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Protecting the Great Lakes
On June 18th, the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee approved the Clean Water Restoration Act, S.787, which will restore protections for the headwaters and streams that feed the Great Lakes and for the wetlands that provide vital habitat to Lakes’ wildlife. The Committee approved an amendment offered by Senators Baucus and Klobuchar that codifies longstanding exemptions for prior-converted cropland and waste ponds but rejected all proposals to add new loopholes for other polluters.
What's at stake
Comprising 90 percent of the fresh surface water in North America, the Great Lakes are an unparalleled natural treasure that provides drinking water for millions of people, habitat for wildlife, and is the lifeblood of an entire region. But protecting the Great Lakes will require great efforts – curbing sewage overflows, cleaning up toxic pollution, preserving wetlands, and conserving the Lakes’ water.
Already, we have made some progress on each of these challenges, but much more remains to be done. We have reversed a Bush-era policy that allowed dumping of untreated sewage, but now we need a national investment in green infrastructure to prevent overflows at the source. We forced BP to halt its plans to increase toxic discharges into Lake Michigan, but we need to redouble efforts to clean up toxic hotspots across the region. Working at the state and federal level, we finally won passage of the Great Lakes Compact to prevent major withdrawals, but now we need to use water more efficiently within the region.
In 2009, we will have several opportunities to advance these solutions for the Great Lakes. Already, we worked to help pass President Obama’s Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which included $6 billion in clean water funding. The President’s proposed budget includes an additional $3.9 billion. In addition to funding, a new administration brings the promise of enforcement against polluters and renewed protection for the wetlands and streams that feed the Lakes.
