Water works
Obama proposes plan to protect Great Lakes if elected in November
By Kelly House (Last updated: 09/16/08 11:13pm)Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama unveiled a plan Tuesday to provide $5 billion in federal funding to protect and restore the Great Lakes. The plan would be funded by money saved from reducing tax breaks for oil companies and would only be enacted if he’s elected.
During a conference call Tuesday morning, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., called the plan a victory for Michigan and criticized Republican presidential candidate John McCain for voting against bills to support restoration efforts.
“It’s very reassuring to us in Michigan to have a Great Lakes senator running for president,” she said. “In contrast, we have John McCain who comes from a state that would like our water.”
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, who is chairman of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, said protecting the Great Lakes is key to the region’s economic success. Recreational activities supported by the lakes generate $4.5 billion per year.
“Our economy depends on strong and healthy Great Lakes,” he said.
A key component of Obama’s plan is the Great Lakes Compact, an agreement between the governors of the eight states bordering the Great Lakes to prevent diversions of water to other states.
The plan has been approved by the U.S. Senate and is expected to pass in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday, Stabenow said.
“The key thing will be fully implementing this,” Stabenow said. “We want to make sure we have a president that’s fully committed.”
Representatives for McCain could not be reached for comment on Obama’s plan.
In addition to creating the trust fund and adhering to the Great Lakes Compact, the five-point plan from the U.S. senator from Illinois includes measures to:
-Designate a Great Lakes Coordinator to sync local, state and federal policies.
-Reduce toxic deposits in the Great Lakes, particularly mercury.
-Institute a “zero tolerance” policy to prevent invasive species from entering the Great Lakes.
Carol Swinehart, communications manager for Michigan Sea Grant, a research collaboration between MSU and U-M, said $5 billion won’t fully fund restoration efforts, but it is an improvement upon the federal government’s lack of attention in recent years.
“In 2005 … we thought we had a serious mandate to come up with a plan that would do what needs to be done,” she said. “We were told, ‘Oh, go back and figure out what you can do within the next couple years with the money you already have.’”
Last week, members of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition called upon Obama and McCain to adhere to a plan they proposed in November to offer at least $20 billion for Great Lakes projects.
Jeff Skelding, the coalition’s national campaign director, issued a statement Monday supporting Obama’s plan, but expressed hope that it will grow more comprehensive as the candidates try to “outdo each other.”
“The next president needs to take decisive action to confront the serious threats facing the Great Lakes,” Skelding stated. “This support should include fully funding in five years the comprehensive effort to restore the Great Lakes.”
Sean Donovan, a physiology senior and member of Eco, MSU’s student sustainability organization, said he is glad to see a candidate taking an interest in the Great Lakes. Donovan said protecting the lakes prevents our generation from facing the consequences in the future.
“We’ve obviously seen the value that we have now that the Southwest is vying for position and trying to buy (water) from us,” he said. “The value will stay there as long as we can keep it around.”
Originally Published: 09/16/08 11:08pm
Stabenow's a career politician
09/17/08 4:42amAs the USA — thanks to Democrat and Republican career politicians — teeters toward financial abyss, Littl’ Debbie criticizes John McCain for not spending more tax dollars.
Just keep that going, Littl’ Debbie. It gets votes for McCain.
huh
09/17/08 7:02am“The plan would be funded by money saved from reducing tax breaks for oil companies and would only be enacted if he’s elected”
If Obama truely cared about America and the Great Lakes he would propose this funding whether he became President or not.
Daddy Warbucks
09/17/08 7:40amThis is stupid. Why not propose 10 Billion, why not 100 billion. Heck – why not propose 1 trillion dollars for “Great Lakes Restoration”? It makes no difference – he can’t back up his rhetoric with action. Instead of quite literally throwing money at swing states – why make some promises that he can actually keep. This guy is a snake oil salesman. Tomorrow he will be in New Mexico talking about how he wants to divert great lakes water.
wow
09/17/08 8:28amDaddy Warbucks…WOW
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
He is in a position right now to make that happen.Why wont he? Because he knows it is nothing more than an empty promise.
Ever notice all of his promises are funded by reducing tax breaks to either the oil companies or the rich.Sooner or later there wont be anyone else to tax but YOU!~All of his snake oil promises have to be funded by someone people….Wake up and smell the coffee…That someone will be YOU! Just like the upcoming bill for off shore drilling..another slight of hand trick that accomplishes absolutely nothing.But that’s how they trick the American public time and time again. STOP falling for the tricks people!!!
Reality Checker
09/17/08 8:42amTypical liberal stump speech. Tax evil big corporations and use money to buy votes. A state as economically depressed as Michigan should know first hand the risk of driving big business away. We’ve been living that dream for years and in the process bled our job market dry.
Nobama
09/17/08 10:49amDo any of you expect anything less from this sheister?
Daddy Warbucks
09/17/08 11:21amAnd furthermore – this so-called 5 Billion comes from “taxing oil companies’ profits”? Could someone please explain to me how you can tax a company without that company passing those taxes right on to the consumer – I would be very grateful. The result – higher gas prices – exactly the problem that you’re trying to avoid.
Its not illegal for companies to make a profit in this country – and the government deciding to tax profits that they deem to be “excessive” is nothing short of socialism.
Ed T
09/17/08 12:25pmThis is Obama throwing a bone to his base, as McCain did (on a larger scale) with the Palin nomination. In reality Michigan has bigger problems to deal with than polluted lakes, like a dying economy, shrinking population, and staggering healthcare costs.
Still, I hope it works … if Michigan goes red when Obama wins in November, while the rest of the upper Midwest (IL, WI, MN) goes blue, it makes it that much easier for rest of the country to write us off as a lost cause.
bbwhine
09/17/08 12:45pmI got a great idea. Let’s vote for the same group of guys who’ve been in charge of the current fiasco for the past 7 years. That way when it continues to fail for the next 4 years maybe then some of you people will figure it out. Fool me once, Fool me twice, Fool me three times means we really are as stupid as the rest of the world thinks we are. The only thing saving us is the wealth left over from the past 50 years and that’s starting to dry up fast. Good luck to all.
Idiots for Obama
09/17/08 12:51pmI got a great idea. Let’s vote for the same group of guys who’ve been in charge of the current fiasco for the past 7 years.
—-
And vote for a known Socialist/Communist? Whose voting record is to the LEFT of Teddy “Swimmer” Kennedy?
If you’d ever lived in the USSR, you’d NEVER vote for Slick Barry. Only fools would.
Bleed Green
09/17/08 12:56pmit’s almost like… how much worse of a position can barack put himself in? he had the election by the balls in July and by September it’s out of reach.
Really...
09/17/08 1:28pm“Could someone please explain to me how you can tax a company without that company passing those taxes right on to the consumer â I would be very grateful.”
Warbucks if you can find someone that can explain that one let me know because I’m scratching my head on that one too. Anytime you try to cut into a businesses profits they’ll do one of two things. Fire employees or raise prices.
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Ruth
09/17/08 2:01pmSure thing Barack, and you’re going to tax the heck out of GM, Ford, Chrysler, all their suppliers, dealers, and every other large and medium company and business to pay for it, while possibly putting millions of more workers in the unemployment line. Cleaning up the lakes is a noble effort but you need to get your priorities right!
The U.S. already leads the world in high corporate taxes with an average combined federal and state corporate tax rate of 39.3% (Yup, I said 40 percent) and it’s because their taxes are already so outrageously high that they need to find tax loopholes, like moving jobs and manufacturing overseas.
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Onlooker.
09/17/08 3:29pmRuth.
Watch the video. Prove me wrong with facts that McCain will be anything different from GW. Don’t come back with the argument that him and Palin hope to Reform our government. He had that chance the last 2 decades in Washington.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoOqWcvV-LU&feature=user
Ruth
09/17/08 3:49pm“him and Palin hope to Reform our government”?
WHAT A MAROON!
Onlooker.
09/17/08 4:15pmmeant to say “hope to implement government reform.” Sorry. Also, make sure you comment on the video with something positive for your campaign.
Idiots for Obama
09/17/08 4:26pmUnder capitalism (McCain), man exploits man.
Under Communism (Obama), it is the other way around. Except faster, with more mean-faced, short-haired lazy stupid bureaucrats. From U-M.
SoCal Spartan
09/17/08 7:15pmTaxes do not break companies backs, enough said. Redistribution of money to fix up the planet, that seems like money well spent! As opposed to lining pockets of other people and blah blah blah!
McCain-Palin for change…the only thing they’ll do is mess the country up more!
Caloysius27
09/17/08 8:32pmThe plan would be funded by money saved from reducing tax breaks for oil companies and would only be enacted if he’s elected.
I forget the President/Canidate makes the laws, and Congress is just there for show.