[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 125 (Friday, September 29, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1914]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         GREAT LAKES FISH AND WILDLIFE RESTORATION ACT OF 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. TED STRICKLAND

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 27, 2006

  Mr. STRICKLAND. Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity 
to express my strong support for S. 2430, the Great Lakes Fish and 
Wildlife Restoration Act of 2006 (GLFWRA), which passed the House 
yesterday. This important legislation makes available critical federal 
dollars allowing state and tribal management agencies to take 
significant strides to address the challenges threatening Great Lakes 
fish and wildlife resources and habitats. This bipartisan bill passed 
the Senate by unanimous consent and I am hopeful will be signed by the 
President soon. I believe the reauthorization of the GLFWRA will go a 
long way to help protect the environmental and economic health of one 
of our nation's most unique and splendid natural treasures: the Great 
Lakes.
  In both size and ecological diversity, there is no other freshwater 
system which matches that of the Great Lakes Basin. The Great Lakes are 
simply magical. They offer outstanding recreational and tourism 
opportunities. The Great Lakes are a source of drinking water for 
millions of residents and provide a safe and efficient mode of 
transportation in the region. Obviously, the Great Lakes also provide 
habitat for our fisheries and wildlife. Ohioans know what Lake Erie 
means for the state's economy. Lake Erie alone produces more fish for 
human consumption each year than the other four lakes combined. And, 
Lake Erie supports a $1 billion a year sport-fishing industry and one 
of the largest freshwater commercial fisheries in the world. There is 
no question that restoration and protection of one of our nation's most 
unique and precious resources, the Great Lakes, warrants the level of 
federal commitment reauthorized under S. 2430.
  I am pleased that S. 2430 is consistent with the Great Lakes Regional 
Collaboration's (GLRC) Strategy to Restore and Protect the Great Lakes. 
The GLRC is a tremendous effort to coordinate the pathway forward for 
the restoration, protection, and sustainable use of our Great Lakes. I 
am pleased that passage of the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife 
Restoration Act will advance the GLRC goals which were developed 
through extensive collaboration of federal, state, tribal, and local 
partners.
  The challenges facing the Great Lakes will not be solved overnight, 
but the GLRC process has designed a unifying strategy forward, and I 
strongly support S. 2430 as one part of that strategy to restore and 
protect our invaluable Great Lakes.

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