US House

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 » »

Here Be Shipwrecks: Thunder Bay Sanctuary to Grow

The US House approved legislation that will expand the Thunder Bay Sanctuary right up to the International Boundary. The Sanctuary is home to 116 historic shipwrecks in “shipwreck alley” and by extending the area under federal shelter another 178 shipwrecks will be defended. The US Senate passed a similar bill last spring.

Chairman of the Thunder Bay Sanctuary Advisory Council, Steve Kroll told a House panel that extending the border would expand Coast Guard protections against vandalism and other threats, according to E&E News Daily.

Mercury Vote In Congress Today

A House committee will vote on the Mercury Pollution Control Act of 2009 today and that is a good move for the Great Lakes region, according to Kari Lydersen, a Washington Post reporter guest blogging at the Great Lakes Town Hall.

The act will force the remaining mercury emitting plants to phase out the old pollution inducing technology within two years. Right now there are four chlorine plants using this technology and one of them is in the Great Lakes state of Ohio. to read more go to: http://www.greatlakestownhall.org/the-daily-post/3500

CWRA–Good for People, Farms and Small Businesses

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The House Small Business Committee heard complaints from associations representing farmers and small business groups who do not want the Clean Water Restoration Act to be approved. They want to maintain the 2006 interpretation that limits the Clean Water Act to huge bodies of water that are navigable. The problem with this definition is that it leaves 60 percent of this nation’s rivers and nearly a quarter of our wetlands unprotected.

The opponents argued before the panel that CWRA would require Read More » »

Great News for the Great Lakes from Congress

Key steps were taken this week in Congress towards comprehensive restoration of The Great Lakes, adding momentum to the movement to protect the region’s most important environmental and economic asset.