Uphold Your Commitment to the Great Lakes
Statement by Andy Buchsbaum, Director,
Great Lakes Natural Resource Center,
National Wildlife Federation
ANN ARBOR, MI -- "Today, several federal agencies submitted a report to
President Bush that contains recommendations on how to clean up the Great Lakes.
"The report and its recommendations are utterly unsatisfactory.
"The federal agencies who wrote the report are turning their backs on Great
Lakes restoration and the millions of citizens who rely on the lakes for
drinking water, fishing, recreation, industry and their quality of life.
"The condition of the Great Lakes is worsening and they remain extremely
vulnerable. The lakes are near a tipping point. The federal agencies recognize
this vulnerability, yet they refuse to provide any new resources to fix it.
"They are simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
"They are saying to the citizens of the Great Lakes: 'Deal with sewage spills,
habitat destruction and invasive species like the zebra mussels on your
own*you'll get no more help from us.'
"Only President Bush can fix this misguided report from these federal agencies.
He needs to honor his commitment to the Great Lakes by acting to restore them."