CONGRESSWOMAN CANDICE MILLER
House Committee Shines Spotlight on Great Lakes
by Congresswoman Candice Miller

Capitol Hill came to Southeast Michigan last month with a field hearing on water quality issues in our magnificent Great Lakes. The hearing in Port Huron, titled “The Impacts of Nutrients on Water Quality in the Great Lakes,” brought the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. James Oberstar (MN-8), and Congressional focus on preserving, protecting and restoring this national treasure. As a member of the committee, I am grateful that the committee came here to begin building a record to lead to action on meeting the challenges faced by our Great Lakes. I am also grateful for the participation of the witnesses and state and local officials and the community, which made the hearing informative and showcased the efforts here in Michigan on behalf of the Lakes.

I fought very hard to get on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee because of its jurisdiction over water quality issues. I have spent all of my life living on the shores of the Great Lakes. Also, as a public official, I know how important their health is to commerce, tourism and travel for our state. Throughout my career, one of my principle advocacies has been working on the long-term future of the Lakes so that they may be enjoyed for generations to come.

This field hearing was a unique opportunity to shine a national spotlight on the need to preserve the quality of the water in the Great Lakes and how their health relates directly to life on their shores and our economy. I have worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle since my election to Congress to force Washington to address the challenges facing the Great Lakes. It is an important step forward that Chairman Oberstar and the committee were here to listen to local officials and experts about issues relating to the waters and how the federal government can help.

We have had some significant success recently in the House in tackling the issues facing the Lakes with passage of legislation that would stop ballast water discharges in the waters by ocean vessels. Ballast water is responsible for the introduction of harmful invasive species that have wreaked havoc on the sensitive ecosystem of the Great Lakes, such as zebra mussels, the round goby and the spiny water flea. In fact, because of the discharges from ballast water, it is estimated that a new invasive species is identified in the Lakes every eight months. This long-overdue legislation now awaits action in the Senate, and I urge that body to take swift action in addressing this important issue.

I have also worked to bring the federal support back to Michigan that local officials need to combat pollutants in the Lakes. I was successful in helping to fund water quality monitoring systems in the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair, which allows real-time notification for communities in the event of pollutants threatening our drinking water, which allows for swift action. Previously, communities would not learn of pollution in the waterways until it was too late to stop it from entering drinking water systems. Now, with the federal funding needed for such projects, our area is further protected, and our families provided a safeguard from substances in the water that can cause long-term health problems.

Additionally, we last year passed the Water Resources Development Act, which authorized $20 million in federal support to implement the Lake St. Clair Management Plan that will allow us to meet many of the challenges facing the lake. We also recently passed the Beach Act, which provides federal support to states to monitor water quality at beaches like Metro-Beach in Macomb County.

The Great Lakes are 1/5 of the world’s fresh water supply. Their health is not just important for us here in Michigan, but are also a critically important national treasure that must be protected. While we have taken important steps in recent years to attempt to turn around some troubling trends, much more work needs to be done. Monday’s field hearing in Port Huron appropriately focused federal attention on the Great Lakes and demonstrated the cooperation needed at the federal, state and local level to ensuring that the Great Lakes continue to be an important part of our quality of life here in Michigan.

If you wish to contact Congresswoman Miller you may reach her in Washington, D.C. at 228 Cannon Building, Washington, D.C. 20515; Phone: 202-225-2106; Fax: 202-226-1169. You may also reach her in Michigan at Van Dyke Ave., Shelby Township, MI 48317; Phone: 586-997-5010; Fax: 586-997-5013.