Unfortunately, the dating term geographically undesirable (GU) also appears to apply to Congress Members attitude toward the Great Lakes and the issues we have fervently been working on. Usually an explanation of why a budding romantic relationship failed to flower, GU also defines a lack of leadership and perhaps interest in the Great Lakes for lawmakers representing the more far flung districts in our eight states.
After reviewing comments made by those who took part in Great Lakes Day 2008, it becomes clear rather quickly that geography had a lot to do with the kind of experience HOW members had when they visited their congressional representatives in Washington. Those from states most entwined with the Great Lakes tended to feel understood by their representatives and staff while those who hail from farther reaches found the response to the issues they raised more tepid.
HOW members who visited Illinois Congressmen left feeling recharged. “I’ve never seen members of Congress so anxious to demonstrate leadership on Great Lakes issues. From education to appropriations, legislators want a piece of the action and know that restoration is going to pay dividends for the Great Lakes,” Joel Bremmer from the Alliance for the Great Lakes, told Great Lakes United. Of course, last year’s British Petroleum debacle energized Illinois lawmakers when they saw how quickly constituents responded to Indiana’s OK to plans to expand the Whiting Facility that would result in increased pollution into Lake Michigan. Congressmen from Illinois, such as Mark Kirk, Rahm Emanuel and Dick Durbin have been on a roll, leading the charge to save the lakes ever since.
But Minnesota folks had a different experience during their day on the Hill. As Jill Crafton points out, it seems many Minnesota lawmakers are suffering a bout of apathy, but then they also don’t share the same lake front acreage as states such as Michigan, “I felt there was a big lack of motivation within the Minnesota political legislators to be strong advocates with Oberstar and Ellison being the exceptions,” she responded.
“We pushed for an early ballast water treatment deadline, measurable standards, and enforcement and the need for restoration. Often it seemed like talking to a wall; there just wasn’t much reaching out to us that I felt had any substance to it. There were lots of nods and a lot of silence. I left most meetings feeling in limbo,” she added.
Ohio’s Matt Misicka from the League of Ohio Sportsmen and Central Ohio’s Anglers and Huntsmen Club picked up on the geographical tension. “Representatives (Mary) Kaptur, (Stephanie) Tubbs Jones, (Betty) Sutton and (Steven) LaTourette are all on board. Some other officials from outside the basin are iffy this year – some are locked in tough reelection campaigns and they don’t have it near the top of their lists,” he said. This is where HOW’s grassroots can really make a difference – members from the outer reaches of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Minnesota should go to campaign events and let their congressmen know that even though they don’t live on the lake, they care all the same about its future and its potential impact on the state economy.
“Hit them over the head with the Brooking’s Institute findings that suggest a 4 to 1 return on investment. Funding the Great Lakes Legacy Act and State Revolving Loan Fund will help create jobs and increase property values. If they are not interested in the environment, interest them in the economics,” Misicka advised.
An important message as the economy was evidently on the minds of lawmakers during this year’s lobby day. On the cold February day, financial markets were in ruins, a costly war in Iraq was forcing us into further debt and a looming world food crisis hung like bloated storm clouds above, while HOW members urged their representatives to consider investing billions in the Lakes.
“Everyone seemed more concerned with other issues. However, no one dismissed the issues I brought forward as unimportant,” said Nicholas Hade who hails from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, Dereth Glance, Executive Program Director from Citizens Campaign for the Environment, found the New York delegation very responsive. “Key legislators and staff were familiar and passionate about halting Aquatic Invasive species hitching a ride in ballast water, reauthorizing and improving the Great Lakes Legacy Act to remediate toxic mud that persists along our shorelines, and increasing funding for communities to deal with sewage fouling beaches. We recognize the competing interests for a small amount of money, but it was clear that NY delegation has a sophisticated understanding of the threats facing the Great Lakes, our upstate economy, and our recreational assets,” he said.
The bottom line is that they care if you care. So, if you happen to be from Southern Ohio or Eastern Pennsylvania, tell your representatives that come Election Day, the Great Lakes issues will weigh on your conscience and affect your vote -then they are more likely to address the issues. Now is the time, get out there and let them know that we care!
Related posts:
- Judgment Day for Executive Order 13340 has Arrived
- US House Says Yay To Great Lakes Legacy Act
- The Day after Tomorrow: The Great Lakes in Crisis
- Urge Great Lakes Congressmen To Vote For Climate Change Bill
- Drum Roll Please