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Coalition Supports Bill to Clean Up Great Lakes Toxic Hot Spots
ANN ARBOR, MICH. (May 8, 2008) – The U.S. Senate yesterday introduced a bill to clean up Great Lakes toxic hotspots responsible for drinking water restrictions, beach closings and declines in fish and wildlife populations.
“Cleaning up toxic pollution in the Great Lakes is essential to our public health, economy and way of life,” said Jeff Skelding, national campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We urge the U.S. Congress to pass and fund this important, efficient and successful clean-up program.”
Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio) introduced the Legacy Act of 2008 (S. 2994), whose funds go toward clean-up of polluted Great Lakes harbors and tributaries. Designated Areas of Concern by the U.S. and Canadian governments, the contaminated sites pose threats to people and wildlife.
“We applaud Senators Levin and Voinovich for introducing the bill and look forward to working with Congress to get this bill signed into law,” said Skelding. “It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work cleaning up these sites before the problem gets worse and the solution costs more money.”
Co-sponsors of the bill include Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Norm Coleman (Minn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Barak Obama (D-Ill.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). The Coalition is working to get all Great Lakes Senators to sign on in support of S. 2994.
The Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2008 reauthorizes the Great Lakes Legacy Act for five years and increases the authorization of funds from $54 million to $150 million per year.
Of the 31 contaminated sites in the United States or shared with Canada, only one site –Oswego River – has been de-listed since 1987. (A full list of U.S. Areas of Concern in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin is below.)
“The pace of clean-up has been inadequate. We can do better and need to do better,” said Skelding. “We know that healthy lakes go hand-in-hand with healthy communities and a healthy economy. The time to act is now.”
The Great Lakes region stands to gain between $12 billion and $19 billion in economic benefit from cleaning up the Areas of Concern, according to the Brookings Institution.
Updating and funding the Great Lakes Legacy Act is a major recommendation of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy, a historic plan put forward by more than 1,500 citizens, public officials, business representatives, scientists and conservationists.
The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition consists of more than 90 zoos, aquariums, museums, and hunting, fishing, and environmental organizations representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes.
For more information: http://www.healthylakes.org/
For Immediate Release:
May 8, 2008 Contact:
Jeff Skelding, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, (202) 797-6893, jskelding@nwf.org Jordan Lubetkin, National Wildlife Federation, (734) 904-1589, lubetkin@nwf.org United States Areas of Concern include:
ILLINOIS
Waukegan Harbor, Illinois INDIANA
Grand Calumet River, Indiana MICHIGAN
Clinton River, Michigan Deer Lake, Michigan Detroit River, Michigan Kalamazoo River, Michigan Manistique River, Michigan Muskegon Lake, Michigan River Raisin, Michigan Rouge River, Michigan Saginaw River and Bay, Michigan St. Clair River, Michigan St. Marys River, Michigan Torch Lake, Michigan White Lake, Michigan NEW YORK
Buffalo River, New York EighteenMile Creek, New York Niagara River, New York Oswego River/Harbor, New York Rochester Embayment, New York St. Lawrence River at Massena, New York OHIO
Ashtabula River, Ohio Black River, Ohio Cuyahoga River, Ohio Maumee River, Ohio PENNSYLVANIA
Presque Isle Bay, Pennsylvania MINNESOTA/WISONSIN
St. Louis River and Bay, Minnesota and Wisconsin WISCONSIN
Lower Green Bay and Fox River, Wisconsin Menominee River, Wisconsin Milwaukee Estuary, Wisconsin Sheboygan River, Wisconsin Jordan Lubetkin
Senior Regional Communications Manager National Wildlife Federation - Great Lakes Office 213 West Liberty, Suite 200 | Ann Arbor, MI 48104 Phone: 734-887-7109 | Fax: 734-887-7199 | Cell: 734-904-1589
NWF's mission is to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future. www.nwf.org/news/
Working to restore the Great Lakes by offering solutions to sewage contamination, invasive species and other threats. www.healthylakes.org |