Ehlers’ bill approved after Senate compromise

WASHINGTON – Congress passed the Great Lakes Legacy Reauthorization Act (H.R. 6460) today by a vote of 411 to 9. The bipartisan bill, authored by Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers, extends one of the country’s most effective federal water cleanup programs.

      The bill, a compromise reached between the House and Senate, would extend the program for two years and authorize the Environmental Protection Agency to spend $54 million each year to carry out monitoring, prevention, and cleanup of contaminated sediment in areas of concern around the Great Lakes.

      The House had approved the bill last week at the much higher authorization of $150 million per year over five years before it was scaled down this week in the Senate. The original five-year bill, passed in 2003, was to expire this year.

      “While it is unfortunate that we could not pass the bill at the funding level approved by the House, I am excited that this cleanup program will continue without interruption,” said Congressman Ehlers. “I am looking forward to coming back in the next session of Congress to craft a new bill that will authorize the funding level we had hoped to achieve this year.”

      The funding authorized in this bill must still be approved by congressional appropriators before it is directed to the EPA. The EPA will contribute 65 percent of the required funding for cleanup projects in polluted areas identified around the Great Lakes, with the remainder being covered by state and local governments, environmental groups, and other stakeholders. The bill also provides funding for research and development of new and innovative cleanup technologies.

      The Great Lakes Legacy Act has been responsible for the removal of close to one million cubic yards of toxic sediment from around the lakes since 2004. The U.S. Policy Committee on the Great Lakes estimates that approximately 75 million cubic yards of toxic sediment remain in polluted tributaries of the Great Lakes.

The president is expected to sign the bill into law.