US House

Congressional Support for GLRI: Three Steps Forward, One Step Back

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Despite a huge push by Great Lakes Members of the House of Representative to keep restoration funding at last year’s level, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment chose the President’s budget request for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative – $300 million – over ours – $475 million that was appropriated last year. That represents a cut of nearly 40 percent. Times are tough, but every dollar we invest in Great Lakes restoration sustains and creates jobs Read More » »

All for One and One for All

Economic turbulence tends to inspire regionalism among Congressmen and those who lobby them. The Great Lakes has received an infusion of federal money to invest in restoration and it appears that this is causing some envy among other ecosystem restoration projects, but it shouldn’t because we intend to fight not just for the Great Lakes but also for the restoration of all of America’s Great Waters.

Less than a year ago, National Wildlife Federation CEO Larry Schweiger challenged a room full of advocates for this nation’s endangered waters to think beyond their own restoration efforts. “Instead of focusing on our own Read More » »

US House Expected to Pass Jobs Bill Tonight: Promising News for Great Lakes Water Infrastructure

Tonight is the night that the US House intends to put people to work modernizing this nation’s water infrastructure. The jobs bill that is expected to pass tonight provides $1 billion for clean water and $1 billion for drinking water giving Great Lakes states an additional $400 million to update our sewers this year.

Healing Our Waters signed onto a letter that urged the House to set aside some funding for green infrastructure projects and efforts to institute water efficiency. The House has done so, setting aside 20 percent of the funding for such projects. The House is also waiving the Read More » »

The Third Wave of Conservationism Hits Washington

With today’s launch of the Great Waters Coalition, the nation’s conservation movement matures into its third and hopefully most powerful wave to ever hit Washington. This morning, on Capitol Hill, representatives of more than 30 organizations working to restore this nation’s waters will launch the first ever national restoration movement.

The Great Water’s Coalition includes the Chesapeake Bay, Coastal Louisiana, the Everglades, the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Maine, Long Island Sound, the Mississippi River, Puget Sound, San Francisco and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. We are at a time in the history of this planet when these ecosystems are on Read More » »

A Deal Has Been Struck; Obey Saves Great Lakes Ships From Compliance with Pollution Regs

After weeks of wrangling between Great Lakes lawmakers and the EPA, late Monday night House Appropriations Chairman Dave Obey (D-Wisc.) won a hard fought deal that will provide an exemption from air pollution standards for 13 ancient Great Lakes ships.

When Great Lakes Shippers realized that the $32 billion natural resources bill that is the source of the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget included regulations that would force them to stop using dirty fuel within the next few years they went to their congressmen. Behind closed doors, Obey, James Oberstar (D-Minn.) and other Great Lakes lawmakers met with the EPA to hammer Read More » »

Climate Change, National Parks and Water Infrastructure are on Congress’ Agenda

The National Parks are threatened by climate change – from contracting glaciers to flooded revered wetlands – management of our nation’s park lands will become increasingly difficult. After a significant panel found that the National Parks Service lacks the research capacity to develop a way to deal with the changes to our climate, a US Senate panel has decided to hold a hearing on the issue this week.

The US Senate Energy and Natural Resources National Parks Subcommittee will hold a hearing on Wednesday afternoon at 2pm in the Dirksen Building. The President of the Wildlife Management Institute will testify Read More » »

Rep. Jim Oberstar’s Panel Investigates the Diminishing Clean Water Act

After 37 years, the goals of the Clean Water Act continue to elude us. That is why the US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing yesterday to find out what needs to be done to fulfill the promise of safe drinking water and end pollution.

In his opening statement, Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn), the Chairman of the Committee explained that the CWA has three elements – the third being a strong enforcement program that ensures implementation of the law. “Regrettably, we are faced today with a situation where these elements are incomplete and eroding, and as Read More » »

Invasive Species Attack Hard Working American’s

New York counties that border Lake Ontario and rely on tourism and sport fishing have just had their fears confirmed – after slow economic growth this summer– a new report shows that the sport fishing industry is in decline. The economy has something to do with that as well as a waning interest in fishing salmon, but also, the evil invasive species have played a role, according to researchers at Cornell.

The study, Lake Ontario Sportfishing: Trends, analysis and Outlook, predicts a further decline in future summers. New York’s sport fishery Read More » »

James Oberstar to Hold CWRA Hearing Thursday

Building upon momentum inspired by the New York Times story about the appalling state of our nation’s waters, the US Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is going to hold a hearing on October 15 entitled: The Clean Water Act after 37 Years, Recommitting to the Protection of the Nation’s Waters. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has asked Cynthia Giles to speak at the hearing.

On Friday, T&I Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn) lamented the quality of this nation’s drinking waters after nearly a decade of what he called “neglect” of clean water laws by the Bush Administration. Oberstar is the lead sponsor on Read More » »

Great Lakes are on the Minds of Congress this Week

This week the US House and US Senate are authorizing money for the spending bills for Agriculture and the US Army Corps both of which have Great Lakes program lines in their budgets.

A $400,000 Great Lakes Basin Soil Erosion Program is part of the Agriculture Department’s Budget that Congress is currently finishing up work upon. And both chambers should complete work on the Army Corps authorization this week. That bill has several million in it for different Great Lakes programs, such as: $3.4 million for the Great Lakes RAP program, $1.14 million for a Sediment Transport Modeling program, $2.5 million Read More » »