Heard on the Hill

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 » »

Nowhere To Go But Up

For those who have dedicated themselves to tirelessly advocating for the Great Lakes, the President’s budget was disheartening to say the least. It became clear to most of us that the restoration of the Lakes and possibly the inspiration for a new vibrant economy in our region won’t happen until we have a Commander-in-Chief who is fully committed to our cause.

“This is not going to happen until we have a candidate for President committed to putting it in the budget,” Michigan Senator Carl Levin (D) told us at the US Capitol last week. Just moments before Illinois Rep. Rahm Read More » »

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 Read More » »

White House Budget Leaves Great Lakes on Thin Ice

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been reviewing President Bush’s proposed White House budget that was released on Monday.

The verdict: not good for the Great Lakes.

Our early take on the budget holds.

Read for yourself how Great Lakes programs fared in a spreadsheet comparing the White House budget request with enacted spending levels.

The biggest single cut is to a program to help communities modernize old wastewater treatment facilities to prevent sewage contamination. You can read how the cuts will affect each Great Lakes Read More » »

Priorities: Something to Think About, President Bush

It really wasn’t surprising that President George Bush did not mention restoring the Great Lakes during his last State of the Union. It would have been truly shocking had he. But I held out hope. I mean George Bush is the guy who starting this collaboration among city, state, tribal, congressional and environmental gurus to protect the Great Lakes.

It is likely the President didn’t expect us to come back to him with such a pricey package of legislation – even for jaded Washington appropriators - $20 billion is a big deal. And Bush has witnessed smaller pieces of our 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 » »

Great Lakes Lawmakers Vote to Override Bush Veto

Last night Great Lakes members of Congress from both parties rebuffed the Bush administration by voting to override his veto of a bill that authorizes funding for many Great Lakes restoration projects - the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).

A recent AP Article includes quotes from several Michigan Representatives including Candice Miller (R), Bart Stupak (D), Tim Wallberg (R), and Vern Ehlers (R).

Despite reservations about environmentally suspect projects in other parts of the country, WRDA authorizes funding for completing the Asian carp barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. This is one of Read More » »

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 Read More » »

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 Read More » »

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 Read More » »