More than 100 strong, they descended on D.C. yesterday to fight for the federal funds that are doing so much to clean up and to protect Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes as well as the communities and natural areas that surround them.
Called "Great Lakes Days," the lobbying blitz is organized annually by the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.
Over the last five years, the federal government has invested more than $1.6 billion into Great Lakes restoration, supporting 2,098 projects, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In Minnesota, 118 projects have been funded, including aquatic habitat restoration in the St. Louis River and moose habitat restoration in the Superior National Forest.
Federal agencies, politicians and bureaucrats have committed to continue such worthy efforts. So it doesn't hurt to remind them of that -- at least once a year.
"Great Lakes restoration projects are producing results in Minnesota and across the region, but there's more work to do," Andrew Slade of Duluth, the northeast program coordinator for the Minnesota Environmental Partnership, said in a statement. "If we cut funding now, projects will become harder and more expensive the longer we wait."
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Topping the agenda being followed by Slade and others is continued funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, including $300 million in 2015, a similar amount to past years. They're also pushing for the reauthorization of the Great Lakes Legacy Act, protections from Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species, funding of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund at $1.5 billion to help communities stop sewer overflows, and efforts to sustain and keep viable Great Lakes ports and harbors, including in the Twin Ports and Two Harbors.
"We have a solid Great Lakes agenda that will make a big difference in the lives of Minnesota citizens," St. Louis County Commissioner Frank Jewell said. "We look forward to speaking with public officials so that we can keep momentum going to restore the Great Lakes and protect our public health, jobs and quality of life."
Closer to home, Duluth's St. Louis River corridor was listed by the EPA as an "area of concern" in 1989 after decades of pollution by heavy industries along the river's shoreline. But cleanup has begun, and the river is expected to be delisted by 2025.
But that can happen only if the federal government continues to honor its commitment, including providing the necessary money. At stake is a region that's home to 90 percent of our nation's supply of fresh surface water. Yep, that's worth a 100-strong, two-day lobbying blitz -- at least once a year.
