Great Lakes-Press Release
Great Lakes are in need of major funding and education outlets, for future generations to continue to enjoy them.
Madison, Wis. November 12, 2005 -- The Great Lakes Region received $45 million in federal funding over the next five years from the Bush administration to help clean up the Great Lakes. But, money can not buy a balanced ecosystem, especially when this same administration has worked tirelessly to weaken the laws that protect our environment -- consistently putting powerful special interests ahead of our health, and especially the health of the Great Lakes.
Over the past six years toxic pollution in Great Lakes waterways has jumped 25 percent, thanks mainly to rampant illegal discharges from industrial facilities and sewer plants. Most of the Midwest's surveyed lakes and nearly one-half of its surveyed stream miles are "impaired," according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Few of the Midwest's surveyed miles of shoreline support fish consumption, primarily due to mercury contamination caused by power plant pollution. Until now, the Bush administration has done nothing but compound these problems with a steady stream of policy changes aimed at relaxing the rules that safeguard our waters.
The Bush administration's new budget proposal calls for a 7.2-percent decrease in overall funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, including a $492-million reduction in low-interest loans to states and communities for clean water pollution control projects. Funding for these important loans would drop from $1.3 billion to $850 million.
Another $335 million in proposed budget cuts would come from allocations to local governments, to improve wastewater, storm water and drinking water facilities. Last year's budget provided $429 million, including $7.6 million specifically for Wisconsin.
It's worth considering how large corporations, not the people of the Midwest, have prospered from the very policies that have influenced our water quality woes.
Under this administration, the EPA has proposed weakening federal standards for sewage treatment, which would allow more raw sewage to flow into our waterways. Sewage spills have already polluted rivers and many lakes, endangering drinking water and forcing beach closings along Great Lake coastline. The Midwest Lakes Policy Center reported more than 150 beach closings and advisories in Wisconsin due to elevated bacteria levels -- 33 percent of which were directly linked to sewage spills.
November 16, 2005 3:53 AM | Category: Press Release