[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 111 (Thursday, September 5, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1505]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THE GREAT LAKES LEGACY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 4, 2002

  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1070, 
the Great Lakes Legacy Act introduced by Representative Vernon Ehlers. 
Years of contamination due to industrialization on the shores of the 
Great Lakes severely damaged these environmental treasures. The Great 
Lakes Legacy Act of 2001 is important to the region because it commits 
federal resources to remediate contamination of lake bed sediments that 
plague the Great Lakes.
  The Great Lakes are under assault: under assault from industrial 
pollution, under assault from alien species being introduced into the 
lake, such as the Fish Hook Flea, the round gobie, and the Zebra 
Mussel. The Great Lakes shores are also burdened by nuclear waste 
stored at scores of sites around the region: in my district nuclear 
waste sits less than a hundred yards from the shore of Lake Michigan.
  Currently, there are 43 AOCs, or Areas of Concern, in the U.S. and 
Canada surrounding the Great Lakes that require sediment remediation 
according to the U.S./Canadian International Joint Commission. It is 
important to note that, to date, NO AOC in the U.S. has been cleaned up 
sufficiently to be de-listed.
  The Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2001 authorizes the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) through the Great Lakes National Program Office 
to carry out projects to remediate contaminated sediment or prevent 
further contamination in the Great Lakes region. This bill authorizes 
$50 million a year in fiscal 2003-2007 for remediation plans and $2 
million annually for research and development of innovative 
technologies for sediment clean up.
  I am here, more specifically, to speak on behalf of the city of 
Waukegan in my district, which was home to what many have called the 
worst PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) contaminated site in the U.S. The 
city of Waukegan lies fifty miles directly north of Chicago on the west 
shore of Lake Michigan. In the 1980's Waukegan Harbor was designated an 
Area of Concern by the International Joint Commission on the Great 
Lakes.
  Most of the contamination of Waukegan Harbor took place over a 13-
year period from 1959 to 1973 at the Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) 
shoreline headquarters. OMC was a recreational marine products 
manufacturer that used a fluid in their dye-casting machines that 
contained PCBs. The PCBs were discharged from two locations in the 
plant: one directly into Lake Michigan and another into Waukegan 
Harbor. By the time the pumps were shut down in 1976, the United States 
EPA approximated that 300,000 pounds of PCBs were discharged directly 
into the water of Lake Michigan and an additional 700,000 were 
discharged on the OMC property. An average 9 to 10 pounds of PCBs were 
discharged into Lake Michigan daily.
  Many different entities have taken part in the clean up of Waukegan 
Harbor, including: the US EPA, the Illinois EPA, the Waukegan Harbor 
Citizens Advisory Group and OMC, who set up a trust to help facilitate 
their portion of the harbor clean up. The clean up has been successful 
to this point. The US EPA recently stated in a new remediation study 
``that the remediation at Waukegan Harbor successfully lowered 
concentrations of PCBs at the site.'' However, more corrective action 
is needed in Waukegan to remove the remaining harbor contamination.
  The efforts thus far in Waukegan Harbor illustrate one of the first 
Areas of Concern to actually demonstrate environmental and economical 
benefits resulting from a cleanup. We cannot stop the momentum now and 
leave the job unfinished.
  Potentially, the Great Lakes Legacy Act will enable the federal 
government to help remove the remaining impaired sediments from 
Waukegan Harbor, and delist the harbor within 18-24 months.
  This bill would enable sites like Waukegan Harbor, in the process of 
cleaning up, the chance to continue their efforts to complete the job 
and for others to begin cleaning up contaminated sites. This act would 
empower communities, such as Waukegan, to redevelop areas that before 
had little hope of an economical rebirth. A revitalized Waukegan Harbor 
offers the city a chance to reach its economic potential that was never 
before possible.
  I would like to thank the many groups, private and governmental, 
which have helped in this effort to clean the contaminated sediments in 
Waukegan Harbor. Also, I would like to thank Rep. Ehlers for his 
leadership on this important issue. I urge my colleagues to support The 
Great Lakes Legacy Act, because it offers a healthy environmental and 
economic future to communities such as Waukegan.




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