Michigan Great Lakes - WKTV Journal

U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters recently announced $497,507 in funding for the Great Lakes Commission to lead a regional partnership to restore habitats in the Great Lakes. Working with the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission, the Great Lakes Commission plans to restore fish passage and habitat in Muskegon Lake. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provided the funding for this plan.

The Commission will work with the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission to design a restoration project, so as to reconnect the former floodplain wetlands with the Muskegon River and restore fish passage and habitat for native fish and wildlife. A similar initiative was awarded $1,595,505 to restore the Buffalo River Area of Concern in New York.

This support will help continue work already underway through the U.S. Great Lakes Areas of Concern program and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, being a multi-year plan to restore and preserve our Great Lakes by eliminating toxins, combating invasive species, restoring habitats, and promoting the overall health of the Lakes. This Commission has received $30 million to date for Great Lakes restoration efforts.

lm115 — Muskegon Lake, where the Great Lakes Task Force is planning its next initiative.

Senator Stabenow, Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Task Force had this to say: “Our lakes are part of who we are and our way of life. This investment will help regional partners work together to protect our Great Lakes, waterways, and wildlife habitats.”

“Protecting the health and sustainability of the Great Lakes is a top concern for Michiganders, who rely on the Great Lakes for their water supply, jobs and way of life,” said Senator Peters, a fellow member of the Great Lakes Task Force. “This investment will play a significant role in restoring fish passages and wildlife habitats, which strengthen our economy and preserve the state’s natural beauty.”

The Great Lakes are an important resource

Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow, Gary Peters, and Congressman Dan Kildee are urging newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take action to stop nuclear waste from being buried less than a mile from Lake Huron.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Stabenow, Peters, and Kildee urged the new Canadian government to not approve permits necessary to construct a proposed nuclear waste site in Kincardine, Ontario.

“The Great Lakes are our most precious natural resource,” the letter states, “Given the critical importance of these shared waters to our countries, and the potentially catastrophic damages to the Lakes from a nuclear accident, we urge your administration not to approve this repository and consider alternative locations outside the Great Lakes Basin.”

The previous Canadian administration said a decision on whether or not to move forward with the construction of a nuclear waste site would be made by December 2. Given the proximity of the proposed nuclear waste site to the Great Lakes, an accident that releases radioactive material could devastate the Great Lakes’ $7 billion fishing industry, harm Michigan’s economy, and severely damage environmentally sensitive areas. More than 40 million people in Canada and the United States rely on the Great Lakes for their drinking water.

Earlier this year, the Stop Nuclear Waste by Our Lakes Act was introduced by Stabenow, Peters, and Kildee to require the State Department to invoke the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. This would mandate that the International Joint Commission (IJC) study the risks to the Great Lakes from the proposed Canadian nuclear waste site.

The legislation would also require the State Department to undertake negotiations with the Government of Canada to wait for the study results before approving any waste site located on the Great Lakes.

Full Text from the Letter Below:

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau:

Please accept our congratulations on being elected the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada. We are eager to work collaboratively with your administration to advance our many shared interests and mutually reconcile issues where our countries may differ.

We write to you today about a matter of great concern to the citizens of our respective states: the risks to the Great Lakes of constructing a deep geological repository for storing 7,000,000 cubic feet of radioactive waste on the shores of Lake Huron in Kincardine, Ontario. As you are aware, the previous Administration postponed to December 2 the deadline for rendering the final decision on whether to permit the planning for constructing the facility.

The Great Lakes are our most precious natural resource — providing drinking water to 40 million people on both sides of the border and billions of dollars to our regional and national economies. Given the critical importance of these shared waters to our countries, and the potentially catastrophic damages to the Lakes from a nuclear accident, we urge your administration not to approve this repository and consider alternative locations outside the Great Lakes Basin. At the very least, we ask that the final decision be postponed until we have an opportunity to discuss this matter with you in person.

Thank you for your consideration of our requests. We look forward to working with you and your Administration.