WALSH CO-SPONSORS BILL TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR GREAT LAKES CLEANUP

(Washington D.C.)- Congressman Jim Walsh today announced that he has co-sponsored legislation – H.R. 6460 – to reauthorize and improve the Great Lakes Legacy Act, which helps pay for contaminated sediment remediation in Great Lake areas deemed “Areas of Concern” – those identified as having undergone a change in their chemical, physical, or biological integrity. 

The Rochester Embayment – an area made up of the Lake Ontario coastline from Parma to Webster – is on the Areas of Concern list. A portion of Oswego River had been listed, but was removed in 2006 because of the significant improvements to the area which include a revitalized shoreline and hazardous waste site remediation.

“We’ve seen the vast improvements the Legacy Act has made on the Areas of Concern in New York State,” said Walsh, “But we have a lot of work left to accomplish. The reauthorization will facilitate reducing toxic sediment and help fund watershed initiatives.” 

Since its inception in 2002, the Legacy Act has completed four remediation projects, and the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that over 850,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment has been removed. It is estimated that there is 75 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment across the Great Lakes region left to be cleared.  

This legislation reauthorizes the Great Lakes Legacy Act for five years and increases the authorized funding from $50 million per year to $150 million per year. Research and development funds increase from $3 million to $5 million dollars. It is estimated that this increased funding should completely clean up all the contaminated areas on the Great Lakes.

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