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Great Lakes
Article:
Great Lakes plan hits fiscal snag
White House rejects $20 billion tab for cleanup effort
By Stephen Koff
Plain Dealer
Published November 30, 2005
Washington -An ambitious plan to restore the Great Lakes,
embraced in concept last year by President Bush, risks
unraveling before work even starts because of federal
money problems.
In less than two weeks, governors, mayors, Indian tribes
and others along the lakes are to lay out a 15-year plan
to clean up pollution, restore oxygen-depleted dead zones
and reduce the risk of Asian carp devouring other aquatic
life, among other things. It's the result of a yearlong
public collaboration with environmentalists, maritime
interests and others, and the White House had cheered
the effort.
But with a final plan scheduled for release Dec. 12 in
Chicago, the Bush administration is rejecting a request
for up to $20 billion for the cleanup effort. Congress
members, governors and others who dreamed of revitalizing
the lakes say federal spending on Hurricane Katrina and
other budget matters have made it difficult to convince
the White House to find extra money.
"We're focused on effective use of the monies that
are in various agency programs" and on improving
the existing Great Lakes programs, said Ben Grumbles,
the Environmental Protection Agency assistant administrator
for water programs. The federal government already spends
a half-billion dollars a year on improving water quality
along the Great Lakes, he said.
Administration officials would not discuss whether they
might offer less as a last-minute alternative. Gov. Bob
Taft and Joe Koncelik, director of Ohio's environmental
programs, met with administration officials Monday, and
Koncelik said he proposed that the federal government
come up with about $300 million next year and more later.
Michele St. Martin, spokeswoman for the president's Council
on Environmental Quality, would only say, "The Great
Lakes restoration process continues to be a collaborative
effort, with all partners including the state and local
communities and tribes working successfully toward adopting
a workable plan. These meetings taking place are about
identifying objectives that all parties can agree on,
and that's the process that's going forward."
Administration officials also say the next federal budget
won't be ready until February, making this the wrong time
to talk about money. To Washington veterans, that's another
way of saying the administration will not commit to a
long-term vision just as the lakes need that commitment.
"You can't do the things that need to be done in
the long run to sustain the Great Lakes with no additional
money," said U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine. "So it's
a problem."
DeWine and 40 other lawmakers, including fellow Ohio
Sen. George Voinovich and Reps. Sherrod Brown of Avon,
Dennis Kucinich of Cleveland, Steve LaTourette of Concord
Township and Tim Ryan of Niles, wrote to Bush on Nov.
4 to state their disappointment.
They urged him to "maintain your commitment to the
Great Lakes by not limiting restoration recommendations
to the current budget projections."
Supporters of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration,
including Jim White, executive director of the Cuyahoga
River Remedial Action Plan, say it would be shortsighted
to stiff the effort.
And Cameron Davis, the Chicago-based executive director
of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, said cities, states
and tribes along the lakes all recognize the need for
the investment.
"So the only one that's not recognizing the problems
that we're seeing in the Great Lakes is the White House."
Taft, one of the partnership's leaders, acknowledges the
$20 billion figure had been "a very optimistic number"
and was probably unrealistic.
Koncelik said, "We're very hopeful still that the
federal government will change its current position and
be willing to put significant new policy action items
and new funding for the Great Lakes on the table.
"If that does not happen, the rest of the coalition
is ready to move forward, independent of the federal government."
But Koncelik also acknowledged that the Great Lakes coalition
and its plans are at risk.
"It all depends on what the federal response is
going to be."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
skoff@plaind.com, 216-999-4212
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