The U.S. Congress is working on an omnibus bill this week, which will likely include Agriculture, VA-HUD (which includes U.S. EPA) and Commerce-Justice-State appropriations. There are significant Great Lakes programs that could be underfunded, or not funded at all. The time to act is now!

Votes on these bills are anticipated by Nov. 12 with Congress expected to adjourn on Nov. 14. A contact list for U.S. senators representing the Great Lakes states is attached for your reference. We encourage your support and involvement as these deliberations continue.

Contact list for U.S. Senators representing the Great Lakes.

CONCERN: Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control

The House Agriculture Subcommittee appropriations bill currently recommends funding at $2.5 million, which is the same as last year. The Senate Agriculture Subcommittee has not provided any funds for this program in FY2004. Contact the House and Senate – see below – and urge them to restore funds for this program.

Sen. Robert Bennett
Chairman
Senate Appropriations Committee
Agriculture, Rural Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee
Sen. Herb Kohl
Ranking Member
Senate Appropriations Committee
Agriculture, Rural Development and Related Agencies Subcommittee
Rep. Henry Bonilla
Chairman
House Appropriations Committee
Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA and Related Agencies Subcommittee
Rep. Marcy Kaptur
Ranking Member
House Appropriations Committee
Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA and Related Agencies Subcommittee

CONCERN: Protect U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) budget

Appropriations for the Great Lakes National Program Office in FY 2004 are likely to be reduced and the potential exists for additional funds to be redirected away from GLNPO. Funding is problematic because neither the House nor Senate specifically identified GLNPO appropriations in their subcommittee reports as in previous years. This omission can be seen in H. Rpt. 108-235 and S. Rpt. 108-143, which identifies funding levels for the Environmental Programs and Management Account of U.S. EPA (available at thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app04.html). In addition, the Senate appropriations bill recommends a General Reduction of $42 million for the Environmental Programs and Management Account, which is a more dramatic reduction than the $3.16 million in FY 2003. In short, funding for grants and programs that benefit the Great Lakes will be reduced under the proposed appropriations bills in Congress. Contact the House and Senate – see below – and urge them to protect funding for GLNPO.

Sen. Christopher Bond
Chairman
Senate Appropriations Committee
Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent Agencies Subcommittee
Sen. Barbara Mikulski
Ranking Member
Senate Appropriations Committee
Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent Agencies Subcommittee
Rep. James Walsh
Chairman
House Appropriations Committee
Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent Agencies Subcommittee
Rep. Alan Mollohan
Ranking Member
Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent Agencies Subcommittee
House Appropriations Committee

CONCERN: Full Funding for the Great Lakes Legacy Act

There has been some recognition by both House and Senate appropriations subcommittees of a critical Great Lakes priority: they call for $10 million to partially fund the Great Lakes Legacy Act, though it is authorized at $50 million per year. However, this funding level is significantly below the President’s FY 2004 request for $15 million. It also seems not to consider that the Act does not provide for all the support activities necessary to get the clean up job done; thus, it is critical that related GLNPO operations be fully funded to support these other activities which are needed for site clean up projects. Similarly, the recent GAO report (GAO-03-515, April 2003) noted that Great Lakes restoration efforts are impeded by limited funding for federal agencies, and associated state grant programs. This example illustrates that the piece-meal funding proposed for FY 2004 simply mirrors past efforts that have left GLNPO unable to fulfill its broader mandate under the Clean Water Act.

Contact the House and Senate – see below – and urge them to fully fund the President’s budget for the Great Lakes Legacy Act.

Sen. Christopher Bond
Chairman
Senate Appropriations Committee
Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent Agencies Subcommittee
Sen. Barbara Mikulski
Ranking Member
Senate Appropriations Committee
Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent Agencies Subcommittee
Rep. James Walsh
Chairman
House Appropriations Committee
Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent Agencies Subcommittee
Rep. Alan Mollohan
Ranking Member
House Appropriations Committee
Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent Agencies Subcommittee

CONCERN: BEACH Act (Great Lakes beach monitoring) appropriations

The Great Lakes Commission is advocating for AT LEAST a $10 million appropriation for the BEACH Act. When originally passed in 2000, the BEACH Act authorized $30 million for grants within this EPA program for each fiscal year, 2001 – 2005. But, thus far, only $10 million/year has actually been appropriated.

We are most concerned at this point that the Senate VA-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee has not appropriated funds for FY2004, though it is identified as a line item in their appropriations bill. We are urging them to support the House appropriations level of $10 million recommended in H.Rpt. 108-235. Contact the House and Senate – see below – and urge them to fully fund this program.

Sen. Christopher Bond
Chairman
Senate Appropriations Committee
Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent Agencies Subcommittee
Sen. Barbara Mikulski
Ranking Member
Senate Appropriations Committee
Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent Agencies Subcommittee
Rep. James Walsh
Chairman
Rep. Alan Mollohan
Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent Agencies Subcommittee
House Appropriations Committee
Ranking Member
House Appropriations Committee
Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent Agencies Subcommittee
For more details on the status of FY2004 Appropriations Bills, seethomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app04.html

View key Great Lakes appropriations at www.nemw.org/tracking2004.pdf

If you have questions regarding Great Lakes Commission appropriations priorities or would like to request copies of recent correspondence, please contact Dr. Jon MacDonagh-Dumler at 734-971-9135 or [email protected].

For immediate release: November 5, 2003
Contact: Christine Manninen, [email protected], office: 734-971-9135

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The Great Lakes Commission, chaired by Samuel W. Speck (Ohio), is a nonpartisan, binational compact agency created by state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence region and its residents. The Commission consists of state legislators, agency officials, and governors’ appointees from its eight member states.Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a “Declaration of Partnership.” The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.