[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 93 (Wednesday, June 26, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5272-S5273]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LEVIN (for himself, Mr. Kirk, Ms. Stabenow, Ms. Klobuchar, 
        Mr. Brown, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Franken, Mr. Schumer, and Ms. 
        Baldwin):
  S. 1232. A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to 
protect and restore the Great Lakes; to the Committee on Environment 
and Public Works.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, the Great Lakes are a magnificent resource 
and unique in the world. These water bodies, formed during the last ten 
thousand years, are the largest source of surface freshwater on the 
planet. The lakes shaped how people settled and secured resources for 
their survival. Native Americans, French explorers, early European 
settlers, immigrants flocking to new industrial cities, along with the 
current populations of today all rely on the lakes for their survival--
providing food and drinking water, transportation, power, recreation, 
and magnificent beauty. However, the vast resources the Great Lakes 
provide must not be taken for granted. We must do all we can to protect 
these waters and clean up the areas that have been harmed by toxic 
contaminants, polluted runoff, untreated wastewater, and destructive 
invasive species. That is why as co-chairs of the Senate Great Lakes 
Task Force, Senator Kirk and I, along with several of our colleagues, 
are introducing today the Great Lakes Ecological and Economic 
Protection Act of 2013, or GLEEPA.
  This bill builds upon the work of a multitude of stakeholders--
environmental organizations, business associations, tribal governments, 
community leaders, and Federal, State and local officials--who worked 
together to craft the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy, a 
2005 plan to guide restoration and protection for the Great Lakes. The 
legislation we are introducing today would formally authorize the Great 
Lakes Restoration Initiative, GLRI, an inter-agency program designed to 
implement the plan articulated in the Collaboration Strategy. The GLRI 
is an action-oriented, results-driven initiative targeting the most 
significant problems in the Great Lakes, including aquatic invasive 
species, toxics and contaminated sediment, nonpoint source pollution, 
and habitat and wildlife protection and restoration. While broadly 
authorized under the Clean Water Act, the GLRI should be specifically 
authorized in law to clarify its purpose and objectives and to 
demonstrate support from Congress. Since the GLRI was launched in 
fiscal year 2010 with $475 million in funding, real progress has been 
made to restore the health of the Great Lakes: More than a million 
cubic yards of contaminated sediments have been cleaned up. More than 
20,000 acres of wetland, coastal, upland and island habitat have been 
restored or enhanced. New technologies are being developed to combat 
the sea lamprey. Asian carp have been prevented from establishing a 
sustaining population in the Great Lakes. Hundreds of river miles have 
been restored to enable free fish passage from the Great Lakes to their 
spawning grounds. Reduction of nutrient loading from agriculture runoff 
has lessened occurrences of harmful algal blooms.
  In addition to authorization of the GLRI, this legislation would 
reauthorize two existing programs: the Great Lakes Legacy program, 
which supports the removal of contaminated sediments at more than 
thirty Areas of Concern, AOCs, across the Great Lakes; and the Great 
Lakes National Program Office, which handles Great Lakes matters for 
the EPA.
  The health and vitality of the Great Lakes not only provide immense 
public health and environmental benefits, but they are also critical to 
the economic health of the region. For example, in Muskegon Lake, which 
is directly connected to Lake Michigan, cleanup of 430,000 cubic yards 
of sediment contaminated with mercury and polycyclic aromatic 
hydrocarbons, or PAHs, also provided jobs to barge and dredge 
operators, truck drivers, biologists, chemists, toxicologists, and 
general laborers. The cleanup will help lift fish consumption 
advisories and restore fish habitat, which is vital to this area that 
is a popular fishing and boating destination. Reports find a two to 
three dollar return for every dollar invested in cleanup and 
restoration activity. And preventing future damage to the lakes--from 
aquatic invasive species for example--could easily save the public 
hundreds of millions of dollars in future expenditures. With a $7 
billion fishery, $16 billion in annual expenditures related to 
recreational boating, and about 37 million hunters, anglers and bird 
watchers enjoying the Great Lakes each year, we cannot afford to not 
protect and restore this precious resource.
  The legislation we are introducing today includes important 
safeguards to ensure that tax dollars are wisely spent on activities 
that actually achieve results. Projects are directed to be selected so 
that they achieve strategic and measurable outcomes and which can be 
promptly implemented through leveraging additional non-Federal 
resources. The bill would also authorize an inter-agency task force to 
coordinate Federal resources in a way that most efficiently uses 
taxpayer funds, focusing on measurable outcomes such as cleaner water, 
improved public health, and sustainable fisheries in the Great Lakes.
  Finally, State and local officials, tribal governments, business 
organizations, environmental organizations, and other stakeholders need 
an avenue to communicate on matters pertaining to Great Lakes 
restoration. Recently, the EPA created a board that advises the EPA and 
other Federal agencies on Great Lakes cleanup and protection 
activities. This bill would make the advisory board permanent to ensure 
that the many voices across the Great Lakes region can have a direct 
conduit to the Federal Government.
  The Great Lakes are home to more than 3,500 species of plants and 
animals and support 1.5 million direct jobs, $62 billion in wages and a 
$7 billion fishery. This legislation is needed to address

[[Page S5273]]

the threat of invasive species such as Asian carp, polluted runoff that 
can harm aquatic and public health, toxic sediments, and harmful algal 
blooms that kill fish, foul coastlines, and threaten public health. The 
legislation will also help the United States implement its commitment 
to the bi-national 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. We hope 
the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will promptly act 
on this important legislation, as it did in 2010 when it approved 
similar legislation.
                                 ______