[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 148 (Friday, November 15, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2059]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 H.R. 1070: THE GREAT LAKES LEGACY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 14, 2002

  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, the magnitude of the Great Lakes water system 
is difficult to appreciate, even for those who live within the basin. 
As the world's largest body of fresh water, the Great Lakes are 
sensitive to the effects of a wide range of pollutants. The sources of 
pollution include runoff from farm chemicals, waste from cities, and 
discharges from industrial areas and waste disposal sites. The large 
surface area of the lakes makes them vulnerable to direct atmospheric 
pollutants of all kinds, such as mercury.
  H.R. 1070 amends the Clean Water Act to authorize $50 million a year 
for fiscal years 2004 through 2008 for the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) to carry out remediation projects in Areas of Concern 
(AOCs) surrounding the Great Lakes to monitor or evaluate contaminated 
sediment, remediate contaminated sediment, or prevent further or 
renewed contamination of sediment.
  Contamination of the Great Lakes is an issue that directly affects my 
district. The city of Waukegan in my district was home to what many 
have called the worst PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) contaminated site 
in the U.S. Waukegan lies fifty miles north of Chicago directly on the 
shore of Lake Michigan. Waukegan Harbor was designated in the 1980's an 
Area of Concern (AOC) by the International Joint Commission on the 
Great Lakes, the United States EPA and the Illinois EPA.
  The contamination of Waukegan Harbor took place over a 13-year period 
from 1959 to 1973. The U.S. EPA approximated that during that time 
300,000 pounds of PCBs were discharged directly into the water of Lake 
Michigan and an additional 700,000 were discharged on the property by 
the Outboard Marine Corporation. An average 9-10 pounds of PCBs were 
discharged into Lake Michigan daily.
  The cleanup of Waukegan Harbor has been successful thus far removing 
approximately 500 tons of PCB contaminated sediment from Waukegan 
Harbor. However, more corrective action is necessary before the harbor 
can be de-listed as an AOC. Passage of H.R. 1070 will go a long way in 
continuing the movement to de-list Waukegan Harbor and clean the 
remaining Great Lake AOCs.
  I applaud the Congress for taking this important step addressing 
contaminated sediments in the Great Lakes basin. The time has come to 
protect the Great Lakes from the other dangers, such as mercury 
pollution and invasive species. Earlier this session I introduced H.R. 
5261, the Great Lakes Mercury Reduction Act, which will prohibit the 
issuance of new permits under the Clean Air Act that would result in 
the deposition of any additional mercury into the Great Lakes.
  Congress must also adopt a comprehensive plan to stop the 
introduction of alien species into the region. H.R. 5396 and 5397 seek 
to reauthorize the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act to address 
existing loopholes in our laws and authorize much needed funding to 
upgrade the fight against aquatic invasive species, along with 
expanding the Aquatic Nuisance Species Dispersal Barrier on the Chicago 
Ship and Sanitary Canal.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment and thank Mr. Ehlers for 
his tireless work on H.R. 1070. His work on this legislation, and other 
Great Lakes issues, has been remarkable. I would also like to thank the 
groups involved in the Waukegan Harbor cleanup effort, including the 
U.S. EPA, the Illinois EPA, and the Waukegan Harbor Citizens Advisory 
Group. Hopefully, the passage of H.R. 1070 will enable our community to 
celebrate the de-listing of Waukegan Harbor.

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