New hope for Great Lakes help -- Shift in control of Congress may help fund restoration

By David Steinkraus

Saturday, November 18, 2006 2:18 AM CST

If you're still watching for ripples from the shift in control of Congress, don't forget to watch the Lake Michigan beaches because you may see some of those ripples washing ashore here.

In December 2005 a collection of local and state governments released the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration, a set of goals and strategies to repair the ecosystem of the lakes and prevent further damage. The subjects include controlling the aquatic migration routes that allowed zebra mussels to invade the lanes, reducing mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants, improving sewage plants to reduce the billions of gallons of overflows which occur annually, and promoting such sustainable practices as developing renewable sources of energy and reusing brownfields.

Yet legislation has not progressed far in Congress. In mid-September, Racine Mayor Gary Becker, vice chairman of the Great lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, told a House subcommittee that the mayors have been disappointed at the lack of federal action, specifically from the Bush Administration. A results of last week's election, however, mean the political winds may be blowing in favor of the lakes states.

"I don't think you're going to see dramatic change," Becker said. "I think you're going to have a more receptive audience in Washington." "It's not just a matter of the Democrats taking the House because congressman Ryan has been a strong supporter," said Cameron Davis, president of the Alliance for the Great Lakes.

"I don't think the Congress changing hands changes anything," said U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville. Restoring the lakes has always been a bipartisan issue, he said, but the process of doing that requires a number of large and complex bills that will require time for Congressional committees to digest.

There has been bipartisan work on the lakes, agreed Jordan Lubetkin, spokesman for the National Wildlife Federation, yet program funding has been cut and bills have stalled. Some moderate Republicans lost their seats, and that won't help, he said, but there will be a difference in the next Congress because a number of legislators from Great Lakes states are in line to chair key congressional committees. U.S. Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., whose district stretches through northern Wisconsin to Lake Superior, is likely to chair the Appropriations Committee. Five or six representatives from other Great Lakes states will lead committees handling invasive species protections, wildlife habitat restoration, and renewable energy, Lubetkin said, and the effects of that cannot be underestimated. "Cleaning up the Great Lakes is not like sending someone to Mars," he said. The technology is available. "It makes good bus sense to clean up the lakes now because the price tag is only gong to grow." Show us the money "Unfortunately," Becker said, "we're still dealing with the harsh reality that they spent all the money." It went into the Iraq war or into tax cuts, which he termed "tax deferrals" because without a budget surplus the debt remains to be paid later.

"We're not asking for billions a year for the Great Lakes," he said. "We'd like billions of dollars for the Great Lakes, but we're realistic." The request is for about $300 million, he said, not much when you consider the size of the resource.

Lubetkin, Davis, and Ryan were more optimistic about the prospects for funding lakes restoration.

The Bush Administration, in public documents, has stressed the need for the Great Lakes states to not look for any new money but to concentrate on programs which already exist.

"Since Congress controls the purse strings," Davis said, "I do think that dynamic will change." Yes, he said, using existing funds has been the White House position. "But if Congress wants to see a bigger investment in our Great Lakes communities, it will happen." He thinks people will be interested in taking care of what is the economic engine for the region.

"I think the key is to reprioritize the money they (EPA) have to the Great Lakes." Ryan said. He said he believes the region's representatives will fight and win the effort to reprioritize spending. A 2008 investment The next federal election, when we will choose a president, may also prove to be a motivator. In the election just past the Midwest flexed its political muscle, Davis said. "Five of the dozen or so swing states in the country have what in common? The Great Lakes." What better way to invest in a 2008 political race than to make sure the region's needs are funded now, he said.

"I never really thought about it like that, to be honest with you," Ryan said. Certainly the Midwest will receive more attention from both parties, he said, so there may be some truth in that point. The administration However, Becker said, there is only so much Congress can do. The president controls the bureaucracy, and if the administration isn't excited about making the Great Lakes a priority, bureaucrats won't be excited about pushing the policy. So the ball, he said, is in Bush's court.

"The reality is, he can work with Congress and the Democrats, or we can do nothing for two years." For the Democrats, he said, this will mean forgetting the partisan wars of the last few years and concentrating on helping people.

"No party gets a get-out-of-jail-free card when it comes to restoring the Great Lakes," Lubetkin said. Both must overcome a record of Congressional delay. People may cheer the ascendance of one party or the other, he said, "but what we want to cheer for here in the Great Lakes is actual results."

On the Net:

Great Lakes Regional Collaboration: http://www.glrc.us/

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