Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutiions

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

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By Mr. DEWINE (for himself and Mr. LEVIN):

S. 2430. A bill to amend the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 1990 to provide for implementation of recommendations of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service contained in the Great Lakes Fishery Resources Restoration Study; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, today, I join my colleague from Michigan, Senator Levin, in introducing the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 2006.

This measure was first enacted in 1990 and reauthorized in 1998 to coordinate the management, protection, and restoration of fish and wildlife resources within the Great Lakes Basin. Many groups support this program because it is a good management tool and facilitates better communication between their agencies.

The Great Lakes harbor a wide variety of fish and wildlife. Over 140 fish species and over 500 species of migratory bird can be found in the basin. As in many coastal areas, there is a heavy concentration of people and industry bordering the Great Lakes. Further, the Great Lakes are threatened by the continuing introduction of invasive species, which negatively impact the native food chain and habitat.

The fish and wildlife in the Great Lakes are facing grave dangers, and the Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Restoration Act of 2006 would provide needed resources and authority to alleviate some of these concerns. For instance, the bill would reauthorize the grant program, increasing the available amount to $12 million and would add wildlife projects to the types of projects that may receive grants. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service would award grants based on the recommendations from the existing grant proposal review committee, with the addition of wildlife experts.

The bill also would authorize up to $6 million each year for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to undertake projects that have a regional benefit to fish and wildlife. Under this new authority, the Service would undertake projects based on the recommendations of states and tribes.

Additionally, the bill would require the Fish & Wildlife Service to submit a report to Congress in 2011 that describes the fish and wildlife grants that have been awarded and the results of those grants. The Service would report annually to the states and tribes regarding the grants that have been awarded, priorities proposed for funding in the budget, and actions taken in support of Great Lakes regional collaboration.

This bill reflects the collaboration of non-governmental groups, as well as tribal, State, and Federal agencies with jurisdiction over the management of fish and wildlife resources of the Great Lakes. All of those groups have the goal of protecting and restoring Great Lakes fish and wildlife, and this bill will continue in the right direction.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.

There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:

S. 2430

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