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Issues
Environment Great
Lakes
The Great Lakes are invaluable economic,
environmental, and recreational resources for Wisconsin, the
Midwest, and the entire nation. Unfortunately, the Great Lakes
face a number of serious threats like invasive species, low
water levels, poor water quality, and toxic pollutants. In
the Senate, I am advancing policies to restore
and revitalize the Great Lakes, and ensure that future
generations will be able to enjoy them as we have.
Great Lakes Compact
The Great Lakes are not unlimited, easily
replenished resources. To defend these natural treasures,
I cosponsored legislation to give federal recognition to the
Great Lakes Compact, and I helped push that resolution through
the Senate by chairing a key Senate hearing on the issue in
July 2008. The resolution passed the Senate with overwhelming
bipartisan support just days after the hearing and was signed
into law in October 2008. This historic legislation, negotiated
among the eight Great Lakes states and the Canadian provinces
of Ontario and Quebec, will regulate new water withdrawals
and diversions that threaten lake levels.
The success in passing the Great Lakes Compact comes in part
from the fact that the people of Wisconsin and state leaders
feel strongly about the importance of preserving the Great
Lakes for future generations. The bipartisan work of Wisconsin
Governor Jim Doyle, the Wisconsin state legislature, the Department
of Natural Resources and other agencies to pass the compact
in Wisconsin was a wonderful example of our state’s environmental
stewardship at its best.
Invasive Species
The Great Lakes are experiencing continued
introductions of aquatic invasive species that cause considerable
economic, social, and ecological harm. Congress must enact
legislation to regulate ballast water, which is the primary
way invasive species are introduced into the Great Lakes.
I have urged
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to help advance ballast
water legislation. I am also a cosponsor of legislation to
prevent an invasion of destructive Asian Carp into the Great
Lakes.
Low Water Levels
Recently, several of the Great Lakes have
faced record low water levels. I successfully led a group
of senators from Great Lakes states to expedite a study of
the water level issue that is being conducted by the International
Joint Commission, a U.S.-Canadian body that oversees the Great
Lakes. I have also pressed
the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to investigate
the factors behind the decreased water levels.
Regional Efforts
I support implementation of a comprehensive
strategy, the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration, that was
jointly developed by a federal, state, and local partnership
to restore the Great Lakes. Developed in consultation with
more than 1,500 stakeholders, the plan provides a good road
map to make progress on the many significant challenges facing
the Great Lakes.
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