Obama seeks $300 million for Great Lakes Clean Up

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/01/AR2010020103078.html?sub=AR">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/01/AR2010020103078.html?sub=AR

This article titled “Obama seeks $300 million for Great Lakes cleanup” is from the Washington Post online edition from February 1, 2010. The article discusses a plan the Great Lakes has to ward of species invasions, cleanse polluted harbors and make additional environmental repairs. With federal agencies under scrutiny and pressure to cut costs, the amount designated for the project is $300 million which is down from the $475 million Congress appropriated for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative last year. This initiative is part of a large wish list that eventually calls for spending $20 billion to improve wildlife habitat and some other issues in the Great Lakes. Although the requested funding for this project is down reflecting the economic times, the initiative still remains committed to protecting the environment.

President Obama’s stance on environmental issues similar to the Great Lakes clean up aligns with President Clinton and President Carter’s ambitions during their administrations. Clinton issued orders to protect millions of acres of forest lands while Carter preserved millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness and helped pass the Superfund bill to clean up toxic waste sites (Vig, 78). The George W. Bush administration encountered some tough issues and was more interested in economic development than environmental regulation. Although Bush approved a cleanup blueprint of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration concept in 2004, every year since the executive order Bush slashed proposed funding for clean up. During President Obama’s campaign he pledged to pump in $5 billion into the Great Lakes restoration during his term and although he is receiving some scrutiny directed towards him, environmental activists acknowledge he is seeking more for the lakes than any of his predecessors. Jeff Skelding, campaign director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition said the $300 million is not the amount he had hoped for but the level of funding President Obama committed indicates he has an urgency to do something about the problem surrounding the Great Lakes.

I agree with President Obama’s funding for this project and environmental repairs which will restore the lakes and provide economic benefits to cities like Cleveland.