasive species. “Every day, thousands of vessels cross our oceans with invasive species hitchhiking on their hulls…as many as 10,000 species are estimated to be in transit at any one time,” Jennifer Molnar, conservation scientist and lead author of the study told Environmental News Service.

Again, this is no surprise to those concerned with the fresh water habitats in the Great Lakes. We have known for some time that ships are the Trojan Horse of these aquatic pests. That is why we are dedicated to getting a strong Ballast Bill approved by Congress. The Ballast Water Management Act of 2007 is the most comprehensive ballast legislation ever considered by Congress, but generated some concerns over preemption of the Clean Water Act, state control of waters and a loop hole that could allow the Coast Guard to delay treatment of the ballast waters using excuse after excuse such as cost, feasibility, you name it. Having said that, this legislation is the closest we have ever come to a systematic approach that promises real help to counter the problem. And we would hate to throw the baby out with the ballast water.

Because the Great Lakes need ballast legislation to fight the invasive species threat and we need it yesterday we will be urging Congress to improve the bill and approve it during our visit to Capitol Hill this week.

Last Fall, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer weighed in respectfully asking committee members to rethink a little clause that would prevent states from employing their own, stricter or stronger ballast programs in their waters if the federal law becomes a sludgy, watered down mess. The Governor, like us, is also worried that the law “unduly” preempts the Clean Water Act.

“Exempting ballast water discharges from the Clean Water Act may lead some states to be in the position of not being able to meet or effectively implement their state water quality standards,” he wrote.

Finally, he too is concerned with the late start date for ships to have treatment technology onboard. “We cannot afford to delay action any longer,” Spitzer wrote.

The same exact concerns were raised by six state attorneys general in a powerhouse statement he sent to the committee members. The AG’s from Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania joined forces as the responsible legal officers to express their “strong opposition” to the same three aspects of the bill.

As a coalition, we share the concerns of Governor Spitzer and the Attorneys General and last Fall sent our own letter  to the committee. We can’t possibly express with the words that currently exist in the English language how urgently we need ballast management for the very survival of the Great Lakes.

Alien species may be invading global waters, but this is one issue that is better fought locally. They cost the United States $120 billion annually to control and repair damage. They are literally the biggest threat the Great Lakes face. There are 185 invasives in the Great Lakes already, sixty percent of which come from ballast discharge. More than 200 scientists have testified that the lakes are at a tipping point – we have a very narrow window of opportunity before this destructive scourge creates an “irreversible ‘invasional meltdown’ that may be more severe than chemical pollution.” Another invasive species is discovered every 28 weeks – yikes – and it is costing the Great Lakes region approximately $5 billion annually (gulp). The strongest possible ballast management bill needs to be approved and implemented with the greatest of haste or expect a bigger, more expensive problem that we just may not be able to fix.

(No Ratings Yet)

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Candidates Respond To Great Lakes Needs

The Wisconsin State Journal recently asked the three leading Presidential contenders where they stand on the issues effecting the Great Lakes. All three have signed a pledge committing to solving the problems plaguing the lakes once they are in office. Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as Republican front runner John McCain are all expected to commit finances and resources to the action steps outlined in the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy.

To read the Q and A click here.

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Some in Ohio and Wisconsin Need Convincing

The recent momentum generated by Indiana and New York’s approval of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact may not be enough to convince a few lawmakers in Ohio and Wisconsin to follow suit. Legislators in the two states, currently a battlefield for the democratic presidential nominating process, are also stymieing the compact over last minute legalistic arguments. At stake is the ability of the Great Lakes states to keep the water in the Great Lakes, as well as limit invasive species and ecological devastation.

“This is a shortsighted move that places the special interests of a few over the water security needs of more than 40 million people and the economic vitality of the region,” Molly Flanagan, the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes water program manager told the Toledo Blade. “This amounts to a hijacking of the compact that jeopardizes the region’s ability to protect the Great Lakes.”

But some Ohio Senators feel that former Gov. Bob Taft, who led the four-year long Great Lakes governors’ compact negotiations, signed off on a flawed agreement, according to the Associated Press. They fear that by including tributaries and streams in the Great Lakes basin they are opening up their Northern border counties to Big Government. Their fears are unfounded and their solutions misguided. The Senators would like to change the wording of the compact in the Senate version before agreeing to it, but the Ohio House overwhelmingly (88-3) approved the original and formerly agreed to version of the Compact today as have half the state legislatures in the region.

Last week the Indiana House agreed with the Senate and passed the Compact that will prevent water from being diverted from the region and aid in efforts to stem pollution and invasive species. Now, Governor Mitch Daniels has ten days to sign the compact and Indiana will join Minnesota and Illinois whose lawmakers previously approved the agreement.

The week prior, the New York legislature also approved the Compact -one week after the state Senate- and it is now sitting on Governor Eliot Spitzer’s desk awaiting his signature. Once pen is put to paper, we are half-way to having the compact adopted by all eight states. Legislation is pending in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Michigan. It is mind boggling that states are stalling on this – as it will give them the negotiating power they need to manage the Great Lakes and prevent outsiders from taking the water.

Once all eight states approve the Compact, Congress will have to ratify the decision and make it law. The right decision would send a powerful message to the leading candidates vying for Wisconsin and Ohio’s primary votes that this is an issue of utmost significance to each state’s lawmaking bodies and public.

(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

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