Momentum Builds in Washington to Pass Great Lakes Water Protections

The U.S. Congress is getting closer to protecting the Great Lakes from depletion.

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee is marking up the Water Compact today, followed by a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Read our testimony here.

The action on the Hill comes days after President Bush voiced his support for the water agreement— which you can read about in the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News and Stateline.org.

Presidential contenders Barack Obama and John McCain are also singing the praises of the water agreement, as you can see in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Help make sure that Congress keeps the Compact moving forward. Call your Senators and representative today to urge them to protect the Great Lakes and sign the Compact into law.

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Coalition to Testify at U.S. Senate Hearing, Will Urge Congress to Pass Great Lakes Protections

U.S. House Committee Expected to Approve Compact Today

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 30, 2008)—At a Senate Judiciary Committee today, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition will urge the U.S. Congress to act quickly to pass a water management agreement to protect the Great Lakes from depletion.

The call for action comes on the same day that the U.S. House Judiciary Committee prepares to mark up the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Compact, a regional water management agreement to protect the Great Lakes from depletion and promote water conservation within the region.

“[The Great Lakes] are one of America’s most revered national jewels, and one of the natural wonders of the world. As such, just as we are privileged to enjoy them, we have a responsibility to protect them,” Cameron Davis, co-chairman of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition and president and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, said in prepared comments. “Without this Compact, the Great Lakes are vulnerable to depletion. We urge you to ratify the Compact now to protect these magnificent natural treasures.”

Davis is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee at 1 p.m. EDT. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) will chair the hearing on S.J. Res. 45, “A Resolution Consenting To and Approving the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact.”

Other speakers include: U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), U.S. Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio); Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, chairman of the Council of Great Lakes Governors; Grand Rapids, Mich. Mayor George Heartwell, vice chairman of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative; and Kay L. Nelson, director of environmental affairs for Northwest Indiana Forum.

Track the proceedings and see a live webcast of the hearing at: http://judiciary.senate.gov/

The House Judiciary Committee mark up on the Compact starts at 10:15 a.m. EDT. Track the proceedings at: http://judiciary.house.gov/

The eight Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have enacted the Compact. Congressional consent is required for it to become law, as has been the case with other water compacts around the nation.

The Great Lakes contain more than 90 percent of the fresh surface water of the United States.  Although seemingly abundant, less than 1 percent of the Great Lakes water is renewed each year, leaving the lakes vulnerable to depletion.

The compact’s introduction to Congress comes a decade after that body called on the Great Lakes states and Canada to develop standards for water use and conservation, a call that was met by years of diligent efforts by states, municipalities, businesses and public interest groups.

“While the call for such standards was important, even more important was the fact that leaders from all around the nation saw fit to call for the protection of the Great Lakes ecosystem as a national and international treasure,” according to Davis. “Now we’re asking Congress to finish the job and approve the compact.”

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition consists of more than 100 zoos, aquariums, museums, and hunting, fishing, and environmental organizations representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes.

For more information, including complete testimony, visit: http://www.healthylakes.org/

For Immediate Release:
July 30, 2008

Contact:
Cameron Davis, Alliance for the Great Lakes, (312) 375-2004, cdavis@greatlakes.org
Jordan Lubetkin, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, (734) 887-7109, lubetkin@nwf.org

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By and By

Finally, President G.W. Bush is seeing some progress being made on his 2004 Executive Order to come up with a strategy to restore the Great Lakes, and he is enthusiastically urging an apparently willing Congress to push the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Compact through the ratification process. On the eve of the House and Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the Compact, the US President released a congratulatory statement to the eight states for the enormous cooperative effort shown in approving the compact.

“Made in the spirit of cooperative conservation, this Compact is the result of many years of close coordination and consensus-building that resulted in the Compact’s approval by the eight Great Lakes States and two Canadian Provinces,” stated President Bush.

The eight Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have enacted the Compact, a regional water agreement that promotes water conservation within the region and protects the lakes from depletion. Congressional consent is required for it to become law, as has been the case with other water compacts around the nation.

The Compact has garnered support from businesses, farmers and conservationists. The region’s governors have listed passage of the Compact as one of nine priorities to protect and restore the Great Lakes—along with efforts to halt invasive species, stop sewage contamination and clean up toxic pollution.

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) chairs the House Judiciary Committee and hopes to mark up and pass out of committee the Compact tomorrow (July 30). The Senate hearing is expected to begin the same afternoon. With just days left in the summer session of Congress, the President has urged the body to ratify the compact before the national race for the Presidency overtakes all other business.

“I strongly urge Congress to provide rapid approval of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact,” said the US President.

We join the President and hope our lawmakers will bring the Compact to the Congress for a vote before the August recess.

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Thank You, Thank You

The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Compact, approved by all eight of the Great Lakes States and two Canadian Provinces, is generating lots of momentum on Capitol Hill. This is especially novel at a time when Congress is preparing for their summer break and it bodes well for the Compact’s ratification in the next year. All sixteen of the Great Lakes Senators have cosponsored the Compact Bill and there are now 26 House Members who have signed onto it. Please take a moment to thank your Senator and Representative for supporting such a vital pact.

The House Members currently cosponsoring are as follows:
Oberstar, James (MN-08)
LaTourette, Steven C. (OH-14)
Conyers, John, Jr. (MI-14)
Ehlers, Vernon (MI-03)
Higgins, Brian (NY-27)
English, Phil (PA-03)
Sutton, Betty (OH-13)
Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. (WI-05)
Ryan, Tim (OH-17)
Miller, Candice S. (MI-10)
Baldwin, Tammy (WI-02)
Camp, Dave (MI-04)
Kaptur, Marcy (OH-09)
Petri, Thomas, E. (WI-06)J
ones, Stephanie Tubbs (OH-11)
Emanuel, Rahm (IL-05)
Kagen, Steve (WI-08)
Lipinski, Daniel (IL-03)
Nadler, Jerrold (NY-08)
Visclosky, Peter (IN-01)
Moore, Gwen (WI-4)
Obey, David, R. (WI-07)
Levin, Sander M. (MI-12)
Rogers, Mike (MI-08)
Kirk, Mark Steven (IL-10)
Dingell, John D. (MI-15)
Kildee, Dale E. (MI-05)

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Great Lakes Advocates Urge Congress to Act Quickly on Historic Protections for Lakes

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (July 23, 2008)—Advocates for the Great Lakes urged Congress to act quickly on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, a historic agreement introduced today in the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate to conserve water in America’s largest fresh surface water ecosystem.

“This is an important day for the Great Lakes,” said Andy Buchsbaum, co-chair of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition and regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes office. “The Compact would for the first time set the same strong water protections for all the Great Lakes states while protecting them from depletion. To keep the Great Lakes great, it is essential that Congress take up these bills and pass them soon.”

U.S. Representatives John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.), Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) and James Oberstar (D-Minn.) joined U.S. Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio) to introduce a joint resolution consenting to the Compact.

Co-sponsors in the Senate include Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), Sharrod Brown (D-Ohio), Robert Casey, Jr. (D-Pa.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Russell Feingold (D-Wisc.), Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.), Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). More original co-sponsors are expected to be added to the list.

Presidential candidates Obama and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) have expressed support for the Compact. Hearings on the House and Senate bills could come as early as next week.

“The Compact has been called for by more than a dozen governors from three different political parties since its conceptualization and approved by sixteen state legislative chambers from eight states,” said Cameron Davis, co-chair of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition and President/CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes. “Without the Compact, the Great Lakes are left vulnerable to depletion. We urge Congress to move quickly to approve the Compact to protect this national and international treasure.”

The eight Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have enacted the Compact, a regional water agreement that promotes water conservation within the region and protects the lakes from depletion.  Congressional consent is required for it to become law, as has been the case with other water compacts around the nation.

The Compact has garnered support from businesses, farmers and conservationists. The region’s governors have listed passage of the Compact as one of nine priorities to protect and restore the Great Lakes—along with efforts to halt invasive species, stop sewage contamination and clean up toxic pollution.

“The Great Lakes are one of America’s national treasures and one of the natural wonders of the world,” said Tom Kiernan, co-chair of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition and president of the National Parks Conservation Association. “We have a responsibility to protect them. Passage of the Compact is essential if we are to restore the Great Lakes and protect our drinking water, economy, National Parks and way of life. The longer we wait, the worse the problems and the more costly the solutions.”

The Great Lakes contain over 90 percent of the fresh surface water of the United States.  Although seemingly abundant, less than 1 percent of the Great Lakes water is renewed each year, leaving the lakes vulnerable to depletion.

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

For Immediate Release:
July 23, 2008

Contact:
Jeff Skelding, Healing Our Wates-Great Lakes Coalition, (202) 797-6893, jskelding@nwf.org
Cameron Davis, Alliance for the Great Lakes, (312) 375-2004, cdavis@greatlakes.org
Jordan Lubetkin, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, (734) 887-7109, lubetkin@nwf.org

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Down to the Wire

With less than two weeks to go before Congress recesses for the summer, the Great Lakes Task Force swiftly introduced the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact on Capitol Hill today. The bipartisan bill requires that the US Congress ratify the Compact signed by all eight Great Lakes States and agreed to by Canada’s provincial premiers of Ontario and Quebec.

The compact will allow the region to manage water use and restoration for the Great Lakes. It was introduced in both the House and Senate and Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) is trying to set a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee for the end of July in an attempt to quickly move the bill through the Senate.

“With Wisconsin’s economy and environment so closely tied to the health of the Great Lakes, their protection is essential to our state’s well-being,” Sen. Feingold said in a press statement before adding,”That is why I strongly support the Great Lakes Compact recently ratified by the Great Lakes states including Wisconsin. I congratulate the Governors and the Legislatures of these states for advancing the Compact. Now the ball is in Congress’s court. I am working with my Great Lakes colleagues to push the Compact through Congress. I hope to personally chair hearings on the Compact in the Senate Judiciary Committee. I’m proud of the cooperation that has brought the Compact this far but we will not quit until the Compact, and the protections it contains, are in effect.”

Support for the Compact in Congress is said to be building but it wouldn’t hurt for you to call your representatives and make sure they are co-sponsoring the bill. The new resolution was introduced by George V. Voinovich (R-OH) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.) in the Senate and by James Oberstar (D-Minn.), John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.) and Steven LaTourette (R-OH) in the House. All 16 of the Great Lakes Senators cosponsored the joint legislation and over 20 house members joined in - some are not even from Great Lakes states! Let’s push this through before the nation becomes absorbed in the next race for the White House.

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Record-Setting Sailboat Races for the Health of the Great Lakes

Favorite in Upcoming Chicago to Mackinac Race Racing to Highlight the Need for Great Lakes Restoration

July 18, 2008

CHICAGO—The fastest sailboat on the Great Lakes, and the favorite in the upcoming 100^th Race to Mackinac, arrived in Chicago this week as part of a 13-city tour highlighting the need to restore the Great Lakes.

“We’re sailing the Lakes and racing to Mackinac to draw attention to how important the health of the Great Lakes is to the region’s economy, culture, and way of life,” said Earth Voyager crew member Kristen Jurs, “Every day, Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes face serious threats, which is why we are calling on national leaders to act now to restore the lakes, before the problems get worse and the solutions more costly.”

The Earth Voyager, a trimaran sailboat 60 feet long and nearly 100 feet tall, set a record in last week’s Bayview Mackinac Race, finishing in about 14 hours.

City Environment Commissioner Suzanne Malec-McKenna, Chicago Yacht Club Commodore John Regan, and Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Environmental Committee Chair William Abolt joined the Earth Voyager crew along with local businesses, conservation groups and citizens to urge presidential candidates and the U.S. Congress to restore Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes by stopping sewage contamination, halting invasive species and confronting other serious threats.

"Lake Michigan is the lifeblood of this region and it is important to protect and improve this precious resource," said Commissioner Malec-McKenna. "A healthy Lake Michigan is vital for drinking water, the fishing industry, our ecology, tourism and our quality of life."

Federal restoration dollars could go to Chicago and other cities to address issues including toxic pollution, invasive species, and sewage system upgrades. Sewage overflows and other contaminants caused 555 Lake Michigan beach closings in Illinois in 2006 (nrdc.org). Lake Michigan absorbed 52 billion gallons of raw and partially treated sewage in 2001 alone (ecojustice.ca).

Citizens of Chicago and other communities are urging presidential candidates to show their support to the lakes by committing $20 billion over five years to restore the Great Lakes as outlined in the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy—a comprehensive clean-up plan endorsed by citizens, industry, mayors, governors and the region’s congressional delegation.

"Chicago Yacht Club is proud to support the mission of the Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives tour,” said John Regan, Commodore of Chicago Yacht Club. “We are one of the oldest and most respected yacht clubs in the world, and one of the preeminent organizers of regattas, races and predicted-log events in the United States. Our club is also an active community participant in the Chicago area, and engages in many worthwhile endeavors including boating safety education, conservation and environmental efforts, and numerous other projects which share a common theme: the stewardship, enjoyment and protection of one of the world’s great natural resources, The Great Lakes."

“Our message to those seeking the White House is clear: Show your commitment to Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes by standing up to protect Chicago’s drinking water, economy and way of life,” said Joel Brammeier of Alliance for the Great Lakes, “We have solutions. It is time to use them.”

A recent report by the Brookings Institutition found that Great Lakes restoration would generate between $80 billion and $100 billion in short- and long-term economic gains to the region and would bring $7.4 billion to Chicago alone.

"Lake Michigan is a critical asset for our region’s economic vitality and it’s important for our national elected leaders to prioritize continued restoration of the Great Lakes," said Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Environmental Committee Chair William Abolt. "Restoring the Great Lakes will not only improve our local quality of life, but will spur increased tourism, fishing and recreation, and lead to billions of dollars in new economic development."

“The boat tour underscores how important the Great Lakes are to millions of people and the urgent need to restore them,” said Jeff Skelding, national campaign director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, the boat tour’s sponsor. “To those seeking the presidency, we ask: ‘Will you use your leadership as president to fund the restoration of the largest freshwater resource in North America?”

The Earth Voyager is on a 13-city summer tour to raise awareness about the urgent need to restore Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes.

Organized by the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, the tour launched in Buffalo, N.Y., on June 6 and will reach its final port in Rochester, N.Y. on September 6.

For a full schedule of the tour and for more information, please visit: http://www.healthylakes.org/tour

CONTACT:

Hugh McMullen, Valerie Denney Communications, 312-408-2580 x 15, hugh@vdcom.com

Chris Grubb, National Wildlife Federation, 734-887-7104, grubbc@nwf.org

Nora Ferrell, Valerie Denney Communications, 773-510-4819, nora@vdcom.com

(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

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Bad Boys, Bad Boys

Sometime last year, in the depths of the Great Lakes, the 1,000,000,000,000,000th quagga mussel was born. The rapidly replicating, extremely expensive invasive mussel is proliferating and there is no end in sight – no one knows how to stop the quagga’s from clogging water intake pipes, tangling up the food chain and killing native fish and wildlife.

These tiny little mussels bring with them collateral damage – often to the wildlife that lives off the water but not in it - such as those poor birds, including loons, that have been killed by botulism outbreaks at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The trail of death once uncovered shows: the mussels absorb rotten botulism bloated algae, the gobies eat the mussels, and the birds eat the gobies and on and on.

But the quagga is just one part of a “slow-motion accident, spanning decades” an influx of billions of invasive species that destroy the food web, foul beaches and municipal systems and cost localities millions of dollars each year. As we well know, the invasive species historically and currently find their way into our fresh waters via the ballast water of ocean going ships. The only thing that can be done is to stop their reinforcements from entering the environment by stopping the discharge of contaminated ballast water into our Lakes.

The invasive problem, like the run-away inflation in the ‘70s, can be stabilized, but the US House approved Coast Guard Bill that would implement a national ballast standard is sputtering toward a dead stop in the US Senate. It is bad enough that the Senate is dragging their collective feet on such an urgent, costly issue but now Congress is threatening to close shop for the summer without approving the ballast standard.

So what can the eight Great Lakes States do about this unacceptable turn of events? The Milwaukee Sentinel suggests in an editorial that the states shut down the St. Lawrence Seaway (See the Milwaukee Sentinel Editorial ). Its true shippers don’t like this idea, but reporter, Dan Egan points out in his impressive series on this crisis that they can still function by transfering cargo from the ocean going vessels to the Great Lakes based freighter fleet before entering the Seaway. However, many warn against such reactionary measures.

Yesterday, the National Academies released a report that urges action but cautions against closing the seaway. Instead the committee proposes that the United States join Canada in creating a joint standard for ballast water. In 2006, the Canada adopted regulations consistent with the International Maritime Organizations recommendations. The report from the Academies urges the Federal Government to do the same as soon as possible to prevent more invasives from making the Great Lakes their home and the Coast Guard Bill would embrace the IMO standard and eventually move beyond it. What isn’t to like?

The coalition states have to pressure Congress to act quickly to staunch the flow of dollars from our treasuries and stabilize the ecosystem in our nation’s greatest reserve of surface fresh water.

(3 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)

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Invasive Species Take a Bite Out of State Wallets

The insidious little creatures that stowaway aboard Salties ballast water and are drained into the Great Lakes fresh water are costing the US side a whopping $200 million annually (and that is a conservative estimate), according to the preliminary results of an economic impact report on the subject.

Since the St. Lawrence Seaway opened to ocean going vessels in the late 1950s it hasn’t only been the ecological landscape of the lakes that has suffered. Consumers have lost millions in economic benefits that would have been derived from sport and commercial fisheries, wildlife watching and raw water users, researchers find.

“The loss of economic benefits complete analysis is ongoing but $200 million will remain at the low end,” said David Lodge, Director of the Center for Aquatic Conservation at the Notre Dame. The study was undertaken with funding from NOAH and the EPA. And this cost will remain no matter what happens from this point forward because the creatures are already here sucking the life out of our Lakes. The only thing we can do now is manage the problem by stopping any future invaders from coming into the Lakes. The US House approved a stiff national ballast standard in the US Coast Guard Authorization Act but the Senate may adjourn this summer without moving the legislation through.

“Before Congress adjourns for the elections, the Senate must agree to legislation already passed by the House of Representatives that puts in place protections against invasive species in the Great Lakes and all U.S. ports,” said Jennifer Nalbone of Great Lakes United.

(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

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Politics as Usual Threatens Our Great Lakes

Yikes! Rumor has it that Congress has decided to dash out of town for summer recess a week early – next week to be exact – July 25! This is grave news for the Great Lakes at a time when we were seeing a lot of momentum for our issues from approval of a strong national ballast standard in the House, to the introduction of the Great Lakes Legacy Act and the signing of the Great Lakes Compact by all eight states.

The Senate has less than two weeks to approve the Coast Guard Bill that will enact our first ever ballast standard that will help staunch the bleed of funds from our eight states into attempts to modify the damage of invasive species on our economy and ecology. Both houses have yet to approve a new and improved Great Lakes Legacy Act reauthorization which is vital to turning around our 31 areas of concern. And when will Congress have time to ratify the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway Compact, that promises to prevent diversion of water to the heat stricken A/C Belt?

The problem is that we are entering election season and unlike duck or deer season there is no end in sight. From August to November, Congress will be caught up in the national race for President as well as House, Senate and Gubernatorial races. Party divisions will rear their ugly heads and legislation will stall. Once a new Congress convenes in January they will await signals from the new President to find out his priorities before setting forth on agendas such as ours.

We are so close to reaching some significant milestones, yet this summer recess threatens all our efforts.

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