Issue Position: Environment

Issue Position

Keeping Our Promise on the Great Lakes

Michigan is surrounded by the largest system of fresh water on Earth. The Great Lakes hold a full 95 percent of the fresh surface water in the United States. The Lakes literally define Michigan. They are a priceless and irreplaceable natural resource.

But for many years the Lakes have been at growing risk from sewage, toxic chemicals, loss of wetlands, as well as invasive species like the Asian carp.

The federal government needs to be a full partner in helping to restore the Great Lakes. When Barack Obama was running for President in 2008, one of his most important campaign promises was to provide $5 billion over ten years to restore the Great Lakes. I am working to make sure this promise it kept.

Shortly after taking office, President Obama sent a budget to Capitol Hill requesting $475 million for to jump-start the clean-up and restoration of the Great Lakes. The effort is called the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Working with others in the Michigan Delegation, I fought to ensure these funds were approved by the House and Senate. This money is now being put to work to address longstanding problems in the Great Lakes, including invasive species, non-point pollution, habitat and fisheries loss, and contaminated sediment.

Restoring the Great Lakes must be a sustained effort. The $475 million Congress approved last year was an important first step, but it was only a first downpayment. I am working to ensure that Congress provides sufficient resources to continue the effort.

Now more than ever, it is critical that the President and Congress work together to restore the Great Lakes and protect all our natural resources.

Sandy Levin Earns Top Marks from Environmental Groups

There are 465 members of the House of Representatives. Each and every one of them claims to be a friend of the environment. But when it comes to actually voting to protect the environment, some lawmakers are better at talking the talk than walking the walk.

When it comes to the environment, actions speak louder than words.

In the Environment America Scorecard for 2009, Sandy Levin earned a perfect 100% on 15 key environmental votes taken between May 2007 and September 2009. The group named him an Environmental Champion for his work to protect our nation's waterways, air, and natural resources.

Earlier this year, another environmental group -- The League of Conservation Voters -- released its 2009 National Environmental Scorecard. As noted in the LCV report, "the Scorecard represents the consensus of experts from about 20 respected environmental and conservation organizations who selected the key votes on which Members of Congress should be graded."

The 2009 National Environmental Scorecard included 13 House votes to safeguard the environment, invest in clean energy jobs, and protect public health. The average score for House members from Michigan was 67 percent. Sandy Levin scored a perfect 100% for his votes to protect the environment.

Restoring Lake St. Clair

The Great Lakes are an irreplaceable natural resource, but we have not always treated them as though they were very great. Nowhere is this more evident than in Lake St. Clair, which is one of the more heavily used portions of the Great Lakes in terms of fishing, boating and drinking water. In 1994, a rash of beach closings due to high E. coli contamination galvanized public attention to the health of this vital ecosystem.

In Congress, Sandy Levin has been a leader in the effort to focus federal attention and resources on cleaning up Lake St. Clair. He sought and obtained federal funding to expand the treatment capacity of the George W. Kuhn Drain, which previously had poured billions of gallons of partially treated sewage into the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair every year.

When the Economic Recovery Act was being developed by Congress last year, Sandy Levin fought to include new federal resources to fund Clean Water infrastructure. Since then, $8.4 million in Recovery funds are being deployed to help resolve longstanding problems in sewer systems adjoining the Clinton River and Lake St. Clair. He also convinced the Army Corps of Engineers to provide $3.8 million in Recovery Act funds to reduce pollution and sedimentation in the Red Run Drain, a key tributary of the Clinton River.

In 2005, at the direction of Congress, the Corps of Engineers completed a comprehensive management plan for Lake St. Clair, and a committee of local stakeholders has since been working to implement the more than 100 recommendations contained in the Corps' blueprint. Both on the local level as a member of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Lake St. Clair, as well as in Washington, Sandy has been working to push ahead with restoration of Lake St. Clair.

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