GLIN==> Retain lakes funding

Article published April 01, 2009
*Retain lakes funding
*


AS THE House and Senate debate and vote on their respective budget 
resolutions this week in Washington, it is critical that they include 
funding to restore and protect one of America's most important 
resources, the Great Lakes.

Included in President Obama's $3.6 trillion budget proposal is $475 
million in new funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to 
clean up and safeguard the lakes region. The funding will be used to 
combat invasive species, remove contaminated sediment, prevent and 
reverse loss of wildlife habitat, and address toxic pollution.

Protecting and restoring the Great Lakes is not a luxury but a critical 
necessity. This funding will not only preserve the lakes, it will create 
jobs, boost local economies, and benefit the long-term economic health 
of Ohio, the Midwest, and the nation.

More than 40 million Americans rely on the Great Lakes for drinking 
water. Thousands of farms and businesses and an untold number of jobs 
depend on the lakes as well, and millions of hunters, fishermen, 
boaters, beachgoers, bird watchers and other tourists enjoy this 
precious resource every year.

The Great Lakes region encompasses the largest fresh water system in the 
world, holding some 90 percent of all the surface fresh water in the 
United States and more than 20 percent of the world's total. With the 
global demand for fresh water doubling every 21 years, this resource is 
only going to grow in importance.

The health of the lakes isn't a Republican or Democratic issue, it is a 
national issue; it's not a bargaining chip, it's a valuable piece of our 
collective economic future, and it's not a problem that can be put off, 
it's a tipping point that, if ignored, could have serious implications.

Senators and congressmen on both sides of the aisle and from all parts 
of the country have a stake in preserving and improving the health of 
the Great Lakes. Ohio's delegation in particular must be resolute in 
their commitment to protecting and restoring the lakes.

Sens. George Voinovich and Sherrod Brown and Reps. Marcy Kaptur, Steven 
LaTourette, Tim Ryan and others have taken the lead. Others, including 
the 5th Congressional District's Rep. Bob Latta, now must step to the plate.

On this issue, the nation is watching and will judge them by what they do.

-- 
Kristy Meyer, M.S.
Director of Agricultural & Clean Water Programs 
The Ohio Environmental Council
1207 Grandview Ave., Ste. 201
Columbus, OH 43212
P. (614) 487-7506
F. (614) 487-7510
E. kristy at theOEC.org

Be heard! Environmental Lobby Day is March 31. Visit www.theOEC.org to register.

Join the OEC! www.theOEC.org

Please think of the environment before you print this email. 



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/glin-announce/attachments/20090401/c3ca611e/attachment.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: moz-screenshot-30.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 4628 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/glin-announce/attachments/20090401/c3ca611e/attachment.jpg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: moz-screenshot-31.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1970 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/glin-announce/attachments/20090401/c3ca611e/attachment-0001.jpg