Feingold Pushes for Answers on Great Lakes Water Levels

Press Release

FEINGOLD PUSHES FOR ANSWERS ON GREAT LAKES WATER LEVELS

Calls on Senate EPW Committee, IJC to Look Into Why Upper Great Lakes Are At Record Low Levels

U.S. Senator Russ Feingold is stepping up efforts to examine the reasons behind the record low water levels in the Upper Great Lakes. Feingold led a group of Senators from Great Lakes states in urging both the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee and the International Joint Commission, a joint U.S./Canadian body that oversees the Great Lakes, to quickly address the issue. Feingold urged EPW to hold a hearing to investigate the near-historic low lake levels and take actions to address the likely contributing factors. Feingold called on the IJC to expedite its plans to study the problem in the Upper Great Lakes. The study is expected to take another five years. The idea for the study was first proposed in 2002 but stalled.

"When it comes to figuring out why the water levels in the Great Lakes are dropping so sharply, the time to act is now," Feingold said. "We can't afford to delay taking real action to improve the situation. The IJC must update its regulatory plan for Lake Superior and do so in a transparent manner with input from all interested parties. And the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee should look into the issue soon to investigate what actions must be taken to prevent the integrity of Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and all the Great Lakes from being further compromised."

According to recent reports in the New York Times and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, experts expect Lake Superior's water level to reach a record low in the next two months, while water levels in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron have dropped three feet since 1999. The hearing should look at possible solutions, including restoring federal protections for critical wetlands and headwater streams. Feingold recently introduced the Clean Water Restoration Act to restore the federal government's ability to protect these waters under the Clean Water Act, which has been undermined by recent controversial Supreme Court decisions.

"The Great Lakes are a national resource like no other and we can't afford to take them for granted," Feingold said. "The Great Lakes require our immediate attention and commitment if they are to remain a vibrant economic and environmental resource for Wisconsin, the Midwest, and the entire nation."

The letter to the EPW Committee can be read at http://feingold.senate.gov/pdf/ltr_epw_0906072.pdf.

The letter to the IJC can be read at http://feingold.senate.gov/pdf/ltr_ijc_0906072.pdf.

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