Federal Task Force to Lead Great Lakes Cleanup

WASHINGTON, DC, May 19, 2004 (ENS) - President George W. Bush signed an executive order Tuesday that calls on the federal government to form a new task force to coordinate the wide range of Great Lakes cleanup efforts by states, federal agencies and Canada.

The executive order comes amid evidence that efforts to improve the environment of the Great Lakes are scattered and poorly coordinated.

The long list of environmental threats to the Great Lakes includes sediment pollution, invasive species and pollution from urban and agricultural runoff, including raw sewage, as well as air pollution from vehicles and industry.

The Great Lakes contain 20 percent of the world’s surface freshwater. (Map courtesy U.S. EPA)

The General Accounting Office said this massive effort is failing for lack of resources and a clear overarching strategy.

It found that there is no clear authority to set priorities and no agreement on indicators to measure the health of the ecosystem or the progress made to restore it.

The task force, to be chaired by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Leavitt, will "address the environmental and natural resource issues of national concern and better coordinate the region's sustainable development and restoration," Bush said.

The Great Lakes Interagency Task Force will attempt to coordinate the efforts of federal, state, tribal and local parties, and will also consult with the government of Canada, according to the executive order.

The task force must submit a report to the White House by March 31, 2005 on efforts to clean up the Great Lakes.

Cascade River originating in Ontario, Canada falls into Lake Superior (Photo by Robert Beltran courtesy EPA)

The order calls for the development of "outcome based goals" such as cleaner water, sustainable fisheries, and system biodiversity and calls on the task force to ensure federal efforts target measurable results.

Leavitt said he plans to meet with each of the eight Great Lakes States governors, many of the region's mayors and stakeholders and Canadian officials during the next 30 days to discuss the task force.

"The hallmark of our collaboration will be central coordination - of priorities, policies and plans - and local control - of programs, projects and people," Leavitt said.

Organizations dedicated to cleaning up the Great Lakes praised Tuesday's announcement, but urged the White House to back increased funding to match the commitment outlined by the formation of the new task force.

More than 120 members of Congress, along with the region's mayors and governors of eight Great Lakes states, currently support federal legislation that would provide $4 billion to $6 billion in restoration funds.

Sleeping Bear Dunes, Lake Michigan (Photo by Robert De Jonge courtesy Michigan Travel Bureau/EPA)

The National Wildlife Federation and other organizations in April released a "Framework" to seek immediate funding for urgent short term projects, such as keeping Asian carp and other invasive species out of the Great Lakes, while supporting a longer term planning effort.

But the Sierra Club does not see the new task force as a step towards Great Lakes restoration. "The Bush administration's Great Lakes Task Force is a smokescreen and does nothing to clean up, protect, or restore the Great Lakes," said Jennifer Feyerherm, the Sierra Club's toxic specialist with the organization's Great Lakes Program.

"This could put off any meaningful efforts for cleanup. While it's nice for the Bush administration to talk about cleaning up the Great Lakes, other recent Bush administration policies are making it impossible to realize the goals of Great Lakes protection and restoration," Feyerherm said.

A delay in cleaning up toxic mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants allowed under the EPA's cap-and-trade proposal for mercury emissions is one problem affecting the Great Lakes that could be eliminated with existing technology, she said.

"In addition, the Bush administration blocked rules that would have protected our families and communities from raw, untreated sewage that contaminates our drinking water and closes our beaches," Feyerherm said. "Last year, the Great Lakes suffered a record number of closed beaches due to bacterial contamination."

Bull moose in Superior National Forest, Michigan (Photo courtesy U.S. Forest Service)

"We are glad to see improved U.S. federal planning, which has been sorely needed for decades," said Reg Gilbert, senior coordinator of Great Lakes United based both in Buffalo, New York and in Montreal, Canada. "But this planning needs to involve partners. We hope the new 'working group' established by the President's executive order includes Canada's federal and provincial governments, the regions' Tribes, and basin cities and citizens groups. The Great Lakes ecosystem cannot be protected and restored without all the concerned parties involved."

The Great Lakes provide drinking water to 28 million U.S. residents, and the ecosystem is a major economic engine for the region. Recreation on the lakes contributes $6 billion to the economy. More than 150,000 Americans work in the Lakes' shipping industry, which ships some 180 million tons of cargo annually.

The U.S. EPA's Great Lakes web section is online at: http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/lakes.asp