Our mission at the Alliance for the Great Lakes is to conserve and restore the world's largest freshwater resource using policy, education and local efforts, ensuring a healthy Great Lakes and clean water for generations of people and wildlife.

Mission

The coalition’s mission is to secure a sustainable Great Lakes restoration plan and the funding needed to implement it. The coalition seeks to:

· stop sewage contamination that closes beaches and harms recreational opportunities;

· clean up toxic sediments that threaten the health of people and wildlife;

· prevent polluted runoff from cities and farms that harm water quality;

APPROPRIATIONS: Interior-EPA spending bill cuts deep into Great Lakes (07/20/2011)

A Whole New Way to Think About the Mississippi River
Not only is the Mississippi River a source of American history, it’s also a victim of historic limitations. Not unlike the development of the country, each section of the River takes on the dynamics of its geography and the reach of local, state and federal agencies.

Today, our world is flat and our information instantaneous. Why should the Mississippi River continue to be protected or developed one town or district at a time?

On March 4th, the Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act was introduced in both the House and the Senate by Great Lakes champions. The bill, S. 3073, was introduced in the Senate by Carl Levin along with co-sponsors George Voinovich (R-OH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Amy klobuchar (D-MN), Al Franken (D-MN) and Richard Durbin (D-IL). The House bill, H.R. 4755, was introduced by Representative Vern Ehlers with co-sponsors John Dingell (D-MI), Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Mark Kirk (R-IL).

Attachment: 

FACT SHEET_GLEPA.pdf

Attachment: 

DRAFT_GLEPA cosponsorship letter.pdf

Attachment: 

HOUSE_GLEPA Dear Colleague (030410).pdf

On February 21st, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced an ambitious 5-year plan to tackle toxic contamination, invasive species and dwindling wildlife habitat in the Great Lakes.  The federal government plans to spend $2.2 billion restoring this precious ecosystem, which stores 20 percent of the world's freshwater. 

Immediate Action Critical to Stop Carp Invasion
Illinois Diversion Question Still on the Table

The Supreme Court's ruling today denying Michigan's request for a preliminary injunction that would have forced emergency measures to keep the invading Asian carp out of Lake Michigan puts the onus for stopping an invasion squarely on the federal government, which had strongly resisted Michigan's request.

Attachment: 

MI, WI Carp Letter to President Obama.pdf