Bill includes historic $475 million investment in the Great Lakes

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) voted in support of H.R. 2996, the final conference report on the Fiscal Year 2010 Interior-Environment Appropriations bill, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday.  The legislation includes $7.36 million in projects for Northern Michigan and $475 million dedicated to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.  The bill also exempts 13 Great Lakes steamships from new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clean air rules that had the potential to devastate shipping on the Great Lakes.

“This bill helps to strengthen our economy and way of life here in Northern Michigan by preserving the Great Lakes, maintaining our national forests and protecting Great Lakes shipping” Stupak said.  “I have made the Great Lakes a top priority throughout my career in Congress and I am pleased this bill includes a strong commitment to investing in and preserving this national treasure.  While this is an important first step, there is more work to be done to ensure our Great Lakes are protected for future generations.”

H.R. 2996 includes $641 million to protect the nation’s great water bodies including the Great Lakes, Puget Sound and the Chesapeake Bay.  Of that total, $475 million is dedicated to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.  The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will involve the coordination of 16 federal agencies, the states of the Great Lakes region, local government and citizen groups in an effort to restore the world’s largest body of fresh water.  This initiative is especially important for Michigan, which is the only state that falls entirely within the Great Lakes basin.

During debate on the bill, Stupak offered remarks supporting an important provision to protect Great Lakes shipping from being disadvantaged by new clean air rules to be implemented by the EPA.  Stupak raised early concerns over the EPA’s proposed Emission Control Area (ECA) rule to limit sulfur emissions from ships within 200 nautical miles of U.S. coasts, including the Great Lakes. 

In a September letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Stupak said this regulation would have, “the opposite effect the EPA seeks to achieve by increasing the amount of fuel spent and emissions in the Great Lakes region while simultaneously placing a unique burden on the already depressed economy, especially in Michigan.”  H.R. 2996 would exempt 13 domestic steamships on the Great Lakes from the pending EPA rule.  The combined emissions from these 13 ships would be less than the emissions from one ocean going vessel.  The bill would also require the EPA to issue a report in six months on the economic impact of the final rule on the Great Lakes.

Northern Michigan Projects

$2 million for the improvement and maintenance of the U.S. Forest Service’s Watersmeet Administrative Site in the Ottawa National Forest.

$2,380,000 for the Keweenaw National Historic Park.  Funding will be used to complete exhibit planning and design of the Keweenaw National Historic Park Union Building, which will serve as an interpretive exhibit about the people of Copper Country and their relationships with mine management.  Funding will also go toward stabilizing structures of the historic Quincy Smelting Works located within the Keweenaw National Historical Park.  The buildings are rapidly deteriorating and require emergency stabilization.

$1.5 million for the U.S. Forest Service to acquire additional land for the Ottawa National Forest.  Funding will be used to purchase the 14,000 acre Sturgeon River Gorge, furthering conservation efforts at Prickett Lake, which is immediately adjacent to the area.

$1 million for the Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research (CPBR).  CPBR is a non-profit corporation whose membership includes 43 leading U.S. research universities including Michigan Technological University and Michigan State University.  The research produces technological innovations for higher quality crops and cropping practices, improved biomass energy production, objective information on the relationship between genetically engineered plants and the environment, prevention/remediation of hazardous wastes and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

$480,000 for improvement and maintenance of the Clear Lake Environmental Education Center in Hiawatha National Forest.

“By investing in our natural resources we can strengthen and restore the economy in Northern Michigan and throughout the Great Lakes region,” Stupak said.  “These projects make key investments in ensuring we have the clean water and healthy forests that communities throughout Michigan rely on to provide jobs and economic growth.”

Several other projects in H.R. 2996 have the potential to benefit Northern Michigan as well.  Funding totaling $2.1 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and $1.38 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund is included in the bill.  As part of this funding, more than $50 million in grants and subsidized loans will be provided to communities that cannot afford to pay back conventional loans.

The Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act (FLAME) of 2009 is incorporated into H.R. 2996.  The FLAME Act includes firefighting budget reforms to help create a separate dedicated, steady and predictable funding stream for wildfire suppression activities.  FLAME funds for the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior would cover the costs of large or complex wildfire events so that other U.S. Forest Service programs responsible for forest management and timber contracting are not drained to pay for wildfires. 

The bill now awaits a final vote in the Senate before going to the president for his signature.

# # #