Measure now awaits consideration of full House

WASHINGTON – The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure approved the Great Lakes Legacy Reauthorization Act (H.R. 6460) today, sending it to the full House of Representatives for consideration. The bill, introduced earlier this month by Reps. Vernon J. Ehlers (R-MI) and James L. Oberstar (D-MN), would renew and increase federal funding for the successful Great Lakes cleanup program.

The original Great Lakes Legacy Act, which was also introduced by Congressman Ehlers, is responsible for the removal of hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of toxic sediments from Great Lakes tributaries, and is considered one of the most successful federal environmental cleanup programs ever. The reauthorization continues and improves the program for an additional five years.

“I am encouraged by how quickly we were able to move this bill forward,” said Congressman Ehlers. “The increased funding in this renewal is crucial for the health of the Great Lakes. Polluted areas of concern around the lakes can be cleaned up within a decade if this bill is approved and fully-funded. Literally millions of cubic yards of toxic sediment will be removed from waterways feeding the lakes.”

The Great Lakes Legacy Reauthorization Act will authorize $150 million per year for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allot to cleanup efforts in identified “areas of concern” over the next five years. The federal government would pay for 65 percent of costs associated with the monitoring, cleanup and restoration of polluted areas of concern. The bill also provides $5 million per year for the research and development of new, innovative cleanup technologies and methods.

The funding allowance over the past five years was $50 million. Environmental groups suggest that at $150 million per year, all polluted areas of concern around the Great Lakes can be cleaned up within the next 10 years. The Committee on Appropriations will determine how much of the authorization in the bill is directed to the EPA.

The bill now awaits the consideration of the full House of Representatives. The Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works today approved a similar version of the bill, introduced by Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, sending it on for consideration by the Senate.