YOU had to look and listen closely for any hint of fanfare, but federal funding to back a comprehensive program to restore and protect the Great Lakes has now been secured.
The $475 million approved by Congress is a financial commitment to combat invasive species, habitat loss, climate change impact, and threats to water quality in the lakes.
The money was included in a must-pass federal spending bill with money that has provisions to keep the government operating until the end of December.
The broad, bipartisan coalition of governmental, industry and nonprofit groups, which created an ambitious blueprint to set priorities and identify restoration needs of the Great Lakes, finally has what it was denied during the Bush administration.
"This is a great day for the Great Lakes and the people who depend on them for their jobs and their way of life," said Jeff Skelding of the National Wildlife Federation.
Yet while receiving the resources to improve and protect the nation's largest fresh water repository, the funding did come with strings attached. A rider was added to the spending bill after intense lobbying from Great Lakes shipping intersts that exempts old ships from new pollution rules.The rules were supposed to require all freighters operating near U.S. coastlines to burn a cleaner low-sulfur fuel. But because converting older steamers that use a dirty form of high-sulfur diesel was deemed too costly and a threat to jobs, Congress exempted 13 ships.
So the dirtiest vessels of all will get to stay that way, at least until the rider expires next year and debate between the green agenda and maritime industry compliance is revived.
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