WASHINGTON, July 7 - A coalition of government agencies, businesses and environmental groups on Thursday offered a blueprint for improving the deteriorating health of the Great Lakes, including spending $13.75 billion over five years to stop untreated sewage from overflowing into the lakes from aging wastewater treatment plants.
http://nytimes.com/2005/07/08/politics/08lakes.html?pagewanted=all
"We have a lot of musicians," former EPA administrator Michael Leavitt said on the day the task force was created. "What we need is harmony."
Leavitt and Bush were criticized at the time by some who perceived the creation of the task force as a campaign ploy to grab headlines - and conservationists' hearts - without committing any new money toward Great Lakes protection. So when numbers were finally put on paper Thursday, Great Lakes conservationist groups harmoniously pounced, calling their own news conference before the EPA and other officials formally released the draft.
"We now have a blueprint for how to move forward with restoring and protecting the health of the Great Lakes," Buchsbaum said.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/jul05/339466.asp
Posted by Dave at July 8, 2005 10:27 AM