Healing Our Waters Coalition » Take Action

Task Force Letters Target GLRI Money

Jordan Lubetkin — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:24:20 +0000

The US Senators on the Great Lakes Task Force need colleagues to sign onto a series of letters supporting $475 million in funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative by Thursday afternoon (that is tomorrow!).

Multiple letters requesting funds for specific programs are being sent to each committee with jurisdiction over the GLRI or involved federal agencies. For example, the minority and majority chairs of the Commerce, Science, Justice and Related Agencies will get a letter from the Task Force asking for full funding of a NOAH program that is part of the GLRI. If each committee provides funding at FY2010 levels then we can raise the appropriation to $475 million. It is a good strategy but we need all the Great Lakes US Senators to sign onto these letters to show our regional unity on this issue.

The letters will be delivered to the Agriculture, Environment and Public Works, Interior, Commerce, Science, Justice and Related Agencies, and State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs committees. So far, Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and George Voinovich (R-OH), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) are the only signatures. We need you to contact your Great Lakes Senator and ask that s/he sign on by tomorrow by calling Joy Mulinex in Levin’s office.

By consistently funding the GLRI at the original rate of $475 million we can keep up with the threats facing the lakes, make up for years of inadequate investment, fulfill the President’s promise to deliver $5 billion over five years and ensure the GLRI’s long-term success.

EPA Seeks Public Input on Health of Waters

Jordan Lubetkin — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:14:14 +0000

The US Environmental Protection Agency has set up a web forum for two-weeks where the public can weigh in on how to better manage our most significant water pollution problems. The online feedback will inform the discussion at the EPA’s April conference: Coming Together for Clean Water.

“This online discussion is for anyone who wants to share their best solutions for restoring healthy waters and creating sustainable communities across the country,” states Peter Silva, assistant administrator in the Office of Water.

They are looking for input from professionals, advocates and anyone in the public interested in clean water issues.

To join the discussion: http://blog.epa.gov/waterforum/

If you have trouble with the link then copy and past this URL into your browser:

http://service.govdelivery.com/service/edition.html?code=USAEPA_26&format=Web&email_type=bulletin

Great Lakes Task Force Letter Needs More Signatures

Jordan Lubetkin — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:34:02 +0000

The Great Lakes Task Force is asking all Great Lakes lawmakers to sign onto a letter that advocates for full funding of important restoration programs by this Thursday. The letter will be delivered to the Ranking and Minority chairs on the Interior Appropriations Committee.

The Task Force is asking the Committee to fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $475 million for FY 2011. The President’s budget lowered the request to $300 million at a time when we need added investment to reach to goals for GLRI outlined by the Administration and when many GLRI dollars are being siphoned off to fight the Asian carp. We would prefer that money to battle these invasive species come from the agencies’ regular budgets. As the President has said the GLRI is meant to supplement, not supplant agency budgets.

Next, the letter urges lawmakers to provide $16 million for the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Great Lakes program. This act pays for projects that restore the fish and wildlife resources in the Basin based on the Great Lakes Fishery Restoration Study. The entire region benefits from these projects.

We need $2 million for the US Geological Survey’s Great Lakes Geologic Mapping Coalition. And the letter puts in a request for $15 million for the US Geological Survey’s Great Lakes Science Center. The Science Center monitors fish populations and provides critical information to Great Lakes managers. They use research vessels on each lake – they are the only federal facility that does this – giving us significant information for determining fish harvests. The problem is that the Science Center’s budget is severely underfunded. They need a real investment now so that the fish surveys will be conducted and fishing quotas established.

So far,Reps. John Dingell, Mark Kirk, Louise Slaughter and Vern Ehlers have signed the letter. Please encourage your lawmaker to sign onto this important bipartisan letter by contacting Joy Mulinex at 224-1211.

The EPA is Coming to a Town Near You

Jordan Lubetkin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:57:15 +0000

Next week, the EPA will kick-off a series of public comment sessions in the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to examine the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The hearing schedule is:

July 21, Milwaukee, Wis.
July 22, Chicago, Ill.
July 23, Merrilville, Ind.
July 27, Cleveland, Ohio
July 28, Erie, Pa.
July 29, Rochester, N.Y.
August 3, Lansing, Mich.
August 4, Duluth, Minn.

More information at: http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/glri/index.html

Make a Call for the Great Lakes Today!

Jordan Lubetkin — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:35:01 +0000

Your US House Member and US Senator need to hear from you today. We need you to contact them and tell them how important President Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is for the entire region’s economy and ecology. Tell your Congressperson that you expect to see his/her name on the House or Senate letter showing support for this budget initiative. We need to let our delegation know that we are watching and expecting action! After you call or email – if you have time – please comment on this thread and let us know what you heard from your Congress person’s office. Thanks!

Action Alert: Tell your Members of Congress to Match President Obama's Great Lakes Restoration Funding

Jordan Lubetkin — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:34:10 +0000

President Obama included a $475 million Great Lakes Restoration initiative in his proposed FY2010 Budget – the largest Great Lakes funding commitment ever made by a President. While this is a great testament to our new Great Lakes President, Congress ultimately dictates federal funding levels. The first step in that process is the Congressional Budget Resolution, which is currently being debated in Congress. The House and Senate plan to pass their budget resolutions by the first week of April.

HOW YOU CAN TAKE ACTION: Please take ten minutes today to call Congress today to urge your Representative and Senators to make sure Congress matches the President’s Great Lakes funding commitment in their own budget. Here are the three easy steps:

1) Call the offices of your Representative and two U.S. Senators. You can reach them through their direct line or by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asking to be connected.

2) Make sure the staff person you speak with knows you are a constituent and tell them: “President Obama has included a $475 million Great Lakes Restoration initiative in his fiscal year 2010 budget to restore the Great Lakes and revive our economy. I urge [Representative / Senator _________] to reach out to Members of Congress on the Budget Committee in support of including the President’s Great Lakes restoration initiative in the Congressional Budget Resolution.”

3) Let the campaign know what kind of response you get by commenting on this post or sending an email to grubbc@nwf.org.

FYI: The following Great Lakes members of Congress are on the Budget Committee: Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Rep. Steve Austria (R-OH), Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI), and Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). If you are calling these offices, just tell them directly that you urge them to include the funding in the Budget Resolution and urge them to work with their colleagues to build support.

Thank you for taking action to restore the Great Lakes!

Action Alert: Tell your Members of Congress to Match President Obama’s Great Lakes Restoration Funding

Jordan Lubetkin — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:34:10 +0000

1) Call the offices of your Representative and two U.S. Senators. You can reach them through their direct line or by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and asking to be connected.

3) Let the campaign know what kind of response you get by commenting on this post or sending an email to grubbc@nwf.org.

Thank you for taking action to restore the Great Lakes!

Tell Congress to Enact President Obama’s Historic Great Lakes Commitment

Jordan Lubetkin — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:46:01 +0000

President Obama recently announced $475 million in his budget for Great Lakes Restoration – an effort that is critical to creating jobs and reviving our economy. The catch is that Congress holds the purse strings through their budget resolution and the annual appropriations process.

That’s where you come in.

Cha-Ching

Jordan Lubetkin — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:39:24 +0000

An article by Spencer Hunt of the Columbus Dispatch reminds us not to forget about our great fight with invasive species in the Lakes. The story makes it clear we need to implore our US Congress to pass restrictions on ballast water discharges as soon as possible. We continue to write and speak about the crisis point that we are at – that no return is just around the corner – yet the valuable Ballast Bill of 2007 and 2008 continues to languish. “We have never been able to eliminate any aquatic invader that’s gotten into the (Great Lakes) system,” Thomas Johengen a University of Michigan ecosystem research scientist,told the Dispatch. There are already more than a dozen invaders in the Lakes that cost us roughly $100 billion a year. We simply can’t wait any longer for a sturdy national ballast standard.

Promote the Great Lakes Restoration Presidential Candidate Letter Campaign

chris grubb — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:38:44 +0000

Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives is proud to host a letter campaign to encourage the Presidential candidates to support the Great Lakes Restoration Strategy. Please consider including the campaign on your Web site, in emails, in newsletters, on your blog or any other way you can get the word out.

To make this easier we offer a few ideas.

1) You can link to the survey hosted on the Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives Web site:

http://healthylakes.org/presidential-candidate-petition/

2) You can place the petition to appear under your Web site design with the following code:

View the petition outside of an iframe here

3) You can place a badge like the one displayed here on your site that links to the petition hosted on the Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives Web site with the code listed below the image.

Your assistance in driving action by the candidates is appreciated. Together we will make a difference.