Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5764, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2014. Let me start by recognizing the hard work of the bipartisan cosponsors of this…
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5764, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2014.
Let me start by recognizing the hard work of the bipartisan cosponsors of this legislation, including the retiring dean of the House, Mr. Dingell, and commend their efforts to move this legislation.
H.R. 5764 would authorize Federal appropriations for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a program initiated by this administration to coordinate the Federal restoration efforts of the Great Lakes.
For the decades leading up to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, many Federal agencies were involved in the cleanup and protection of the Great Lakes. However, their efforts were far from coordinated, resulting in inefficient cleanup activities that made little progress in the overall health of the Great Lakes.
In 2010, this administration launched the initiative to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the largest fresh surface water system in the world, the Great Lakes. Under the leadership of the former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, this initiative prioritized five focus areas: cleaning up toxics and the Great Lakes areas of concern; combating invasive species; promoting the near-shore health by protecting watersheds from polluted runoff; restoring wetlands and other habitats; and tracking the progress made, as well as educating and working with strategic partners.
As of August 2013, the initiative has funded more than 1,500 projects and programs of the highest priority to meet immediate cleanup and restoration and protection needs. As a result of these efforts, there is tangible proof that the health of the Great Lakes is improving--from the delisting of two additional U.S. Great Lakes Areas of Concern to a list of over 30 success stories recently documented by the Healing Our Waters Coalition. Yet additional progress is needed, and the authorization of appropriations contained in H.R. 5764 is a good step forward to continuing this effort.
However, I would note that most of the successes of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative can all be traced back to one factor that I have highlighted over and over again in this Congress: the critical need for robust Federal funding.
As I noted during floor consideration of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013, as well as during numerous other authorization and appropriation bills this Congress, to see real progress in the programs we establish, we need also to provide the critical funding to our Federal agencies that implement these programs.
Too often these days we seem driven to cut Federal spending for programs that provide a real benefit to our Nation without an awareness of the consequences of these actions. This Chamber will recognize that there are places where the Federal Government can help and should be making increased investments, such as to repair our crumbling infrastructure or to protect our fragile natural environment. Yet later this week, I fear that we will again be asked to vote on an appropriations package for the Federal Government that woefully underfunds critical investments in our Nation's future, from building the transportation infrastructure that will keep our country competitive into the next century, to investing in the water-related infrastructure that protects communities, families, and businesses, to making targeted improvements to our natural environment to ensure the protection of human, economic, and environmental health for generations to come.
We need to do better. We need to recognize that the expenditure of Federal money to invest in our Nation is not inherently a bad thing. We need to understand that the Federal Government needs to be an active partner in addressing many of the complex challenges facing our States, our communities, and our everyday lives. And we need to support the missions of those Federal agencies we have charged with ensuring the long-term economic and environmental health of this Nation. These are only some of the ongoing challenges that face this Nation, and we need a Congress that is serious about taking on the hard questions and making the right investments, not only for our own lives and livelihoods, but for those generations of Americans to come.
Mr. Speaker, I commend the bipartisan sponsors of this legislation for ensuring that the new authorization shows some willingness to provide robust funding for these restoration efforts rather than simply and mindlessly cutting these programs. I urge support of H.R. 5764.
I reserve the balance of my time.
December 8, 2014.
Dear Members of the Great Lakes House Delegation: We are
writing to convey our support for H.R. 5764, the Great Lakes
Restoration Initiative Act of 2014, bipartisan legislation
recently introduced by Representatives David Joyce, Louise
Slaughter, Sander Levin, and John Dingell. We understand the
bill may be considered this week under suspension of the
rules and urge you to support it. This is a top regional
priority for the Great Lakes states, local communities,
tribes, conservation organizations, and business and
industry.
This legislation provides formal authorization for the
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), an ambitious
regional restoration program for the Great Lakes that is
cleaning up degraded ``toxic hotspots,'' halting Asian carp
and other invasive species, and preventing polluted runoff
that closes beaches and causes harmful algal blooms. It
provides a solid legislative platform to ensure our region
continues to work together successfully to implement a
science-based and outcomes-focused plan of action for
restoring and protecting the Great Lakes.
The bill directs U.S. EPA to collaborate with the Great
Lakes Interagency Task Force and state and local partners to
select the best combination of projects to protect and
restore the Great Lakes. It focuses on restoration projects
that can be implemented quickly, will achieve environmental
outcomes outlined in the new Great Lakes
Action Plan and Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, and that
leverage other funding.
Passing this legislation now will clarify the focus and
accountability of our restoration efforts and ensure the
program continues to achieve effective results. We recently
worked with federal agencies to rewrite the GL RI Action
Plan, which lays out our region's restoration goals and
objectives, and revises how we measure progress. The new plan
addresses the Government Accountability Office's review,
which found no major deficiencies in the GLRI program.
Restoring the Great Lakes creates jobs, stimulates economic
development, and protects fresh drinking water for 30 million
people. The lakes currently generate over 1.5 million jobs
and $60 billion in wages annually, and provide the foundation
for a $30 billion tourism economy. Clearly, the Great Lakes
are an invaluable resource worth restoring and protecting,
and this legislation is critical to our collective efforts
toward this end. We urge you to support this bill.
Sincerely,
Tim Eder,
Executive Director, Great Lakes Commission.
Todd Ambs,
Director, Healing Our Waters--Great Lakes Coalition.
William Taylor,
Chair, U.S. Section, Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
David A. Ullrich,
Executive Director, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities
Initiative.
Jane A. TenEyck,
Executive Director, Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority.
Kathryn A. Buckner,
President, Council of Great Lakes Industries.
Ed Wolking, Jr.,
Executive Director, Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), who is a cosponsor of the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman another 1\1/2\ minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Nolan), who is a member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and a cosponsor of the bill.
(Mr. NOLAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this legislation. I think it is good, solid bipartisan legislation that is necessary, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Will the gentleman yield?
I, too, want to add a word of both thanks and congratulations to John Anderson for his service in the Congress over a great many years. I came to see firsthand his skill and dedication when we were working so cooperatively together on passing the Water Resources Development Act of 2013. His involvement was essential.
That bill stands as one of the few substantive pieces of bipartisan legislation that this Congress has passed, and we were able to get it in done in part because of John's efforts.
I thank you, and I wish you a well-earned retirement.
I appreciate that very much.
