Report

Michigan Releases Plan to Restore Great Lakes, Boost State Economy

Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry and the Office of the Great Lakes released a plan to restore the Great Lakes while boosting the economic fortunes of the state.

Conservation groups in the state praised the plan—as did the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.

The release of the report comes as Congress and the incoming Obama Administration are crafting an economic stimulus package.

A top priority for the Coalition is for the package to include funding for programs that put people to work Read More » »

It’s a Fact

It is a fact that recreational boating is responsible for supporting 60,000 Great Lakes jobs – that is a $9 billion impact on the economy, according to a recent bipartisan report issued by the Army Corps of Engineers.

These are hard, cold facts so who could argue with supporting an infusion of cash into the Great Lakes via the economic recovery package being debated in Washington, DC.

“This study clearly demonstrates that hundreds of thousands of recreational boaters come to the Great Lakes every year because the lakes are such a treasure, and they bring with them billions of dollars in Read More » »

Do You Hear What I Hear?

The US Conference of Mayors, a national organization, has urged Congress to consider a long list of ready-to-go projects in the new economic recovery package that is being developed. The Mayors said to Capitol Hill, that we need to fix our ailing sewer systems - to the tune of about $15 billion for waste water projects - to save and restore our vast seas, to save and restore our vast seas. Cities end up paying the lion’s share of upkeep and maintainance of the sewer systems. The Mayors have joined the state legislatures, Governors and HOW in recommending Read More » »

Invasive Species Take a Bite Out of State Wallets

The insidious little creatures that stowaway aboard Salties ballast water and are drained into the Great Lakes fresh water are costing the US side a whopping $200 million annually (and that is a conservative estimate), according to the preliminary results of an economic impact report on the subject.

Since the St. Lawrence Seaway opened to ocean going vessels in the late 1950s it hasn’t only been the ecological landscape of the lakes that has suffered. Consumers have lost millions in economic benefits that would have been derived from sport and commercial fisheries, wildlife watching and raw water users, researchers Read More » »

The Day after Tomorrow: The Great Lakes in Crisis

Close your eyes and think of the worst disaster movie you’ve ever seen, OK, do you have it set in your mind’s eye? The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is releasing a report that shows the expected impacts of global warming on the Great Lakes – nearly 95 percent of this nation’s fresh surface water – are much more devastating than anything you could have imagined.

Great Lakes Restoration and the Threat of Global Warming makes it clear that the Great Lakes are poised to reach an irrevocable crisis Read More » »

New Report: Congress Must Deal with Global Warming—Great Lakes Impact

ANN ARBOR, MI (May 28, 2008)—The Great Lakes can lessen the impact of global warming or become global warming’s victim—it all depends on Congress, according to a new report from the Healing Our Waters®-Great Lakes Coalition. The authors urged Congress to enact a comprehensive plan to restore the health of the Great Lakes.

“Climate change is already affecting the Great Lakes, and no matter what we do now, the those impacts will increase in the future,” said Donald Scavia, Ph.D., report co-author and professor of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Read More » »

Climate Change and Water Diversion Won’t Leave Much “Great” in the Lakes

We’ve all heard that climate change will only exacerbate lower lake levels and lengthening shore lines in the Great Lakes over the coming years. These are serious threats that, unfortunately, are not too shocking for those of us who have watched as the ice that once reached near to Canada continues to retreat each year and as water temperatures rise, allowing kids to start swimming in the lakes earlier each summer. Climate Change and Great Lakes Water Resources, a new report prepared for the National Wildlife Federation confirms our observations. But what is most interesting about Read More » »

Study Finds Great Lakes National Parks Neglected

Neglect can be added to the list of problems plaguing the Great Lakes region. Nearsighted federal policy that has steered dollars away from one of our nation’s greatest resources has left crumbling lighthouses, empty trout nets and retreating dunes in the wake, according to a recent study by a national park advocacy group.

Environmental problems, such as air pollution and invasive species in the Great Lakes are have an equally dangerous effect on six national parks studied by the National Parks Conservation Association. For example, 20 percent Read More » »

An Open Letter to the 2008 Presidential Candidates

Dear Candidate:

The past two presidential elections have made one thing abundantly clear – the Midwest, particularly the eight states surrounding the Great Lakes are needed to win the White House.

“The Great Lakes area is key to anyone winning the Presidency,” said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) when he addressed the Healing Our Waters Coalition at their annual conference in Chicago last week.

As you know, this campaign is historically significant – it has been more than half-a-century since there was not an incumbent, nor a vice president running for the highest office in the United States. While there isn’t an incumbent politician, Read More » »

$50 Billion in Economic Benefit Hinge on Restoration of Great Lakes

Cost to restore and protect the Great Lakes: $26 Billion.

Cost of creating sustainable economic growth and reviving the industrial heartland of America: Priceless.

It has been called the Rust Belt since the early ‘70s when the once thriving Great Lakes region – a producer of steel, metal and automobiles that attracted workers from around the world – fell victim to globalization and then the information economy. Factories and mills closed and crestfallen populations of workers migrated away in search of jobs. But leading economists are releasing a report today showing that investing in the Read More » »