GLIN==> Great Lakes Commission urges Congress to keep Great Lakes Restoration Initiative on path to success

For immediate release: March 1, 2011

Great Lakes Commission urges Congress to keep Great Lakes Restoration
Initiative on path to success

Washington, D.C. - Citing the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River system as an
“environmental and economic asset of vital importance to the nation,” the
Great Lakes Commission called today for an ongoing federal commitment to the
$2.2 billion Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). This action
headlined the Commission’s Fiscal Year 2012 legislative priorities, adopted
at its 2011 Semiannual Meeting held in Washington, D.C., as part of the
annual Great Lakes Day events on Capitol Hill.

“The GLRI has enabled us to take meaningful actions to restore the Great
Lakes and achieve the vision that united the eight Great Lakes states in
2005 when we adopted our regional restoration plan,” said Commission Chair
James Tierney, assistant commissioner for water resources at the New York
State Department of Environmental Conservation. “We’re in Washington this
week to let Congress know that Great Lakes restoration is firmly underway
and to emphasize the importance of building on our investments to sustain
the impressive results that we are just now beginning to see from this
critical program.”

Other legislative priorities announced by the Commission include: 

*	providing funding to expedite efforts to prevent Asian carp from
entering the Great Lakes and supporting effective invasive species
prevention programs; and
*	rebuilding critical wastewater infrastructure through full funding
of the federal Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water Revolving Fund programs.

To heighten their impact in Washington, the Commission’s legislative
priorities are coordinated with six other regional agencies and
organizations, generating “one regional voice” for restoring and effectively
managing the Great Lakes. In addition to the Great Lakes Commission, the
legislative priorities are endorsed by the Healing our Waters®-Great Lakes
Coalition, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence
Cities Initiative, Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority, Council of Great
Lakes Industries, and the Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition.

In a keynote address, Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) encouraged participants,
despite a challenging federal fiscal environment: “If we can prioritize
Great Lakes issues, we can find some willing participation and support from
members of Congress.” Rep. Miller said the Great Lakes, especially for a
state like Michigan, provide us with our identity. “Protecting the Great
Lakes – a magnificent national treasure – is up to all of us,” she said.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was enacted in 2009 as a five-year
strategy to restore and protect the environmental and economic integrity of
the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. It focuses on aquatic invasive
species, contaminated sediments, polluted runoff, degraded wetlands, and
impaired fish and wildlife resources. Following an appropriation of $475
million in FY2010, the FY2011 budget proposed for the GLRI was reduced to
$300 million. The President’s FY2012 budget proposes $350 million for the
GLRI, a $125 million cut from the planned $475 million funding level.

“We understand the need for budgetary responsibility in Washington,” said
Great Lakes Commission Executive Director Tim Eder, “but it is vital that we
keep this important effort on track so we can leverage the Great Lakes as an
economic resource for our region.” The Great Lakes are already responsible
for 1.5 million jobs and $62 million in wages and, looking forward, studies
have shown that implementing the region’s comprehensive Great Lakes
restoration plan would generate $50 billion in long-term economic benefits.

As the GLRI moves forward, the Commission called on federal agencies to
strengthen their coordination with the eight Great Lakes states and give
them greater authority in leading Great states and our local partners are on
the ‘front line’ achieving on-the-ground results to make the GLRI a success.
We are in the best position to direct resources efficiently to accomplish
our shared restoration priorities.”

The Commission urged U.S. EPA, as it leads the GLRI, to reduce unnecessary
administrative burdens, streamline and coordinate multiple federal programs,
provide flexibility in meeting cost-share requirements, and focus on actions
that produce on-the-ground results for local communities in the Great Lakes
region.

In other business, the Commission passed a resolution supporting reform of
the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund by requiring that future expenditures be
applied to their intended purpose: maintaining federal harbors and
navigation channels in the Great Lakes and throughout the country.

The Commission’s full list of legislative priorities for FY2012 and
supporting documents are online at www.glc.org/restore.

Contact: Tim Eder
Email: teder at glc.org 
Office: 734-971-9135
Cell: 734-604-7281

### 

The Great Lakes Commission, chaired by Jim Tierney, Assistant Commissioner
for Water Resources at the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation, is an interstate compact agency established under state and
U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy
environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region
and its residents. The Commission consists of governors' appointees, state
legislators, and agency officials from its eight member states. Associate
membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a
"Declaration of Partnership." The Commission maintains a formal Observer
program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities,
binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission offices are
located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more at www.glc.org.


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