Remarks (As Prepared): Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Cleveland Public Library

REMARKS [AS PREPARED]: GREAT LAKES REGIONAL COLLABORATION CLEVELAND PUBLIC LIBRARY

Good Evening. Thank you for the opportunity to make some brief remarks. I am very excited to have the opportunity to talk about the Great Lakes and specifically the Great Lakes Collaboration process.

The Great Lakes are truly a unique natural resource. They need to be protected for future generations to enjoy. Unfortunately, I do not believe that Great Lakes protection and restoration has received the attention it deserves in Washington. Since being elected to the Senate in 1994, I have worked hard to help improve and protect Lake Erie and all the Great Lakes. As I pushed to increase funding for the Lakes and increase the attention that federal agencies pay to the Great Lakes, one thing became clear. We lack a unified vision for what is needed for the Great Lakes.

We know that there are specific problems in the Lakes, like the threat of invasive species and pollution. I've worked to address those issues. For example, I was the lead Senate Republican sponsor of the Great Lakes Legacy Act that was signed into law in 2002. This law authorizes $54 million to clean up contaminated sediments in rivers that flow into the Lakes. But, what we really need is recognition of the national importance of this resource. Those of us who care about the Lakes must develop and support a comprehensive vision for this region, a vision of where we want to see the Lakes in 10, 20, 30 years.

Last year, President Bush took a critical step in developing this vision by signing an Executive Order and initiating the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration process that has led to the draft report we are discussing tonight. The Regional Collaboration has brought together about 1,500 people -- individuals living in the region, people from all levels of government, and all sorts of interest groups -- to draft a restoration strategy. I applaud the many people who have worked hard to put this draft together.

To ensure that this strategy reflects the region's priorities and needs, it is important for local citizens and organizations to have the opportunity to provide their comments. I'm glad to see so many people show up tonight to do just that. Like others here tonight, I, too, want to make a few recommendations about the level of detail:

1) When the final report is completed, it needs to include specific legislative action steps. Broad goals are important, but what I need to fight for the Great Lakes are specific legislative recommendations and specific appropriations requests.

2) The final report recommendations need to be prioritized. The needs of this region are diverse and extensive, so we need to have a clear set of short-term and long-term recommendations.

3) The final recommendations have to include a process to measure our success. To convince my fellow Senators and Congressmen to invest in this region, we have to have clear goals and the means by which to measure our success in meeting those goals.

For example, the strategy recommends restoring wetlands. But, we need to know how many wetlands we currently have and what type they are, and then we need to know what type of wetlands we are prioritizing for restoration and how we will know when we have restored enough wetlands. Other examples include knowing how much indirect pollution is entering the Lakes, being able to measure reductions, and knowing when pollution reduction measures have succeeded.

Let me close by thanking everyone who has been engaged in the Regional Collaboration for their hard work on the strategy, as well as their efforts to protect the Great Lakes. There is still work to be done, but it's important to remember our goal in protecting and restoring the Great Lakes. They are a unique natural resource for Ohio and for our entire Nation.

http://dewine.senate.gov/