Support Funding to Restore the Great Lakes!
- by: Freshwater Future
- recipient: Members of Congress
The Great Lakes are breaking down due to the combined impacts of invasive species, sewage contamination, destruction of wetlands and other critical habitat, and other threats. The proof can be seen in closed beaches, fouled drinking water, fish consumption advisories, and shrinking populations of sport fish. Comprehensive action is needed now to reverse the breakdown, because the longer we wait to restore the lakes, the problems get worse and more costly.
Luckily, we have manageable solutions for the problems facing the Great Lakes. The Healing Our Waters® - Great Lakes Coalition is working in our nation's capitol to pass legislation that will stop sewage contamination, prevent invasive species introductions and restore the lakes. But these solutions will take a meaningful investment from our Federal government. You can be part of the solution for the Great Lakes by signing the petition urging Members of Congress to support Great Lakes programs.
We, the undersigned, urge you to act immediately to protect and restore the Great Lakes. You can take action this year by working to:
- Re-authorize the Great Lakes Legacy Act at $150 million per year so we can clean up toxic pollutants that are poisonous to our families;
- Improve and pass ballast water management legislation to keep invasive species from ruining our sport and commercial fisheries;
- Pass the Clean Water Restoration Act in order to protect Great Lakes waters; and,
- Fully fund Great Lakes programs like the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act and the Great Lakes Legacy Act.
The Great Lakes are essential to the economic and cultural identity of our region. Forty-two million people depend on the Great Lakes for their drinking water. Today, the health of our Lakes is seriously threatened by problems such as untreated sewage and invasive species.
The good news is we have manageable solutions to these problems. The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy is a comprehensive plan to modernize sewage treatment, clean-up polluted harbors, restore wetlands, and prevent unwanted, new species from invading the lakes. Each of these steps is essential if we are to restore the lakes and safeguard our Great Lakes way of life.
A recent survey revealed that federal funding lags far behind the estimated $15 billion annual investment made in protecting and restoring the Great Lakes by the region's local governments. It's time to stop short-changing the Great Lakes -- the longer we wait to meet the problems facing the Great Lakes, the more expensive and difficult they will be to solve.
Your leadership is needed now more than ever. Please take action this year to pass critical legislation like the Great Lakes Legacy Act, ballast water management legislation, and the Clean Water Restoration Act, all of which work to implement the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy. Please also fully fund Great Lakes programs like the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act and the Great Lakes Legacy Act.
I look forward to hearing about your efforts to protect the Great Lakes.
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