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Great Lakes Environmental Sensitivity Index Act of 2020

Floor Speech

Date: Dec. 3, 2020
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. JOYCE of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Great Lakes Environmental Sensitivity Index Act of 2020.

I was proud to join Representative Kildee in introducing this bill to direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to update the environmental sensitivity index maps for the Great Lakes for the first time in many years.

ESI maps document the potential impacts from coastal resiliency threats such as oil spills, coastal flooding, and storm damage from high lake levels, which have recently plagued many communities in my district.

Having grown up and lived my entire life along the shores of Lake Erie, I know that the Great Lakes are a national treasure, an economic powerhouse, and one of the United States' greatest natural resources.

As the largest system of surface fresh water on Earth, the Great Lakes provide drinking water for an estimated 48 million people, support more than 1.5 million jobs, and generate $60 billion in wages annually. That is why it is important that we work together to protect and preserve the lakes and the communities they sustain. This legislation will help us do that.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill today.

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