Kirk, Emanuel, Biggert, Schakowsky Tell Great Lakes Regional Collaboration to Speed Up the Clean Up

WASHINGTON, D.C.—During the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Meeting held Friday in Chicago, U.S. Reps. Mark Kirk (R-IL), Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), Judy Biggert (R-IL) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) laid out an aggressive strategy to fight pollution and invasive species in the Great Lakes. In a joint letter addressing the Collaboration, the Members of Congress called for action to “Speed Up the Clean Up” laying out seven goals Congress should set this year to clean up the Great Lakes.  Below is the text of the letter addressing the Collaboration.
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December 3, 2004

    As federal legislators, we support the work of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration and their work to develop a strategic plan to address the environmental dangers that face the Great Lakes.

    While we look forward to the work under the Collaboration, we believe that we should speed up the clean up.  Many threats to the lakes are already well known and need little reflection.  We believe that we must take action now to reduce well known threats to the lakes while the Commission begins its work.
 
    By the end of this year in Congress, we set our goals to:

-- Fully fund the Great Lakes Legacy Act
 
-- Authorize and fund the construction, operation, and maintenance of a permanent system of dispersal barriers on the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal. 
     
-- Enact the Bipartisan Great Lakes Restoration Financing Act (H.R. 2720)
 
-- Fully-Fund Research and Development of Mercury Pollution Reduction Technology
 
-- Complete Two Federal NOAA Studies on Mercury Contamination of the Great Lakes and Lake Michigan Beach Closings
 
-- Begin investigation into the causes and effects of PDBE contamination in the Great Lakes 

-- Reauthorize the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act.