Bush budget may sink his Great Lakes restoration plan

[Algorem]

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060208/NEWS06/602080363/-1/NEWS

Article published Wednesday, February 8, 2006

Bush budget may sink Great Lakes plan

By TOM HENRY
BLADE STAFF WRITER


...The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy, a $20 billion set of priorities with no new sources of federal funding to do the work, was once called little more than a public relations stunt by U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D., Dearborn) before it was finalized in Chicago on Dec. 12.

Yesterday, attention turned to Mr. Bush's proposal to cut nearly $200 million more from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Water State Revolving Fund during the 2007 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

That fund is the main source of federal money that states use to help municipalities finance sewer projects. And sewer projects are the biggest component of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy...

"The President is ignoring the plan his own presidential task force put forth in December," said Jordan Lubetkin, spokesman for the group's Great Lakes regional office in Ann Arbor. "Quite frankly, the budget is a betrayal of trust," he said, explaining that his group had supported it in "good faith."...



• Short-changing the region | 12/29/2005
• Voinovich vows to push for Great Lakes funds | 12/16/2005
• 2 pacts prohibit diversion of Great Lakes water | 12/14/2005
• Help for the lakes? | 12/13/2005
• Great Lakes group wants $300M soon | 12/13/2005
• Questions continue over who's to pay | 12/11/2005
• Great Lakes summit set for Dec. 13 | 11/18/2005
• Regional officials rip Bush task force for opposing Great Lakes renewal aid | 11/05/2005
• Toledo Magazine - Great Lakes shipwreck dives | 10/09/2005
• Funds for Great Lakes may be victim of Katrina too | 09/15/2005
• Great Lakes plan draws praise | 08/24/2005
• Great Lakes water accord input sought | 08/17/2005

[leesa]

1. Oh please. Bush never planned to restore anything.

[Algorem]

3. Dingell was right,of course,was just a(nother) Bush "publicity stunt".

[Earth_First]

2. Personally, I'd rather this administration NOT deal with the Great Lakes

We'll cut our losses on this administration and bide our time until a responsible administration can allocate funds without misconduct. For all we know these funds were conditional on many subsections that granted contracts to * cronies whose subsurface agenda is anything BUT Great Lakes conservation efforts.

[noonwitch]

6. Except that the lakes are starting to recover from the Engler damage

Last year, for the first time in over a decade, water levels were up. Higher water levels are essential to keeping the lakes cleaner, especially with the amount of boating/jet skiing/etc done in the summer on the lakes.
A boost in federal dollars right now could really help the states involved do even more to improve water quality. As a Michigan resident, my state's economy right now needs every tourism dollar it can get. The lakes are the main draw for people to vacation in Michigan in the summer.

[Bridget Burke]

7. So the sewage can continue to flow into the Lakes?

The main thrust of this program is sewage improvement for cities now dumping wastes into the Lakes. And I don't think all the planners are Bush cronies.

The strategy's $20 billion set of priorities stemmed from a process that involved more than 1,500 public officials, tribal leaders, business representatives, environmental activists, and citizen groups who met for more than a year.

Lake Ontario is in your neighborhood. Since you used the phrase "for all we know"--perhaps you should check out what this means to you?

[Earth_First]

8. I'll admit, I do not know as much as I should...

with Lake Ontario being twelve miles north. However I do remember recent dialog that would involve exporting freshwater from the Great Lakes to the Southwest, which could be big business. This is what I meant by "afaik" in regards to subsections of grants and contracts.

I'll spend some time investigating.

[oneighty]

9. Exporting fresh water from the great lakes

Yes that has been considered. It would be difficult to decide what water belongs to Canada though. Perhaps it could be color coded.

I understand that Lake Michigan water was diverted years ago into the Mississippi system?

Our little village on the shore of Lake Erie is paying dearly for the village sanitation facility. We have just had a large increase in water/sewer fees which are separate from property tax. We also have usage charges based on water consumption.

To maintain Great Lakes water quality all concerned municipalities most likely will have to do so.

I would be reluctant to send 'Our'expensive clean water away.

180

[Angry Girl]

10. Great Lakes = 20% of ALL the fresh water on Earth's surface

I found that out in this excellent Canadian article by Dennis Bueckert on the U.S. water shortage and the mounting pressure on Canada to export. This will become a huge, very nasty issue in the next few years.

Pressure to export fresh water likely to grow as U.S. shortages increase

... Officially, the U.S. government says it's not interested in Canadian water. But many believe the issue will soon break into the open.

Maclean's magazine recently ran a cover story arguing that Canada should sell its water "before they take it."

Continued...
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Special/2005/2006/01/01/pf-1375372.html

[oneighty]

11. Good article

I grew up on a cliff (In a house) on the shore of Lake Erie. It was beautiful clean water in front of our house. On a calm day one could see lake sturgeon and other large fishes swimming past doing their thing.

In summer time nights the well lighted boats fishing for blue pike stretched across the horizon. Often times strangers would stop at our house asking instructions to the "Road out there."

In the summer now the same shore line is covered with rotting sea growth dead fishes and assorted trash. The sturgeon and blue pike are gone. It is sad.

180

[hatrack]

4. I'm shocked, shocked I tell you!

:eyes:

[Demeter]

5. The Great Lakes Are Safer If Bush Ignores Them

Sad, but true.