Congressional Winners and Losers

On a Roll to Save the Lakes

Somedays I step back and think about Thomas Jefferson who, recognizing the great beauty of the federal-state relationship, waxed prophetic about the states becoming laboratories of democracy. Today, the Great Lakes are poised to benefit tremendously by this ingenious system - following the lead of 13 states - US Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and George Voinovich (R-OH)have introduced a bill that will put an end to the use of phosphates in household dish detergent that leach into the Lakes feeding dangerous algae and killing off fish, by 2010.

“Protecting and restoring the Great Lakes has been a top priority of mine Read More » »

Drum Roll Please

We are so close to having a national ballast law, we can smell it, taste it and the aroma is so appetizing. Yesterday, the US House passed the first ever national bill that will protect our fresh waters from ballast discharges when it voted 395 to 7 in favor of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2007.

The last year has seen Great Lakes States initiating their own ad hoc ballast bills in a desperate attempt to stop an impending “invasional meltdown” that would put the lakes on an irreversible trek toward ecological disaster, but now an answer is Read More » »

Location, Location, Location

Unfortunately, the dating term geographically undesirable (GU) also appears to apply to Congress Members attitude toward the Great Lakes and the issues we have fervently been working on. Usually an explanation of why a budding romantic relationship failed to flower, GU also defines a lack of leadership and perhaps interest in the Great Lakes for lawmakers representing the more far flung districts in our eight states.

After reviewing comments made by those who took part in Great Lakes Day 2008, it becomes clear rather quickly that geography had a lot to do with the kind of experience HOW members had when Read More » »

Where were you?

Yesterday, the US Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee held a hearing on the Clean Water Restoration Act and not a single Great Lakes Senator attended the hearing. Noticeably absent were the three Great Lakes Senators that sit on the Committee: Hillary R. Clinton (D-NY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and George Voinovich (R-OH). Way to go Senators.

If any of the Great Lakes Senators have an excuse for not attending the hearing, it is probably Sen. Clinton who is busy campaigning for the democratic nomination for President. Having said that, this bill certainly jives with Clinton’s policy goals, Read More » »

Coalition Applauds Congress for Improving Great Lakes Funding

Coalition Applauds Congress for Improving Great Lakes Funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 14) – The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition today praised the U.S. Senate for passing a budget that increases funding to essential Great Lakes programs to stop invasive species and restore fish and wildlife habitat.

“The U.S. Senate’s budget is a win for the Great Lakes and a win for the millions of people who depend on them for their jobs, health and way of life,” said Jeff Skelding, national campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We urge Congress to appropriate the money, because the longer we wait, Read More » »

Great Lakes Advocate Congresswoman Louise Slaughter Honored

On Saturday New York Rep. Louise Slaughter, was honored with a Great Laker Award for her dedication to restoration. It can be argued that Rep. Slaughter put the “woman” in Congresswoman with her eleven terms of service and dedication to women’s issues. But that isn’t all the Represenative has committed to in her service, in addition, she has tirelessly served Western New York and is greatly concerned with the region’s economic situation. She believes that approving the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act would be a giant leap in the direction of economic Read More » »

Talking Turkey and Giving Thanks

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, take a moment this week to call your elected officials in the U.S. Congress and thank them for standing up for the Great Lakes.
 
While a lot of work remains to be done in the effort to restore the Great Lakes, we have made some significant gains this year:
 
The Daddy of them all would be the Asian carp barrier that just passed into law. We will finally have a permanent barrier to prevent the insidious invasive fish from destorying the Great Lakes ecosystem and sport fishery.
 
The U.S. House also went to bat in the effort to Read More » »

Great Laker Award Presented To Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel

Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) spoke at the third annual Healing our Water’s Conference today, after receiving the Great Laker Award for raising a strong voice for Great Lakes restoration in congress. Since his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2003, Emanuel has been a champion for the Lakes, one of the first bills he introduced upon becoming a congressman was the Great Lakes Restoration Financing Act. He continues fighting for the lakes - something he says is a “natural extension” for him -he introduced the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act in 2006 and 2007. Emanuel Read More » »

Great Laker Award Presented To Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk

Today, Rep. Mark Kirk’s (R-Ill.) long-standing commitment to preserving and restoring the Great Lakes will be recognized when he is given the Great Laker Award at the third annual Healing our Waters conference in Chicago, Ill. Kirk has represented the 10th district in Illinois since 2001. He and his family live at the former Fort Sheridan in Highland Park and he has a long, personal history with Lake Michigan. Since he has been in office he has joined a group of moderate republicans working to protect the environment. Kirk authored the Great Lakes Water Read More » »

Judgment Day for Executive Order 13340 has Arrived

OK, OK, we know there is a war going on and each morning we awake to another ghastly political scandal, but still, the President should finish what he has started and that means re-engaging on his dusty three-year-old executive order that birthed the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force and the Great Lakes Collaboration of National Significance.

Disgusted by the vapid or rather, nonexistent leadership by the EPA and the White House on this, what did we call it, issue of “National Significance,” nearly 30 members from both parties of Congress, sent strongly worded letters to the EPA Administrator and Read More » »