Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

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By Mr. DEWINE (for himself, Mr. LEVIN, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. VOINOVICH, Mrs. CLINTON, and Mr. SCHUMER):

S. 2545. A bill to establish a collaborative program to protect the Great Lakes, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, today I am proud to introduce the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act with my colleague, Senator Levin. I would like to thank him for all of his hard work on this legislation and the Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes are a unique natural resource that need to be protected for future generations. The Great Lakes hold one-fifth of the world's surface freshwater, cover more than 94,000 square miles, and drain more than twice as much land. Over thirty of the basin's biological communities--and over 100 species--are globally rare or found only in the Great Lakes basin. The 637 State parks in the region accommodate more than 250 million visitors each year. The Great Lakes are significant to the eight States and two Canadian provinces that border them, as well as to the millions of other people around the country who fish, visit the surrounding parks, or use products that are affordably shipped to them via the lakes.

Unfortunately, the Great Lakes remain in a degraded state. A 2003 GAO report said, ``Despite early success in improving conditions in the Great Lakes Basin, significant environmental challenges remain, including increased threats from invasive species and cleanup of areas contaminated with toxic substances that pose human health threats.'' Many scientists affirm that the Great Lakes are exhibiting signs of stress due to a combination of sources, including toxic contaminants, invasive species, nutrient loading, shoreline and upland land use changes, and hydrologic modifications. A 2005 report from a group of Great Lakes scientific experts states that ``historical sources of stress have combined with new ones to reach a tipping point, the point at which ecosystem-level changes occur rapidly and unexpectedly, confounding the traditional relationships between sources of stress and the expected ecosystem response.''

One cannot see the many threats to the Lakes simply by looking at them. The zebra mussel, an aquatic invasive species, causes $500 million per year in economic and environmental damage to the Great Lakes. One study found that since 1990--the year that zebra mussels really began to make an impact--Lake Michigan's yellow perch population has decreased by about 80 percent. In 2000, seven people died after pathogens entered the Walkerton, Ontario drinking water supply from the lakes. In May of 2004, more than ten billion gallons of raw sewage and storm water were dumped into the Great Lakes. In that same year, over 1,850 beaches in the Great Lakes were closed. Each summer, Lake Erie develops a 6,300 square mile dead zone. There is no appreciable natural reproduction of lake trout in the lower four lakes. More than half of the Great Lakes region's original wetlands have been lost, along with 60 percent of the forests. Wildlife habitat has been destroyed, thus diminishing opportunities necessary for fishing, hunting and other forms of outdoor recreation.

For several years, I have been calling for a plan to restore the Lakes and have been urging governors, mayors, environmental community and other regional interests to agree on a vision for the Great Lakes--not just immediately, but for the long-term future.

Last year, over 1,500 people worked to draft a plan through a process called Great Lakes Regional Collaboration. The Collaboration strategy includes dozens of recommendations for action at the federal, state, local, and tribal actions that will help restore the Great Lakes. Senator Carl Levin and I--as well as our colleagues in the House--have crafted a bill to implement these recommendations.

This bill would reduce the threat of non-native species invading the Great Lakes through ballast water and other pathways. The bill targets the Asian carp by authorizing the Corps of Engineers to improve the dispersal barrier project and prohibiting the importation or interstate commerce of live Asian carp.

The bill addresses threats to fish and wildlife habitat by reauthorizing the Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Restoration Act, a current program that provides grants to states and tribes.

The bill reauthorizes the State Revolving Loan Fund and provides $20 billion over five years to assist communities with the critical task of upgrading and improving their wastewater infrastructure.

The bill authorizes $150 million per year for contaminated sediment cleanup at Areas of Concern under the Great Lakes Legacy program. It also provides the EPA with greater flexibility in implementing the program by allowing the Great Lakes National Program Office to disburse funds to the non-federal sponsor of a Legacy Act project.

The bill establishes a new grant program within EPA, called the Great Lakes Mercury Product Stewardship Strategy Grant Program, to phase out mercury in products.

The bill improves existing research programs and fills the gap where work is needed. We need baseline data to understand how the lakes are changing and where improvements are succeeding.

The bill authorizes NOAA to restore and remediate waterfront areas. Projects will require a non-federal partner who will provide at least a 35% cost-share. Individual projects may not cost more than $5 million.

Lastly, the bill establishes the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force and the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration process in order to coordinate and improve Great Lakes programs.

Restoring the Great Lakes to a healthy ecosystem is not something that will happen overnight. This is a long-term process, but Congress needs to act now. Our bill is a major step in the right direction. We need to continue to refocus and improve our efforts in order to reverse the trend of degradation of the Great Lakes. They are a unique natural resource for Ohio, the entire region, and the country--a resource that must be protected for future generations. I ask my colleagues to join me in support of this bill and in our efforts to help preserve and protect the long-term viability of our Great Lakes.

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