Economics of Restoration

Great Lakes State Leading Health Care Innovation

Wisconsin is President Barack Obama’s number one agenda item today. The President is flying into Green Bay to hold a town hall style meeting to learn about how this Great Lakes State has made cutting edge healthcare available to more people. The Washington Post writes today that “The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality gives Wisconsin high scores on 100 measures, ranging from the treatment of heart disease to childhood asthma.” Healthcare is predicted to continue to be a huge generator of jobs over the next several decades and the availability of good healthcare makes cities very attractive Read More » »

We Need a Little Christmas Right Now

President Obama released more details about how he intends to spend $475 million on Great Lakes restoration today. He also outlined a plan to provide states with an additional $3.9 billion to clean up the drinking water with new infrastructure projects. And although it feels like Christmas on this balmy May day, there is no guarantee that the Grinch (read: Congressional appropriators) won’t steal all these hard won gifts away from us in the middle of the night. Because, at the end of the day, Congress holds the purse strings and the appropriations committees will decide if any of Read More » »

What is Taking so Long?

Do you hear that rhythmic thumping, drumming sound? That is the sound of our collective fingers tapping in anticipation of a new Great Lakes Czar. President Obama promised this to us during his campaign for the presidency and then he provided for a post in his budget. Both houses of Congress have passed the budget so what’s holding things up? The Chesapeake Bay and Anacostia River have their coordinator: Charlie Fox – is it just because those waters flow through the District that they get priority?

HOW has sent a letter to EPA head, Lisa Jackson and CEQ’s Nancy Sutley Read More » »

Buffalo: The Come Back Kid

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Buffalo, NY - Buffalo, the second poorest city in the nation has a plan to stimulate a long depressed local economy by making Buffalo and the Great Lakes one and the same in people’s minds. That is right, the Queen City has rediscovered her historical link to the Great Lakes and expects this revival to lead to more jobs and transform the quality of life for those Read More » »

Hallelujah: We Have A Restoration Water Bill

The US House resoundingly approved a $19.4 billion-water bill that could vastly upgrade efforts to improve Great Lakes water quality. Now, how do we get it through the US Senate?

It was 1994 the last time Congress passed a Water Authorization Bill – since then members have had to use earmarks and other mechanisms to get money to localities to update ancient sewer systems, crumbling wastewater facilities and clean up overflows of raw sewage and toxic pollution. But this bill brings together five water quality bills that were consistently passed by the US House and then defeated.

This water bill will provide Read More » »

Michigan Cities Benefit from Stimulus

Sixteen Michigan cities will get $66 million from the economic stimulus package to upgrade water systems and create 109,000 jobs. This is exactly what we have been talking about – spending money on restoring the Great Lakes creates jobs and helps our region’s economy.

Restoration may sound lofty and unduly “green” but in reality it translates into spending millions to fix our ailing and ancient combined sewer systems and that also means jobs. But the stimulating effect doesn’t stop with employment -by stopping untreated waste from flowing into the water we drink and swim in business will feel a boon. Read More » »

Gov. Quinn’s Advice for Great Lakes Day

Illinois newly minted Governor Pat Quinn – in Washington for the National Governor’s Association meeting - spoke to the members of the Great Lakes Commission yesterday. The Commission, that Gov. Quinn chairs, is also in Washington to urge Congress to make the Great Lakes a legislative and funding priority.

Quinn urged Great Lakes advocates to press President Barack Obama to make good on his campaign promise and appoint a Great Lakes Czar – a point person for restoration.

“We need to get a Great Lakes Czar,” Gov. Quinn said. “Someone who can get in touch Read More » »

No More Rolling Downhill

The Duluth News lost little time in writing about how the stimulus package signed into law by President Barack Obama will impact the Great Lakes region by putting people to work to stop sewage from flowing into the lakes and tributaries.

Done Deal

We usually wax on about the first 100 days of a new President’s Administration, but President Barack Obama will go down in history for signing his name to the most sweeping economic recovery package within his first month of taking office. We can surely hope the $1.45 billion that will go to our Great Lakes region is only a down payment toward a full restoration package over the next four years. As it stands now, we can expect to create more than 50,000 jobs with the billion-in-a-half coming our way to modernize our wastewater infrastructure and prevent sewage contamination.

“This Read More » »

The Great Lakes: An Economic Super Region

Last winter, a group of people came to Washington - people who usually compete with one another to draw business to their cities – people who left the Capital united and committed to working together to bring back the Great Lakes region.

“A year ago we came together to try and approach the Federal Government collectively with a strategic agenda for dollars and policy for an economic super region: the Great Lakes. We think we have a compelling story to tell,” said Andrew Rudnick, president and CEO for the Buffalo Niagara Partnership at a Press Conference. The Great Lakes Read More » »