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In His Own Words

In the last weeks of the 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama released a 5-point plan to restore the Great Lakes including investing $5 billion federal dollars. Of course, some people called it pandering to possible swing state voters, but it turns out the latest Obama plan was consistent with his past actions.

Obama was the only presidential candidate to respond to HOW’s invitation to speak at our annual conference in 2007. Obama sent emissary Debra Shore – a local Chicago politician – to deliver a statement he wrote sharing his concerns about the Lakes with us.

He said Read More » »

Promise Keepers

It seems safe to assume we won’t be the only ones who will be holding President Elect Barack Obama to his promise to restore the Great Lakes, now that Great Lakes advocate Rahm Emanuel is to be White House Chief of Staff.

With great ferocity, Rahm Emanuel addressed the HOW conference in 2007, imploring us to make sure any candidate for President not only pledged to restore the Great Lakes to win our precious swing votes, but also to hold the winner to it when they took office. Lets hope Mr. Emanuel doesn’t rue the day he lit that fire under 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 » »

Time to release the Fuss Busters

What is all this fuss over the Great Lakes? That seems to be the line some folks are taking since presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s released his plan to restore the lakes. The story has been picked up across the region and thrust the issue of restoring the Great Lakes into this hotly contested election. Newspapers, television and the blogosphere is jam packed with vivacious responses – some good, some bad.

It is nigh time that the Great Lakes become Read More » »

No Time for Games

Yesterday, the Great Lakes troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as if they are here to stay all because the US Senate refuses to act now to stop the relentless march of invasive species.

The US Senate is acting as if we had all the time in the world to sit around and contemplate just how many invasive species can dance on the head of a pin. For the time being, navel gazing must give way to immediate action if we are going to save the Great Lakes and her tributaries from tipping into the great abyss of Read More » »

We Want a Committment to Save the Lakes and We Want it Now!

Dear Delegates:

The Great Lakes states harbor 141 electoral votes and five potential swing states as well as an unquenched desire to see our Great Lakes restored and our regional economy revived. Both of these goals are achievable if we fully fund and implement legislation fulfilling the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy.

Now, let us remind you of the power you hold at your convention - 53 percent of the Democrat Party delegates are from Great Lakes states and 35 percent of the Republican Party delegates are from Great Lakes states - over one half and one third respectively - that Read More » »

The Day The Great Lakes Drained Away

Charles F. Barker, who grew up on the Great Lakes, wrote and illustrated The Day the Great Lakes Drained Away – a fantastic children’s book that seems to combine the art work of Hans Rey’s Curious George illustrations and the pros of Dr. Seuss. Mr. Barker, a geology enthusiast, was enthralled with the topography of the lake floors and was inspired by their beauty to write a book that has a conservationist message for children and parents. “It is my sincere wish that you and your children and your children’s children continue to be filled with that same sense Read More » »

Down to the Wire

With less than two weeks to go before Congress recesses for the summer, the Great Lakes Task Force swiftly introduced the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact on Capitol Hill today. The bipartisan bill requires that the US Congress ratify the Compact signed by all eight Great Lakes States and agreed to by Canada’s provincial premiers of Ontario and Quebec.

The compact will allow the region to manage water use and restoration for the Great Lakes. It was introduced in both the House and Senate and Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) is trying to set a hearing Read More » »

Calling All Great Lakes US Senators

What do we want? A Ballast Bill. When do we want it? Now! Great Lakes Senators where are you? We are moving dangerously close to the end of the summer session and we still don’t have Senate approval for a ballast law – dooming us for another year (at least). Another year of ecological havoc, another year for a dozen or so invasive species to establish themselves in our fresh water, and another $5 billion in costs for our states, cha ching!

Please take heed and prevent more species such as the dreaded zebra mussels from entering our fresh waters. Ocean Read More » »

Promote the Great Lakes Restoration Presidential Candidate Letter Campaign

Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives is proud to host a letter campaign to encourage the Presidential candidates to support the Great Lakes Restoration Strategy. Please consider including the campaign on your Web site, in emails, in newsletters, on your blog or any other way you can get the word out.

To make this easier we offer a few ideas.

1) You can link to the survey hosted on the Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives Web site:

http://www.healthylakes.org/presidential-candidate-petition/

2) You can place the petition to appear under your Web site design with the following code:

<iframe src="https://online.nwf.org/site/Advocacy?id=524&pagename=homepage" width="710" height="1100" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" name="Great Lakes Presidential Candidate Read More » »