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Senate Commerce Committee Adopts Klobuchar Amendments on Great Lakes and Climate Change

Klobuchar strengthens legislation to ensure Great Lakes receive necessary funding and research

December 4, 2007

Washington, D.C. – Today the Senate Commerce Committee passed three amendments offered by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar ensuring that Great Lakes are included in a new set of federal research and adaptation programs related to climate change.  Klobuchar’s amendments will provide Great Lakes communities the necessary research and access to federal resources.  The amendments passed as part of broader legislation that will study the effects of climate change and help communities mitigate the impact it has on America’s natural resources.

“These projects will help address concerns that I have heard from shippers and sportsmen as well as businesses and residents in communities all along Lake Superior,” said Klobuchar.  “To protect and preserve the greatness of our Great Lakes, we need to be smart about how we manage this unique natural resource as we respond and adapt to the challenges presented by climate change.” 

Klobuchar fought to have the interagency panel overseen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct a study on decreasing lake levels in the Great Lakes.  Lower water levels in the Great Lakes have forced commercial shipping to decrease the amount of cargo each vessel can carry, in turn increasing shipping costs for businesses and consumers.  Klobuchar hopes the amendment can identify the causes for consistent low water levels and methods to help communities and businesses mitigate the impacts on the environment and commerce.

Klobuchar’s second amendment would allow Great Lakes states like Minnesota access to federal funding to help develop and implement climate adaptation strategies.  These strategies help local communities absorb and mitigate the effects climate change has on an area’s natural resources and economies.  The final Klobuchar amendment would require that any research to examine the processes and consequences of ocean acidification also be conducted in the Great Lakes.

Klobuchar serves on both the Senate Commerce Committee and Environment and Public Works Committee, placing her in an influential position to shape legislation relating to the Great Lakes and the upcoming climate change legislation the Senate is expected to take up in the coming weeks.

Klobuchar has established herself as a national leader on climate change and environmental issues earlier an authored groundbreaking legislation that experts see as crucial to any effective cap and trade program to lower emissions of greenhouse gases.

Klobuchar is a cosponsor of all three bills that passed the Commerce Committee today: S. 2355, the Climate Change Adaptation Act; S. 2307, the Global Change Research Improvement Act; and S. 1581, The Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act.  Klobuchar offered and passed an amendment to each bill during today’s mark up.

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