For Immediate Release
April 23, 2009 |
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National Water Research and Development Initiative Act |
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(Washington D.C.)- U.S. Rep. Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak) made the following floor statement in support of the National Water Research and Development.
Mr. Chairman,
I urge my colleagues to support the National Water Research and Development Initiative Act.
There is a tendency to take the availability of clean drinking water for granted. Even in a state like Michigan, which is surrounded by water, we have become increasingly aware that the Great Lakes are a finite resource. To that end, the eight Great Lakes states came together last year and adopted a compact to manage and protect the Lakes. With the approval of the Great Lakes Compact by Congress, at long last we closed the door to bulk diversion of Great Lakes water. The Compact also establishes a comprehensive management framework to protect this shared resource and requires Great Lake states to control their own large-scale water use.
In other parts of the nation, it is clear that water supplies are under increasing stress. Drought, population increases, and growing demand has resulted in water shortages in many areas, and these shortages are expected to become more pronounced over time. Currently, more than 20 federal agencies carry out research on water, water quality, and water management. The bill before the House will begin to coordinate national research and development efforts on water to provide the tools and information to manage water resources more effectively.
I want to make clear that nothing in this legislation authorizes, encourages or mentions water diversion from the Great Lakes. That is off the table. What is under discussion today is better coordination of programs that already exist to improve federal activities on water, involving research, data collection, modeling, education and the development of technology to enhance water quality and supply. As much as any other region, the Great Lakes states stand to benefit from more effective use of federal water research and development dollars.
Let me also express my support for the amendment offered by Representatives Kirk and Quigley which requires the National Water Research and Assessment Plan established in this legislation to include long-term projections of water levels and ice cover of major water bodies, especially the Great Lakes. The loss of winter ice on the Lakes results in faster evaporation of the water. We need better data to understand the decline of ice cover in the Great Lakes and the impact this decline has on water levels in the Lakes.
I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.
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To Contact Congressman Levin: -
Email Congressman Levin In Michigan: 27085 Gratiot Ave, Roseville, MI 48066 | (586) 498-7122 | (248) 968-2025
In Washington: 1236 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 | (202) 225-4961
