|
Dear Chairman Visclosky and Ranking Member Hobson:
As you begin your work on the Energy and Water Development appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2009, we are writing to urge you to include funding to begin restoration projects in Lake St. Clair, which adjoins our congressional districts in Southeastern Michigan.
Lake St. Clair is one of the most heavily used portions of the Great Lakes in terms of fishing, boating and drinking water. Section 426 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1999 directed the Corps of Engineers to create a comprehensive management plan for Lake St. Clair. The plan was completed in 2005, and a committee of local stakeholders has been working to implement the more than 100 recommendations contained in the Management Plan.
The Management Plan’s recommendations will help shape Lake St. Clair’s future, but only if they are implemented. Much of the work and cost involved in restoring Lake St. Clair will fall to the communities adjacent to the Lake, but the federal government has a responsibility here, as well. As the Corps’ Management Plan underscored, “managing and protecting Lake St. Clair is a shared endeavor among federal, state and local agencies.... The plan can only be successful if all three levels of government are fully engaged.”
Specifically, we are requesting $700,000 for the Corps of Engineers’ construction account to implement restoration projects consistent with the Comprehensive Management Plan. We are further requesting an additional $200,000 for the Corps’ investigations account to use in establishing a partnership of federal, state of Michigan, and local agencies to develop an implementation play to guide the restoration of Lake St. Clair Management. These requests are authorized in Section 3089 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007.
Lake St. Clair is a vital part of the Great Lakes system and a national treasure that we need to protect. We appreciate your consideration of this request and look forward to working with you on this important matter.
Sincerely,
Sander Levin Candice Miller
Member of Congress Member of Congress
(####)
|
