Congressman applauds Great Lakes Declaration, will lead work in Congress

CHICAGO - Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers Friday joined many federal, state, local and tribal officials from throughout the Great Lakes region in signing a document pledging support to protect, improve and restore the Great Lakes.

      Meeting in the International Ballroom of the Hilton Chicago Hotel, Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids, was joined by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Mike Leavitt and other federal officials, five state governors including Michigan's Jennifer Granholm, other congressional members, tribal leaders and many local officials, including Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell. The meeting was attended by more than 300 people.

      Approximately 60 officials signed the Great Lakes Declaration, which is an intergovernmental pledge of support to further protect, improve and restore the Great Lakes through the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration process, as well as the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Framework Document, which outlines the process for developing a Great Lakes restoration and protection strategy.

      "We are all here today because we know that funding for our current programs is important, but it is not enough," said Ehlers, who is co-chair of the Great Lakes Congressional Task Force and chairman of the House Science Committee's Subcommittee on Environment, Technology and Standards. "We need a specific and comprehensive strategy - an action plan - for implementing federal, state and local programs and projects in a coordinated, efficient and effective way."

      Ehlers has authored several pieces of legislation aimed at protecting the Great Lakes, including the Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2002, which will provide $22.5 million in federal funds for the cleanup of sediments in the Great Lakes and tributary waterways in fiscal year 2005. Ehlers said that there are literally hundreds of other federal, state and local programs that need to be coordinated in order to be most effective.

      "This is not a trivial exercise," Ehlers said. "The result of this historic collaborative effort that we are kicking off today will provide a path toward true protection and restoration of the Great Lakes, which, of course, are the greatest single source of freshwater on the Planet Earth."