Number: 2004-08
WHEREAS, the Great Lakes form the largest freshwater system on the earth, holding 20 percent of the available fresh water on the earth’s surface and whose 10,000 miles of Great Lakes coastline offer some of the most inspiring and scenic vistas on the planet; and
WHEREAS, the Great Lakes are a resource of immense value to the U.S. and Canada, providing a host of benefits to its people, including vital recreational and spiritual replenishment and drinking water for 40 million inhabitants; and
WHEREAS, the Great Lakes provide habitat for a wide range of fish and wildlife species and support commercial and sport fisheries with an estimated value of over $4 billion annually and recreational boating worth billions of dollars each year; and
WHEREAS, despite progress made in recent years, the Great Lakes face a number of critical threats which collectively remain so serious that the future of this invaluable resource is in jeopardy; and
WHEREAS, a major ecosystem-wide effort to address problems and protect and restore this priceless international treasure is needed,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its annual meeting assembled March 11 – 13, 2004, in St. Louis, Missouri, calls upon Congress to enact legislation to protect and restore the Great Lakes basin ecosystem in close coordination and partnership with Great Lakes basin states, provinces and local governments; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this legislation should adopt a two-pronged approach that provides funding for high priority projects immediately and, at the same time, develops within two years a comprehensive strategic plan to synthesize the existing array of state and federal plans and unite the region behind a common vision of a sustainable future for the Great Lakes; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislation should address the problems identified by a General Accounting Office report by clearly identifying the U.S. EPA as the lead agency to coordinate the efforts of the federal government and providing EPA with the authority and funding to effectively manage the program; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislation should not vest leadership in the Corps of Engineers because of the unmet need to reform the Corps and because of the Corps’ continued pursuit of the Great Lakes navigation study, whose objectives are contrary to Great Lakes restoration; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislation should ensure that creation of the comprehensive strategic plan, development of goals, short term objectives and annual priorities, and implementation of the program be made with the full participation of the Great Lakes region governors, premiers, mayors of Great Lakes cities, tribal governments and the region’s non-governmental organizations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislation should provide funding for as many of the following high priority issue areas as possible: improving water quality by cleaning up contaminated sediments; reducing non-point and atmospheric sources of pollution and addressing problems of combined sanitary and storm sewer overflows; improving habitat by restoring wetlands, coastal, shoreline and riparian areas throughout the Great Lakes watershed with special emphasis on coastal wetlands; restoring and maintaining natural hydrological functions by reducing consumption and loss of Great Lakes water; protecting source water areas such as headwaters and recharge areas; restoring flows by reducing channelization and removing dams where appropriate; and restoring populations of native species by eliminating introduction of new aquatic and terrestrial invasive species, controlling existing populations of nuisance species, and protecting and restoring ecosystems unique to the Great Lakes; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislation should create a restoration program that restores or enhances habitat requirements necessary for diverse and well balanced populations of fish and wildlife, including restoration and enhancement of hunting, fishing and trapping opportunities, provided these projects are consistent with objectives for diverse and balanced populations of fish and wildlife; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in any Great Lakes restoration program, no federal restoration funding should be used for projects that divert water from the Great Lakes basin or increase water withdrawals, increase pollution, or whose primary purpose is to improve commercial navigation, except for projects to reduce and eliminate invasive species; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that federal restoration funding for the Great Lakes must be used to enhance and complement, not replace, existing funding for federal, state and local agencies.