The Great Lakes are under attack from various environmental threats, such as invasive species, PCB contamination, and other aquatic contaminants. I will continue the fight to halt further contamination of the Great Lakes.

Mercury in the Great Lakes:

I am working to make the Great Lakes safer from mercury pollution. Recently, the North Shore Sanitary District proposed building a sludge burning factory on Waukegan's waterfront. Under a permit granted by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the facility would be allowed to put more than 90 pounds of mercury per year into the air over Lake Michigan, much of which would end up in the water.

I took immediate action to prevent this new project, including. . .

• authored the Great Lakes Mercury Elimination Act, H.R. 5261, to deny new permits for facilities that would dump any new source of mercury into the Great Lakes.

• strongly urged EPA Administrator to urge her to overturn the permit for the Waukegan sludge burning factory.

Invasive Species:

The Great Lakes are also under attack from non-native species, such as the zebra mussel and round goby. I am working to enhance our protection against these and other threats. To further these efforts I. . .

• cosponsored of two bills that seek strengthen and reauthorize the National Invasive Species Act of 1996 (NISA) (H.R. 5395 and H.R. 5396).

• strongly support the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act (NAISA) reauthorization bills because they address the existing loopholes and authorize much needed funding to upgrade the fight against aquatic invasive species. The bill includes a mandatory national ballast water exchange program and rapid response program to prevent potential new invasions.

• strongly support language to expand the Aquatic Nuisance Species Dispersal Barrier on the Chicago Ship and Sanitary Canal. This will keep new destructive invasive species from reaching the lake.

Clean-up of Great Lakes:

Among my other works to protect and clean up the Great Lakes I . . .

• fought for and won federal funding for the continued clean up of Waukegan Harbor.

• cosponsored H.R. 1032, a bill to prohibit oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes, because one misstep in the drilling process would condemn the Great Lakes to years of contamination that would injure the region in numerous ways.

• continue to fight to promote the Illinois Rivers 2020 program. This is a bold initiative seeks to enhance the waterway as a vital transportation corridor, improve open space and farm land, and to restore, enhance and preserve habitats for plants and wildlife.

• cosponsored H.R. 324, the Recycle America's Land Act of 2001 to promote brownfields redevelopment, reauthorize and reform the Superfund program.

When I came to Congress, I became a member of the Great Lakes Task Force, which seeks to work with government and environmental groups to improve funding and protection of the Great Lakes. The work of the task force has focused on gaining appropriations for vital Great Lakes programs, fighting exotic or invasive species, publicizing and holding briefings on important environmental issues facing the Great Lakes.

As the largest fresh water source in the United States, the Great Lakes is one of the most precious environmental assets of the United States. I will continue to work in Congress for its protection.