Healing Our Waters Coalition » Jobs & Economic Recovery

Ohio Groups Aim to Stop Power Plant Fish Kill to Protect Great Lakes, Economy

tpache — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:40:49 +0000

For more than a century, Great Lakes fish populations have acted as an important indicator of the health of the Great Lakes. As threats to the Lakes mounted—pollution, over-fishing, and invasive species to name a few—fish populations plummeted, and in some cases went extinct.

It is not surprising, then, that a major goal of Great Lakes restoration is “to produce healthy fish communities that support sustainable commercial, subsistence, and recreational fisheries.”

That milestone may be difficult to achieve in Lake Erie, unless the Ohio EPA forces a Toledo-area power plant to stop killing more than 46 million fish a year.

The FirstEnergy Corp’s power plant sits near the confluence of the Maumee River and Lake Erie—a major spawning ground for Lake Erie’s fishery, which is valued at $800 million annually. A recent Ohio EPA study found that roughly 46 million fish are being caught in FirstEnergy Corp’s cooling water screens and killed.

Recently, environmental and conservation groups in Ohio put dollar signs to the fish kill: $29.7 million each year in lost commercial fishing and sales in Toledo and Ohio.

Every day 126,000 fish are caught in the screens of the 55-year old power plant. FirstEnergy is testing reverse louvers to see if it would help avoid such large numbers of fish from being killed, but a consultant from the state’s EPA office said the louvers will not be effective.

What will be effective? A cooling tower.

“Cooling towers can dramatically reduce the number of fish killed each year by 95%, as well as address the Bayshore plant’s violations of thermal discharge standards,” said Shannon Fisk, staff attorney in the Midwest office of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The science is clear that Bayshore’s water intake and thermal discharges are severely impacting fisheries in Maumee Bay, and the law is clear that Ohio EPA must require cooling towers if the Bayshore plant is going to continue to operate.”

NRDC and other environmental groups are urging the Ohio EPA and Department of Natural Resources to force the utility to install the $100 million cooling tower—and to do it without passing along the costs to customers.

“We caution that the cost of best available technology should not be shifted to the utility giant’s ratepayers,” said Kristy Meyer, director of agricultural and clean water programs for the Ohio Environmental Council. “For 55 years, the ratepayers have been footing the bill for this failed technology. To add insult to injury, consumers even have to pay to restock certain prized fish. It’s time that FirstEnergy be held accountable and require its shareholders to reimburse the citizens of Ohio for the billions of fish killed each year. Since when is a robbery victim forced to reimburse the robber? Let the shareholders shoulder the burden of installing cooling towers, not the captive ratepayers.”

Sen. Sherrod Brown promotes Great Lakes initiative in Cleveland

tpache — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:31:05 +0000

Senator Sherrod Brown speaking at the Great Lakes Clean Water and Jobs Breakfast

People around the Great Lakes might not like their tax dollars heading off to Washington each year, but this year a good portion of those dollars are expected to come back home. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative would provide at least $400 million to help clean up and restore the Great Lakes. The investment is based on economists’ predictions that restoration can jump start the region’s economy while paying for itself – it would be a 2-to-1 investment.

Ohio resident Calvin Jefferson and his family were heading to the lake for the afternoon when he told WKYC, “I’d pay to get $2 dollars back for a $1 investment if it’s something worth it, like the beaches here.”

That same day, Healing Our Waters held an event in downtown Cleveland to highlight the GLRI and US Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) said, “This federal money just makes great sense. Investing in the Great Lakes region is an important way to promote economic development.”

The GLRI was first proposed by President Obama in his budget and then subsequently approved of by the US House; it is now awaiting a vote in the US Senate. The one-year initiative focuses on four areas by setting aside $147 million to clean up toxic substances, $97 million for near-shore health and non-point pollution, $60 million to fight invasive species and $105 million is dedicated to habitat and wildlife restoration. The hope is that it will be renewed each year over the next half decade.

Another big problem in the Great Lakes is sewage. Our region’s antique combined storm and sewer system, built way too long ago and not adequately maintained, is a major polluter in our Lakes. In fact, when the total cost of restoration was calculated at $26 billion the majority of that money was intended for new sewer and water infrastructure projects. However, the federal government injected money for sewer overhaul and upkeep into the economic stimulus package. There has also been talk of increasing annual funding for the State Revolving Fund which is the traditional vehicle for paying for water infrastructure projects. The GLRI will focus on other problems in the Great Lakes.

”It (GLRI funding) really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we don’t want it to get messed up,” the Ohio Environmental Council’s Kristy Meyer told the Akron Beacon Journal at HOW’s Cleveland meeting. ”We feel responsible and we want to make sure the money is spent wisely.”

The Healing Our Waters campaign to promote passage of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and economic recovery in the Great Lakes region will travel now to Milwaukee on August 10, Toledo on August 17 and then Detroit on August 19.

In Unison: Great Lakes Cities Push for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

tpache — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:01:27 +0000

It may be August and Congress may be on break, but the people who live and work around the Great Lakes are continuing to push for their Representatives in Washington to approve of President Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Four Great Lakes cities will be hosting rallies to show their support while putting the pressure on Washington to do the right thing.

Starting in Cleveland on Monday, Ohio’s Senator Sherrod Brown will be joined by the Mayor and economic guru John Austin to highlight the benefits that the $475 million package of federal aid would bring to the city and state. The morning rally is expected to draw residents as well as businessmen, the chambers of commerce, and environmental leaders.

The summer tour, planned while Congressional Representatives are at home and working in their districts, will also hit Milwaukee, Toledo and Detroit. Take time to head out and show your support so that the folks back in Washington get the message: Great Lakes Restoration Equals Jobs and Economic Recovery! It may be just what we need to push the funding through the US Senate in September.

EPA’s Great Lakes Listening Tour Consistently Draws Full House

tpache — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:27:37 +0000

Last Tuesday night the EPA began a series of public meetings to determine the best way to implement President Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The first meeting was held in Milwaukee, Wisc. and according to reporter Dan Egan the room was packed.

“The issues are more understood now,” Milwaukee’s Annette Gelhar told Egan. “So now we’re focusing on solutions to things that we’ve ignored in the past.”

The following night another gathering was held in Chicago. Former reporter Jeff Alexander attended both meetings and tweeted events in real time on our twitter page. By scrolling down the page you can still learn about people’s concerns and comments as well as what the government officials told the participants.

Last Thursday night, a public meeting was held in Merryville, Indiana and reporter Lu Ann Franklin writes that it too was standing-room-only with some people travelling from as far away as Elkhart County in order to hear about the government’s plans for restoration and offer up their own comments for consideration.

The next meeting will be tonight in Cleveland, Ohio. But if you can’t make it, the EPA will be accepting comments on their website until Mid-August.

It’s Not Just for the Lakes, it is for the Economy, Stupid!

tpache — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:39:57 +0000

It’s Déjà all over again. Last September the US House passed a Great Lakes Legacy Act reauthorization that tripled the funding to clean up toxic pollution in the Great Lakes. One Senator from Oklahoma shot down the bill in the US Senate. Today, Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) is trying once again to convince his colleagues to support the $150 million price tag.

Oklahoma is pretty far away from the Great Lakes and it might be that we need to invite this persnickety Senator for a summer tour of this nation’s largest source of fresh water. If he could see their stunning size, take in their majesty and experience the debilitating effects that toxic pollution has had on these great bodies of water he would surely be convinced.

We agreed five years ago that in a decade all of the Areas of Concern would be cleaned up. Guess what – we aren’t even close and a big reason is that we don’t have enough money allotted or appropriated on an annual basis. Right now, the Great Lakes Legacy Act is appropriated at $50 million a year and Congress actually spends about $30 million. This program has been named one of the most efficient government programs and it creates jobs while cleaning up the lakes for safe drinking, eating and recreating. These clean ups also help Great Lakes cities with their revitalization efforts as so many of them are clustered around waterfronts.

Consider Buffalo, New York’s strategic plan to revitalize the downtown area by developing a tantalizing waterfront. “There is a widespread belief that the revitalization of Buffalo’s waterfront is key to the revitalization of the city and the region as a whole,” says Craig Turner, director of Public Policy for the Buffalo-Niagara Partnership. “It’s not difficult to see in many cities – such as Baltimore or New York’s Battery Park – that strategically utilizing the natural resource of a waterfront can be an economic stimulus on its own. In addition to the obvious job creation in tourism, retail, etc., we believe our region’s connection to the waterfront will offer opportunities and new technologies related to fresh water that will further enable Buffalo Niagara to shed some of its old “rust belt” renown.”

The City has been using Great Lakes Legacy Act funds to clean up the inner harbor, but there are still nearly 40 miles of the Niagara River that need to be addressed and the GLLA continues to be underfunded. “People in Buffalo are so hungry for revitalization,” said Niagara River Keeper Jill Spisiak Jedlicka, “but we have the stigma of a contaminated river and who wants to relocate to an area of concern? We want to eat the fish and swim in the water and I think that is a realistic goal.” By realizing these seemingly small goals, with the help of a renewed Great Lakes Legacy Act and significant local commitment, the city would make real progress toward this renaissance. “That is how it [cleaning up the Buffalo and Niagara rivers and restoring the ecosystem] contributes to the revitalization of the City as a whole,” explains Spisiak Jedlicka.

Buffalo is just one case – just think of the impact that tripling the funding for the GLLA could have on the economies of the entire region. And it can easily be argued that what is good for the Midwest is good for the nation as a whole. Go George, Go!

Great Lakes State Leading Health Care Innovation

tpache — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:45:23 +0000

Wisconsin is President Barack Obama’s number one agenda item today. The President is flying into Green Bay to hold a town hall style meeting to learn about how this Great Lakes State has made cutting edge healthcare available to more people. The Washington Post writes today that “The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality gives Wisconsin high scores on 100 measures, ranging from the treatment of heart disease to childhood asthma.” Healthcare is predicted to continue to be a huge generator of jobs over the next several decades and the availability of good healthcare makes cities very attractive to start-up companies and those looking to relocate their workers. Green Bay is showing the Nation another way that the Great Lakes region can once again become an economic leader.

President’s Budget ‘Charts Path for Great Lakes Restoration, Economic Recovery’

Jordan Lubetkin — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:35:03 +0000

Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition

ANN ARBOR, MICH.—Today President Obama released his budget for 2010, which contains an additional $475 million for Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is examining the budget. The coalition will be holding a detailed briefing on the budget’s impacts on the eight Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on Tuesday, May 12.

The coalition’s initial assessment of the budget is positive.

“President Obama’s budget charts a path forward to restore the Great Lakes and benefit the local economy,” said Tom Kiernan, president of the National Parks Conservation Association and co-chair of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition applauds the president and looks forward to working with the U.S. Congress to advance Great Lakes restoration before the problems get worse and the solutions get more costly.”

The White House budget “…requests $475 million for the Administration’s new Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. EPA will lead this interagency effort that will target resources to the most pressing environmental issues in the Great Lakes, such as aquatic invasive species, contaminated sediment, and nonpoint source pollution.”

Details of the White House budget can be found on page 2 of the EPA’s budget highlights at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2010/assets/epa.pdf

“The president’s budget will inject $475 million of vital medicine into an ailing Great Lakes ecosystem and economy,” said Andy Buchsbaum, regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Regional Center. “These funds will provide the relief the lakes need by opening our beaches, stopping invasive species, cleaning up toxic pollution, and restoring wetlands. And they’re an investment that will help jumpstart our economy too.”

Attention now turns to federal appropriations committees to fund the restoration effort.

Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) chairs the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, whose Great Lakes members include: Reps. Chaka Fattah (D-Penn.), Maurice D. Hinchey (D-N.Y.), Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.), Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Carolyn C. Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio), Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), John P. Murtha (D-Penn.), Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), José Serrano (D-N.Y.) and Peter Visclosky (D-Ind.).

Senate Appropriations Committee members include Sens. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Arlen Specter (D-Penn.), and George Voinovich (R-Ohio).

“President Obama’s budget includes a significant down payment on the multi-year effort to restore the Great Lakes and revive the economy,” said Jill Ryan executive director of Freshwater Future and co-chair of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We look forward to working with the Great Lakes Congressional delegation to make sure that we put people to work immediately on the highest priority restoration projects that benefit our communities and economy.”

Source of more than 90 percent of the nation’s surface fresh water, the Great Lakes are seriously threatened by problems such as sewage contamination, invasive species, toxic pollution and the loss of wetlands and other habitat. When the Lakes are unhealthy, it is a drain on the economy and it means fewer jobs for the region. Just as disturbing, unhealthy Lakes mean fewer people can enjoy beaches, fishing, waterways and clean drinking water.

“For years, I have been calling for additional Great Lakes restoration funding, and I am very pleased that President Obama is committing significant new funds for the Great Lakes,” said Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), who serves as co-chairman of the Great Lakes Task Force. “The lakes are so precious that it is our job to protect and restore them for future generations.”

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said: “The Great Lakes have been plagued by invasive species and decades of pollution that has resulted in frequent beach closings and warnings against consuming fish from its waters. Thousands of concerned citizens and elected officials have worked hard to reduce pollution and guarantee the health of the Lakes for generations to come. Today, President Obama is backing up that commitment with a significant investment into efforts that will preserve and protect this national treasure.”

According to the Brookings Institution, an investment of $26 billion to restore the Great Lakes will lead to at least $50 billion in economic benefit for the region.

“Our Great Lakes are an inseparable part of our economy, history and culture, and must be protected,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). “I am pleased the president’s budget lays the foundation to combat dangerous threats to our lakes and communities such as invasive species, pollution, and contamination. Times are tough right now in Michigan, but our Great Lakes always provide us with an economic resource unique to our region, and this budget invests in that resource.”

Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) said: “I am very pleased that the president has made good on his promise to make the restoration and revitalization of the Great Lakes one of his top priorities. As co-chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, I am focused on working with the administration and the Great Lakes delegation to advance restoration efforts in this critical region, and I will do everything I can to ensure that this funding remains in the FY2010 appropriations bills.”

Restoring the Great Lakes will benefit the region’s metropolitan areas, generating between $200 million to $7 billion in cities like Duluth, Minn., Detroit, Mich., Chicago, Ill., and Buffalo, N.Y.

“The Great Lakes are a prized natural resource and a significant economic engine for our country,” said Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-N.Y.). “By investing in the protection and restoration of this national treasure, we will not only preserve the lakes for future generations but create jobs and bolster regional communities, industries, and economies. As co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force, I applaud President Obama’s serious commitment to defend the Great Lakes and strengthen our economy.”

The movement to restore the Great Lakes has been bolstered in recent months with the passage of a regional water management plan to ban water diversion from the Lakes and increased attention from both the White House and U.S. Congress.

“The president’s plan to boost funding for Great Lakes restoration could not come at a more important time,” said Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). “Unprecedented water demand, the rise of invasive species and pollution all threaten the drinking water for more than 30 million Americans. As we look for ways to bring about an economic recovery, few things are more important than the Great Lakes – the economic engine and ecological crown jewel of the Midwest.”

The president’s initial budget outline—which included a new $475 million Great Lakes restoration initiative—received support in the budget framework Congress passed last week.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition consists of more than 100 environmental, conservation, outdoor recreation organizations, zoos, aquariums and museums representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes.

For more information, visit: http://healthylakes.org/

For Immediate Release: May 7, 2009

Contact: Jeff Skelding, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, (202) 797-6893
Chad Lord, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, (202) 454-3385
Jordan Lubetkin, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition (734) 904-1589

We Need a Little Christmas Right Now

tpache — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:16:39 +0000

President Obama released more details about how he intends to spend $475 million on Great Lakes restoration today. He also outlined a plan to provide states with an additional $3.9 billion to clean up the drinking water with new infrastructure projects. And although it feels like Christmas on this balmy May day, there is no guarantee that the Grinch (read: Congressional appropriators) won’t steal all these hard won gifts away from us in the middle of the night. Because, at the end of the day, Congress holds the purse strings and the appropriations committees will decide if any of these lofty, job creating programs get some funding or full funding or no funding.

President Obama has set aside $475 million for the EPA and its Federal partners to coordinate state, tribal, local and industry actions to protect, maintain and restore the chemical, biological and physical integrity of the Great Lakes. He specifically targets our greatest ailments: invasive species, nonpoint source pollution and toxic sediments. In addition, his new support for the State Revolving Fund means that we can expect upgraded sewers and water infrastructure. All these efforts not only restore our Great Lakes but they also provide more jobs for our region.

It is no secret that many in Congress are uncomfortable with the level of spending in this President’s budget and the corresponding Congressional budget – why minority leader John Boehner (R-OH) –previously Bush’s budget water boy and now a born again fiscal conservative – nearly strokes every time he spews the words Obama and budget. Thankfully, Boehner isn’t on the House Appropriations Committee which begins budget hearings next week. Still, our programs are not safe until they are fully appropriated and we mean to let committee members know how important this is to us.

Great Lake Member David Obey (D-Wisc.) chairs the powerful House committee and we need to let him know that we want and need these Great Lakes programs fully funded. We expect the other Great Lakes House Members, especially those with districts that edge the Lakes, to stand up and fight for every last dollar promised by Obama and Congress. These Members include: Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Jesse Jackson (D-Ill.), Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Mark Kirk (R-Ill), Steve LaTourette (R-OH), John Murtha (D-PA), peter Visclosky (D-Ind.), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Jose Serrano (D-NY), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Chaka Fatta (D-PA), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) and Steve Israel (D-NY). We will be watching each member and reporting on whether or not they are supportive of these much needed Great Lakes restoration initiatives. There will be no unobserved midnight gift raid by a heartless Grinch – consider us an army of Cindy Lou Who’s – only we won’t accept a half-full glass of water and a tuck in this time.

Time Will Tell

tpache — Fri, 01 May 2009 10:38:56 +0000

Photo by Kathie Weinmann in 2007

It may have taken sending an Illinois candidate to the White House but finally, someone in Washington gets it – that investing in Great Lakes restoration will improve the overall economy of the entire Great Lakes, eight state region – and that someone is President Barack Obama.

President Obama promised us during the campaign season that he would make Great Lakes restoration a priority and he would provide $5 billion to jump start the process. Then in his first budget he set aside $475 million for a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Congress then approved it in the national budget for FY2010. Now, the vague budget line is about to get some definition, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which reports that as early as next week we may learn more about Obama’s first year plan.

“We are more optimistic now than we’ve every been in the last decade that we’re going to see real dollars coming to the Great Lakes,” Andy Buchsbaum, director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Office and co-chair of HOW told the Plain Dealer.

We can expect to hear from the EPA May 6 or 7 about the President’s initiative. We will keep you posted here at healthylakes.org.

Wooden Pipes and Ancient Sewers

tpache — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:22:07 +0000

The New York Times today details what many of us around the Great Lakes are well aware of – our pipes are leaking and failing and we need to address our waste water infrastructure immediately. In an article about the nation’s problems with water main breaks the author hits on the plea being made by mayors and city managers for federal money – heck any money – to rebuild, renovate and update the water infrastructure. Read more here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/18/us/18water.html?_r=1&hp