Restore the Great Lakes

Great Lakes restoration gets a boost

Updated: Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 | By Catharine Richert

Help for the Great Lakes was part of President Barack Obama's campaign platform.
 
As a candidate, Obama promised to "push for the passage of the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act, which will move us past playing defense against environmental problems and toward a comprehensive restoration of the Great Lakes."
 
He's making progress. Legislation to create the Great Lakes Collaboration, a coalition dedicated to coordinating efforts to clean up the lakes, has been introduced in both the House, where it's sponsored by Republican Vernon Ehlers of Michigan, and in the Senate, where it was introduced by Democrat Carl Levin, also from Michigan.
 
Neither bill has seen any action, but Obama has taken other steps to improve the lakes, which largely run along the Canada-U.S. border.
 
In his fiscal 2010 budget, Obama included $475 million to create a new Great Lakes restoration initiative. And in June, 2009, he appointed Cameron Davis, president of a Chicago environmentalist group, to oversee the administration’s initiative to clean up the Great Lakes.
 
That said, this particular promise focused on the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act. It's been introduced but hasn't come up for a vote. For now, we rate it In the Works.

Sources: govtrack.us, S.237: Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act of 2009 , accessed Sept. 30, 2009 Chicago Sun Times, Obama names Chicago environmentalist as Great Lakes czar , June 4, 2009 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, $475 million in plan for Great Lakes , by Dan Egan, Feb. 26, 2009