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Great Lakes Around the Web – March 23 – March 29, 2009

Great Lakes Around the Web – March 23 – March 29, 2009

Here is a selection of news items and blog regarding the Great Lakes in the last week. Did we miss something? Let us know via the comments.

This week’s videos:



Congressional Committees Support Great Lakes Restoration

Both the US House and US Senate committees that deal with the budget found Great Lakes restoration important enough to include the President’s $475 million Great Lakes restoration initiative in their budgets resolutions.

“This budget resolution charts a path for congressional action to restore the Great Lakes and revive the economy,” said Tom Kiernan, co-chair of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.
This success came about because of the impressive work of the Great Lakes Congressional Task Force and our Great Lakes Representatives and Senators. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) led the effort to include the initiative in the Senate budget resolution.

“Our Great Lakes are an inseparable part of our history and culture, and provide us with an economic resource unique to our region,” said Sen. Stabenow. “That’s why I was proud to lead the effort and outline critical funding to combat the key threats facing our lakes and our way of life. I will continue to work closely with President Obama and his administration to make sure that the commitment made toward the Great Lakes becomes a reality.”

House Committee on the Budget members Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) and Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.) and Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) led the effort to include Great Lakes restoration funding in the House budget resolution.

Both Great Lakes Senators and Representatives sent letters to their colleagues and the committee chairs urging them to support this vital restoration initiative.

Those Senators who signed the letter include Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio).

And House members who leant their names include: Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), John Conyers (D-Mich.), Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.), John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), Dale Kildee (D-Mich.), Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Dennis J., Kucinich (D-Ohio), Steven C. LaTourette (R-Ohio), Chris Lee (R-N.Y.), Sander M. Levin (D-Mich.), Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.), James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.), Thomas Petri (R-Wisc.), Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Mark Schauer (D-Mich.), Louise M. Slaughter (D-N.Y.), Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), and Betty Sutton (D-Ohio).
The full House and Senate are expected to vote on the budget next week.

“We look forward to the full House and Senate passing a budget that advances Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery before the problems get worse and the solutions more costly,” said Kiernan.



Senate Committee Endorses $475 Million for Great Lakes Restoration in Budget

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (March 27, 2009)—The U.S. Senate Budget Committee yesterday passed its budget resolution that calls for a commitment of $475 million to restore the Great Lakes—the largest surface fresh water source in the world.

“This budget resolution charts a path for congressional action to restore the Great Lakes and revive the economy,” said Tom Kiernan, president of the National Parks Conservation Association and co-chair of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We look forward to the full House and Senate passing a budget that advances Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery before the problems get worse and the solutions more costly.”

Senate Budget Committee member Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) led the effort to include Great Lakes restoration funding in the budget resolution, which sets the framework for federal appropriations for the year.

“The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition applauds Sen. Stabenow for making Great Lakes restoration a priority in the congressional budget process,” said Andy Buchsbaum, regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes office and co-chair of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “This budget resolution sets the stage for strong federal action to restore the lakes and revive the economy. It’s imperative that Congress close the deal and fund these successful programs.”

“Our Great Lakes are an inseparable part of our history and culture, and provide us with an economic resource unique to our region,” said Sen. Stabenow. “That’s why I was proud to lead the effort and outline critical funding to combat the key threats facing our lakes and our way of life. I will continue to work closely with President Obama and his administration to make sure that the commitment made toward the Great Lakes becomes a reality.”

In February President Barack Obama released his proposed budget, including a precedent-setting $475 million Great Lakes restoration fund to address problems such as invasive species, habitat loss, and toxic pollution. 

Since that announcement, Senate leaders have urged for the inclusion of the new restoration fund in the Congressional budget. Great Lakes Task Force members from Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin sent a letter to Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and ranking member Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), urging for the inclusion of lake restoration funding in the budget resolution.

Signatories to the letter include Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio).

Read the letter at: http://www.healthylakes.org/site_upload/upload/SenateGLTFBudgetLtr_2009.pdf

“Fully funding the President’s request will be a big step forward in the multi-year effort to restore the Great Lakes and revive the economy,” said Jill Ryan executive director of Freshwater Future and co-chair of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We need to make sure that the momentum being generated in the halls of Congress and the White House to restore the lakes lead to results for the millions of people who depend on the Great Lakes for their jobs, drinking water and public health 365 days a year.”

Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.) also sits on the Senate Budget Committee. The full Senate is expected to vote on the budget resolution next week.

According to the Brookings Institution, an investment of $26 billion to restore the Great Lakes will lead to at least $50 billion in economic benefit for the region.

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 visit: http://www.healthylakes.org/

For Immediate Release:
March 27, 2009

Contact:
Jordan Lubetkin, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, (734) 887-7109, lubetkin@nwf.org



U.S. House Committee Endorses Great Lakes Restoration in Budget

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (March 26, 2009)—The U.S. House Committee on the Budget last night passed its budget resolution that calls for a commitment to restore the Great Lakes—the largest surface fresh water source in the world.

“This budget resolution charts a path for congressional action to restore the Great Lakes and revive the economy,” said Tom Kiernan, president of the National Parks Conservation Association and co-chair of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We look forward to the full House and Senate passing a budget that advances Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery before the problems get worse and the solutions more costly.”

Budget committee members Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) and Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) and Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) led the effort to include Great Lakes restoration funding in the budget resolution, which sets the framework for federal appropriations for the year.

“The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition applauds Reps. Kaptur, Moore and Slaughter for making Great Lakes restoration a priority in the congressional budget process,” said Andy Buchsbaum, regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes office and co-chair of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “This budget resolution sets the stage for strong federal action to restore the lakes and revive the economy. It’s imperative that Congress close the deal and fund these successful programs.”

“The Great Lakes are a prized natural resource and a significant economic engine for our country,” said Rep. Slaughter. “By investing in the protection and restoration of this national treasure, we will not only preserve the lakes for future generations but create jobs and bolster regional communities, industries, and economies. As co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force, I am proud to support a serious commitment to defend the Great Lakes and strengthen our economy.” 

In February President Barack Obama released his proposed budget, including a precedent-setting $475 million Great Lakes restoration fund to address problems such as invasive species, habitat loss, and toxic pollution. 

Since that announcement, House leaders have urged for the inclusion of the new restoration fund in the Congressional budget. Great Lakes Task Force members from Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin sent a letter to House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt, Jr. (D-S.C.) and ranking member Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), urging for the inclusion of lake restoration funding in the budget resolution.

Signatories to the letter include: Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), John Conyers (D-Mich.), Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.), John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), Dale Kildee (D-Mich.), Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Dennis J., Kucinich (D-Ohio), Steven C. LaTourette (R-Ohio), Chris Lee (R-N.Y.), Sander M. Levin (D-Mich.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.), Thomas Petri (R-Wis.), Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Mark Schauer (D-Mich.), Louise M. Slaughter (D-N.Y.), Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), and Betty Sutton (D-Ohio).

Read the letter at: http://www.healthylakes.org/site_upload/upload/HouseGLTFBudgetLtr_2009.pdf

“Fully funding the President’s request will be a big step forward in the multi-year effort to restore the Great Lakes and revive the economy,” said Jill Ryan executive director of Freshwater Future and co-chair of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We need to make sure that the momentum being generated in the halls of Congress and the White House to restore the lakes lead to on-the-ground results for the millions of people who depend on the Great Lakes for their jobs, drinking water and public health 365 days a year.”

U.S. House members who serve on the Committee on Budget include: Reps. Kaptur, Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), Moore, Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Steve Austria (R-Ohio). The full House of Representatives is expected to vote on the budget resolution next week.

According to the Brookings Institution, an investment of $26 billion to restore the Great Lakes will lead to at least $50 billion in economic benefit for the region.

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 visit: http://www.healthylakes.org/

For Immediate Release:
March 26, 2009

Contact:
Jordan Lubetkin, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, (734) 887-7109, lubetkin@nwf.org



Make a Call for the Great Lakes Today!

Your US House Member and US Senator need to hear from you today. We need you to contact them and tell them how important President Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is for the entire region’s economy and ecology. Tell your Congressperson that you expect to see his/her name on the House or Senate letter showing support for this budget initiative. We need to let our delegation know that we are watching and expecting action! After you call or email – if you have time – please comment on this thread and let us know what you heard from your Congress person’s office. Thanks!



Great Lakes Around the Web – March 16 – March 22, 2009

Great Lakes Around the Web – March 16 – March 22, 2009

Here is a selection of news items and blog regarding the Great Lakes in the last week. Did we miss something? Let us know via the comments.

And starting this week we will link to relevant videos:



Your Task Force Working For You!

The US Senate Members of the Great Lakes Task Force are circulating a letter in support of President Obama’s Great Lakes Initiative. This will hopefully influence their colleagues in the Senate who control the purse strings.

President Obama’s FY2010 Budget includes $475 million for Great Lakes restoration. No US President has ever made such a commitment before and we want to make sure that the US Congress follows through by providing the same amount in their budget. The GL Task Force in the US House is circulating a similar letter among their colleagues.

So far, Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich) and George Voinovich (R-OH) have signed onto this letter. Sen. Charles Schumer’s (D-NY) staff have expressed interest but they have not yet committed the Senator’s name to ink. While we recognize that Senators who sit on the budget committee may not sign on for that reason, we expect each and every other US Senator from the Great Lakes region to show their support for this important piece of legislation. If you have a few minutes to contact your Senator please let them know we want to see their name on this letter and their vote for Great Lakes restoration when the time comes. Then come back and tell us what you heard by commenting on this page. Thanks!



Task Force Tells US House Budget Committee To Restore the Lakes

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) who heads up the Great Lakes task force appeared before the US House Budget Committee yesterday to urge them to support President Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

“I commend President Barack Obama for recognizing the urgent need to restore the Great Lakes and the tremendous economic benefit healthy lakes will bring to communities, businesses and industries. I applaud him for including $475 million to restore the Lakes in his proposed fiscal year 2010 budget,” said Rep. Slaughter before adding, “These federal dollars represent the most serious commitment to Great Lakes restoration ever by a President.”

Slaughter explained to her colleagues that this is an opportunity to create jobs and revive the region’s economy. The Great Lakes chambers of commerce, mayors, governors, industry and non-governmental organizations from the entire region have crossed state borders and put aside parochial concerns to unite behind the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy to restore the lakes.

“Great Lakes restoration is an economic driver and key to the economic recovery of our region and our nation,” Slaughter testified. By supporting the President’s initiative, Slaughter told the committee it would create jobs and bolster communities.

“Restoring the lakes will also put people to work immediately. The recommendation to fix old sewers in the region – $7.65 billion in federal investment – will create at least 265,000 jobs,” she said. The new federal dollars would be a significant down payment toward the multi-year effort to restore the Lakes. She reminded her colleagues – some of whom hail from the Great Lakes states, such as Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.), Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Steve Austria (R-OH).

“I respectfully request that you include $475 million for Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery,” Slaughter urged.



Action Alert: Tell your Members of Congress to Match President Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Funding

President Obama included a $475 million Great Lakes Restoration initiative in his proposed FY2010 Budget – the largest Great Lakes funding commitment ever made by a President. While this is a great testament to our new Great Lakes President, Congress ultimately dictates federal funding levels. The first step in that process is the Congressional Budget Resolution, which is currently being debated in Congress. The House and Senate plan to pass their budget resolutions by the first week of April.

HOW YOU CAN TAKE ACTION: Please take ten minutes today to call Congress today to urge your Representative and Senators to make sure Congress matches the President’s Great Lakes funding commitment in their own budget. Here are the three easy steps:

1) Call the offices of your Representative and two U.S. Senators. You can reach them through their direct line or by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asking to be connected.

2) Make sure the staff person you speak with knows you are a constituent and tell them: “President Obama has included a $475 million Great Lakes Restoration initiative in his fiscal year 2010 budget to restore the Great Lakes and revive our economy. I urge [Representative / Senator _________] to reach out to Members of Congress on the Budget Committee in support of including the President’s Great Lakes restoration initiative in the Congressional Budget Resolution.”

3) Let the campaign know what kind of response you get by commenting on this post or sending an email to grubbc@nwf.org.

FYI: The following Great Lakes members of Congress are on the Budget Committee: Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Rep. Steve Austria (R-OH), Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI), and Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). If you are calling these offices, just tell them directly that you urge them to include the funding in the Budget Resolution and urge them to work with their colleagues to build support.

Thank you for taking action to restore the Great Lakes!



Follow the Healthy Lakes Healthy Lives Campaign on Twitter

Hey you guys – tweeting? Count us in, with your RTs and your @replies and your #hashtags. Follow @healthylakes on Twitter and help spread the word on efforts to protect and restore the Great Lakes.

Not on Twitter yet? It is pretty cool – you can keep in touch with your friends, make new ones, and engage in causes you believe in with less of a time commitment than other social networking websites.

Want to know how to get started on Twitter? The site itself is pretty self-explanatory. This video is also helpful.

Tweet you later!