Quick Navigation
Great Lakes Congressional Watch
- Congressional Winners and Losers (37)
- Current Events (40)
- District Meetings (2)
- Heard on the Hill (43)
- Hearings (18)
- Office Visits (14)
- Presidential Tracking Poll (41)
- Quote of the Week (2)
- Show Me the Money (19)
- Sign-on Letters (1)
- Speeches (7)
- Stumping for the White House (62)
- Testimony (4)
Policy
- Asian Carp Barrier Act (15)
- Economics of Restoration (67)
- Farm Bill (5)
- Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act (77)
- Great Lakes Regional Collaboration (50)
- National Aquatic Invasive Species Act (27)
- Project Inventory (7)
- Shipping Moratorium (7)
- Staffer Briefing (19)
Take Action
- Actions You Can Take (18)
- Contact Legislator (20)
- Petition (6)
- Spread the Word (8)
- Success Story (2)
News & Events
- Editorial (4)
- Events (13)
- Great Lakes Around the Web (22)
- News Story (21)
- Press Release (59)
- Report (18)
Threats
- Aquatic Invasive Species (68)
- Habitat Destruction (24)
- Polluted Run-off (23)
- Sewage Contamination and Beach Closings (38)
- Toxic Pollution (32)
Your Lake & You
Activities
Stories
Areas of Concern
Boat Tour
About Us
Related Links
- Facebook Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives site
- Great Lakes Blogger
- Great Lakes For All
- Great Lakes Forever
- Great Lakes Guy
- Great Lakes Information Network
- Great Lakes Regional Collaboration
- Great Lakes Town Hall
- Great Lakes Wiki
- Green Sportsmen
- Loon commons
- MySpace Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives site
- Password Protected Campaign Site
- Sky Blue Waters
- Ted William’s Conservation Corner
- The Political Environment
- Uppity Wisconsin
Archives
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- July 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- December 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- July 2004
- May 2004
- April 2003
Great Lakes Regional Collaboration
US & Canada to Iron out Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
New threats are driving the US and Canada to reconsider the 1972 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement that lays the original milestones for restoring and then protecting the chemical and biological make up of the Great Lakes.
It only took two decades to out-date the latest version of the Agreement as new invasive species, chemicals and pollution seeped into our fresh waters. During the same era, our understanding of the region’s environment grew and also made the former agreement a bit anachronistic. Add in the predictions associated with climate change and it becomes real apparent real fast that we need to Read More » »
Espirit de corps
Republicans and Democratic lawmakers from the Great Lakes region have joined together in one voice to implore their colleagues to fully fund President Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. In a strongly worded letter, the Great Lakes Congressional Task Force explained the importance of this funding to our region and entire nation as the need for fresh drinking water shrinks around the globe. The letter is a rallying cry, evidence that our lawmakers will not back down because regardless of their politics they think this initiative is necessary for the nation.
The new money would address the problems of invasive species and Read More » »
President’s Plan Gains Definition
The Cleveland Plain Dealer has a fantastic story that outlines excactly where the $475 million will go if the House and Senate Appropriations Committees fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
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 » »
We’d Like To Thank You, President Obama
Talk about showing us the way; President Barack Obama is the first president to set aside money in his budget specifically for Great Lakes restoration. We can’t thank him enough for this historic $475 million commitment. Now, we must urge our members of Congress to include this budget line in their budget resolution. The Senate Budget Committee is holding a hearing today on the President’s Budget so the process is already underway. It is time to show this country’s political representatives that our region speaks with one voice when it comes to our Great Lakes and restoration cannot be put Read More » »
Great Lakes Restoration Featured on “Living on Earth”
I’m sure many of you have heard the radio show “Living On Earth” on NPR before. This week they are featuring a story with some Healing Our Waters Coalition members. It’s a really good, concise recap of what’s up with the Great Lakes and how President Obama is proposing to fund restoring the lakes and reviving our economy.
You can listen online here
or find out when it’s playing near you.
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 » »
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 » »
Marching to the Same Drum Beat
Great Lakes Governor Ed Rendell held a historic meeting with most of the nation’s governors and President-elect Barack Obama in Philadelphia Tuesday to discuss an economic strategy for the nation. The Governors made several suggestions to rescue the economy while improving our aging infrastructure. Updating wastewater treatment systems and protecting drinking water were among the top three recommendations.
“These immediate solutions will drive economic recovery. Investments in ready-to-go infrastructure projects are a cost-effective creator of high-paying jobs,” National Governor’s Association Chair Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell stated in a joint press release issued by the NGA and the National Council Read More » »
Word on the Street
Even before Barack Obama won last night, he had teams of people planning for his 76-day transition. Word on the streets of Chicago and Washington is that Illinois Democrat Rahm Emanuel is on Obama’s short list for the Chief-of-Staff position.
This is the same man who stood before HOW a little more than a year ago and implored us to make this Presidential election about the Great Lakes. The same man who said he would do everything in his power to get the $26 billion into law that we need to heal and revive the lakes. Now, the Washington Read More » »
