The editorial below from a Wisconsin daily is characteristic of the responses from the region's media to last week's dismissive comments by a Parched State lawmaker about new federal funding for the Great Lakes. It's good to see a spirited defense of the Lakes, but could it be that Inhofe (by sheer random chance) had a point if he says the proposed Great Lakes restoration plan needs more work?
Astonishingly, and apparently also by sheer random chance, the only dissenting witness at last week's Congressional hearing on the Lakes, speaking for the corporate-bankrolled, anti-environmental Mackinac Center, made an apt comment:
The Strategy also suffers from internal inconsistency. On the one hand, the report laments the failure of existing programs to adequately protect the Great Lakes. On the other hand, the Strategy calls for greatly expanding the regulatory powers of the very government agencies that the Strategy argues have mismanaged the job.
Although the point she tried to make is that the strategy leans too heavily on regulation and enforcement -- which it doesn't; it's mostly grants and incentives -- she has a point. The same agencies that critics say have bungled management of the Lakes are assigned vast new funding and responsibility under the Collaborative strategy.
Maybe it's time to take a hard look at that strategy -- and come up with some new institutional arrangements for the Great Lakes and public oversight of same. We can easily spend the requested $20 billion for the Great Lakes on real needs, but there is reason to doubt whether the current proposed plan is going to do so effectively.
http://www.ashland-wi.com/dailypress/index.php?sect_rank=6&story_id=209035
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., needs to spend time around the Great Lakes. Or at least some more time around some Great Lakes lawmakers.
The chairman of the Senate environment committee said last week the Great Lakes restoration plan needs more work. That was a blow to the officials and 1,500 citizens who had input into the plan, which sets out priorities such as protecting the lakes from invasive species, improving the watershed and keeping drinking water safe.
Posted by Dave at March 23, 2006 08:31 AM