Walberg Weekly Wrap-Up

Statement

Many of the fondest memories my wife Sue and I have of the childhood days of our three now-adult children involve our family spending time together in the Michigan great outdoors.

As campers, hikers, hunters and nature lovers, Michiganders cherish the beauty of our great two peninsulas, and we understand and respect the environment whose stewardship has been entrusted to us as citizens of this great state.

Currently, Michigan faces a pressing environmental problem that threatens both recreational activities our families have enjoyed for generations and our state's economic and cultural identity.

Many Michiganders are not aware of the urgent problems facing the Great Lakes we so often take for granted.

The Great Lakes are a treasure essential to both Michigan and the entire nation. The lakes hold nearly one-fifth of the world's surface water and forty-two million people rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water.

Sadly, our lakes suffer damage every day through untreated sewage, toxic pollutants and aquatic invasive species. The ecosystem surrounding the lakes is breaking down.

I recently learned that every 28 weeks a new non-native species is discovered in the Great Lakes and 23 billion gallons of raw sewage has been dumped into the lakes by antiquated wastewater treatment facilities.

More than two-thirds of the wetlands that serve to cleanse water, prevent erosion and provide a home for fish and wildlife have been lost along the Great Lakes.

Populations of aquatic life, such as perch and white fish, are disappearing in areas these species formerly thrived.

While this problem may seem overwhelmingly vast and unsalvageable, manageable solutions to the problem exist.

Recently, I joined a broad, bi-partisan coalition in Congress that is working to implement a strategy for the restoration, protection and sustainable use of the Great Lakes.

That strategy, the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration (GLRC), is a wide-ranging, cooperative effort supported by a variety of individuals from all walks of life.

The GLRC legislation would eliminate existing and prevent future aquatic invasive species from entering lakes while restoring the valuable Great Lakes wetlands.

GLRC also involves updating city waste treatment plants to prevent the lakes against sewage contamination and protect our beaches. It would clean up dangerously contaminated sediments in Great Lakes harbors and protect waterfront communities.

Every day we wait to address these problems they get worse and the solutions get more costly, which is why I support the passage of this comprehensive solution during this session of Congress.

Michiganders have a responsibility to care for the resources we have been entrusted with, and we must act now to restore the health of the Great Lakes.

The GLRC legislation is supported by hunters, environmentalists, scientists, industry leaders, community officials and state agencies across the Great Lakes region.

It is time for Congress to invest in restoring the Great Lakes so that Michigan's economy, environmental health and quality of life aren't diminished, and I look forward to playing a role in this legislation's passage.

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