No U.S. House member who votes to slash the funding for this very modest bill can make a credible claim this fall of being a Great Lakes defender.
Urge House Members Not to Short Change the Great Lakes
Take Action:
* Call your member of the House of Representatives. The Capital Switchboard, where you can be patched into his or her office is (202) 224-3121.
* Tell them you support S. 2430, the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 2006, as written, and strongly oppose any attempt to amend it on the House floor.
The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act is a critical component of the larger Great Lakes restoration effort. Earlier this summer, thanks to the leadership of Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH), the Senate passed this bill (S. 2430), which authorized Congress to spend up to $20 million a year to protect and restore Great Lakes fish and wildlife habitat.
Last week, a subcommittee of the House Resources Committee held a hearing on the bill. This Wednesday, the House leadership is poised to bring the bill up for a vote on the House floor, but plan to pass it at its previously authorized level of $8 million.
We have manageable solutions to the problems facing the Great Lakes. But we’ll never be able to put the lakes back on track with a business-as-usual approach.
Overall the Great Lakes region has lost over 50% of its wetlands. Some parts of the Great Lakes have lost over 90%. This habitat loss and fragmentation is combining with invasive species, sewage overflows, toxic pollution, and other stressor such that scientists say the Great Lakes are nearing a tipping point of irreversible change.
Every day we wait, the problems get worse and the solutions get more costly. Please take action today on behalf of the Great Lakes by calling your Member of the House of Representatives today.
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