Toxic Pollution

And Then There Were Seven…

In the end, Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich), George Voinovich (R-OH), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich), Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) were joined by Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Karen Gillibrand (D-NY) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) as original cosponsors of the new and improved Great Lakes Legacy Act.

Senators Levin and Voinovich – co-chairs of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, introduced the reauthorization yesterday. “While we’ve made progress on cleaning up the contaminated sites in the lakes, much work remains. This legislation will bring us closer to our goal of restoration,” Levin stated.

The United States promised Canada in the Great Lakes Water Quality Read More » »

Spring Cleaning?

It has been almost a year since we talked about the Areas of Concern that dot our Great Lakes with toxic sediments. It’s been half-a-year since the US House approved triple funding for the Great Lakes Legacy Act the federal program that helps states and localities clean up these dangerous pollutants. And it has been about the same amount of time since one Senator from Oklahoma shot down the increased funding and put us right back where we started. But the US House has just passed another water bill that would triple the authorization for this clean up Read More » »

Buffalo: The Come Back Kid

[caption id="attachment_1922" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Lake Erie Harbor"][/caption][caption id="attachment_1924" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Buffalo\'s Erie Harbor"][/caption]

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 » »

Rep. Ehlers Continues Support for Lake Restoration

Michigan advocates met today with Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI).

The representative affirmed his support for the Clean Water Restoration Act, saying he was willing to “go out on a limb” to pass the bill.

Rep. Ehlers also voiced strong support for other funding priorities of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, including boosting the authorization of Great Lakes Legacy Act to $150 million. A long-standing supporter of toxic sediment clean-up, Ehlers was optimistic that the bill would pass at the increased authorization level.

Waiting For Stimulation

With the Senate starting debate on the economic stimulus today, it seems like a good time to suggest they consider amending the legislation to include more money to repair sewers and to clean up toxic hot spots in the Great Lakes region.

Michigan has the highest unemployment in the nation – 10.6 percent, according to Stateline.org. If the Senate were to choose to put $10 billion into the State Revolving Fund – the dollars that pay for our sewer systems to be updated and fixed – it would create 20,163 jobs in Michigan. Michigan isn’t suffering alone Read More » »

Short and Very Bittersweet

A grade of D that is what the American Society of Civil Engineers grades our nation’s sewers and drinking water systems. In a very short and to-the-point report, the respected association estimates that the crisis our nation’s infrastructure faces will cost $2.2 trillion to resolve.

“Crumbling infrastructure has a direct impact on our personal and economic health, and the nation’s infrastructure crisis is endangering our future prosperity,” ASCE President D. Wayne Klotz said at the release of the report card.

Of course, the connection between America’s aging infrastructure and quality of life and prosperity is not lost on the Read More » »

Never Say Never

Could it be? Could it be that the new head of the EPA, Lisa Jackson will be a real leader? It has been so long since we have experienced leadership at any level of government in out efforts to restore the Great Lakes and it is difficult to believe that we may be on the verge of such guidance.

In her very first email to the Environmental Protection Agency staff, Jackson actually wrote that the Great Lakes are a treasure and that protection and restoration will be a priority for her. Unbelievable! She wrote: “The Agency will make robust use Read More » »

Now that is Leadership

The saying, “you know it when you see it” is true in the case of Michigan – a Great Lakes state that has shown real leadership to our region this week with the release of the Great Lakes Plan that calls for renewed Federal investment in restoration.

Lt. Governor John Cherry (D) spearheaded the effort working with the business community and advocacy groups such as Michigan United Conservation Clubs and Healing Our Waters Coalition. After more than 20 public meetings a plan emerged and the state’s leaders plan to take it to Washington.

“The MI-Great Lakes Plan is built from Read More » »

Winning Hearts and Minds

Great Laker, James Oberstar (D-Minn.) who is also the chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has released an $85 billion economic recovery plan that would create jobs in the Great Lakes while bringing us much closer to reaching our restoration goals. The only hitch seems to be in convincing President-Elect Barack Obama’s team that these jobs really are ready to go to bid.

Oberstar’s nationwide infrastructure building plan would create more than 24 million jobs and generate approximately $439 billion in economic activity. Most relevant to our region are his proposals to put $12 billion into the State Read More » »