NYT: Report Calls for Huge Efforts on Great Lakes (but who will pay?)

Report Calls for Huge Efforts on Great Lakes
By FELICITY BARRINGER
Published: December 13, 2005


WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 - Cleaning up the Great Lakes will involve heavy investments in wastewater treatment facilities, wetlands restoration and barriers against invasive fish, a coalition of government officials, teamed with businesses and American Indian tribal groups, announced in a report made public Monday.

But on the subject of paying for the work, which the task force estimated would cost $20 billion over 15 years, the partners in the effort delicately diverged.

At a news conference in Chicago on Monday, Stephen L. Johnson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and a leader of the task force, said the Bush administration wanted "to deliver more efficient and effective federal support, by streamlining the process and better coordinating the more than 140 federal programs that protect the Great Lakes."

The mayors and governors on the task force sent a letter to President Bush calling for $300 million in new spending on these issues next year, but Mr. Johnson limited himself largely to generalizations about the availability of unspecified amounts of money in existing programs. He made one specific financial commitment, pledging to spend $25 million to clean up contaminated sediments in the Ashtabula River in Ohio, which flows into Lake Erie.

In their letter, signed by Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago and Govs. Bob Taft of Ohio and James E. Doyle of Wisconsin, the state and local officials said, "We share the goal of accomplishing greater results with existing resources. We also share the overwhelming view of our collaboration partners that federal resources must be increased" in the federal budget for the 2007 fiscal year....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/13/politics/13lakes.html

but the money's being pissed away in the desert of the Fertile Crescent and even they don't have clean water. . .

as a planet, time is running out . . .

We're bankrupt.

Great Lakes overhaul plan approved

December 13, 2005
BY GARY WISBY Environment Reporter

Although he pledged no funding for a new Great Lakes restoration plan, President Bush's environment chief and regional leaders -- one of them, Mayor Daley, insisting "This is not a publicity stunt" -- signed off on the $20 billion blueprint Monday in celebratory fashion.

Even environmental groups, which have been bashing Bush for his lack of financial support to protect and clean up the lakes, put an optimistic face on the event.

All agreed that getting federal, state, local and American Indian tribal leaders, in addition to advocacy groups, to approve a plan in just one year was a signal achievement.

And all agreed that the real work -- finding money to implement the 15-year agreement -- is just beginning.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-lakes13.html

-No, it's an attempt to get back "Middle America" in time for time for mid-term elections.

Since when have they EVER cared about environmental policy during this administration. In fact over three decades of environmental policies have been REPEALED during the * mis-administration, and they attempt to tout their environmental responsibilities all of a sudden.

This is EXACTLY a publicity stunt.

"we're going to clean up the great lakes... ... as soon as we can find the money to do it!"

:eyes: