Conference focuses on restoring Great Lakes region
Great Lakes Advocates in Buffalo Urge Congress to Maintain Federal Restoration Efforts
BUFFALO (October 17, 2017)—The 13th annual Great Lakes restoration conference kicks off today in Buffalo, N.Y. Hosted by the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, the conference attracts Great Lakes supporters from the eight-state region of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The conference comes as the U.S. Congress works to finalize the federal budget.
Todd Ambs, campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said:
“Federal investments in the Great Lakes are producing results for the people of Buffalo and in communities around the region. The restoration of the Buffalo River underscores how investments in the lakes benefit the environment and economy. Despite the progress we’re seeing across the region, serious threats remain. We look forward to working with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to maintain support for federal investments in the Great Lakes, because cutting funding will only make projects more difficult and expensive the longer we wait.”
The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is asking Congress to:
- support $300 million in the federal budget for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to clean up toxic pollution, restore fish and wildlife habitat, control invasive species, and reduce farm and city runoff;
- increase by at least twofold—to nearly $5 billion—the funding for federal programs that help communities fix wastewater and drinking water infrastructure;
- reject budget cuts to agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park Service, which oversee federal restoration efforts; and,
- reject bad policies that undermine federal investments in the Great Lakes.
The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition consists of more than 145 environmental, conservation, outdoor recreation organizations, zoos, aquariums and museums representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at www.healthylakes.org or follow us on Twitter @healthylakes.
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at rghanania@gmail.com.
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