CHICAGO, IL—Today, at Navy Pier U.S. Representatives Rahm Emanuel, Jan Schakowsky and U.S. Senator Barack Obama held a press conference to call on the President to endorse and work quickly to implement the recommendations of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy.  In advance of next Monday’s final report of the GLRC, Emanuel, Schakowsky, and Obama called on President Bush to finish what he began.  Obama will seek hearings in the Senate on implementing the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy.

            “The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration was the Administration’s plan to restore and preserve the Great Lakes for future generations of Americans,” Rep. Emanuel said.  “I stood with the President when he began this effort – it’s time he stood with the people of the Great Lakes region by endorsing and implementing the strategy.  This is the ninth study of the Great Lakes in five years – the lakes need action.”

            In the spring of 2004, President Bush signed an Executive Order creating the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration tasked with developing a comprehensive strategy for restoring the Great Lakes.  In December of 2004, the Bush Administration pledged to work with the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration to develop and support a strategy to protect and restore the Great Lakes.  However, beginning in July the President began to back away from this promise.  On Monday, December 12th, when GLRC officially announces its recommendations, the Administration is expected to ignore them and issue its own set of “Near Term Actions.”  Rather than specific solutions, the Administration’s “Near Term Actions” consist of bureaucratic jargon, vague goals, and a restatement of current activities. 

            “When it comes to protecting the Great Lakes, the Bush Administration has been all talk.  The Bush Administration can’t even meet their own standards of accountability, running away from recommendations made by an advisory body the President created.  The Bush Administration’s failure to protect the Great Lakes should come as no surprise.  After all, this is the same Administration that has allowed toxic sewage to be dumped in our lakes, raised the limit on arsenic in drinking water and promoted oil and gas drilling in the world’s largest source of freshwater,” said Schakowsky.

            To date, more than 1,500 people have participated in the GLRC process, including mayors, governors, Indian Tribes, NGOs, Members of Congress, and representatives of the Federal Government.  With tens of thousands of man hours invested, the Great Lakes Regional Strategy represents the culmination of decades of research on Great Lakes issues and is the definitive action plan for the preserving and restoring the Great Lakes.  Calling for nearly $20 billion in investments in the region, the document presents a broad vision for tackling aquatic invasive species, protecting species and their habitat, improving coastal health, and reducing toxic pollution.