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With six of the eight Great Lakes states being hotly contested battlegrounds, this election year the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes is being elevated to a major campaign issue.Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama today proposed a major plan to jump-start the process. The Obama-Biden Great Lakes Restoration Plan calls for $5 billion over a 10-year period to go toward sewage treatment improvements, rehabilitation of toxic sites and wetlands restoration. Obama also calls for the creation of a Great Lakes czar to oversee funding and keep restoration efforts on track.
Obama has already expressed support for the Great Lakes Compacts and a separate $26 billion Great Lakes restoration plan that has been stalled in Congress for the past three years. His campaign stressed that this proposal is in no way a replacement for that legislation.
“We need to recognize this as a great national treasure that needs to be protected,” said Heather Zichal, energy and environment policy director for the Obama campaign. ”It’s the largest freshwater system on the planet, and therefore we need to put the power of the federal government behind restoration.”
In a conference call with reporters, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar claimed that Obama has been a consistent advocate for the Great Lakes.
“As a state senator, he was a leader in helping to clean Lake Michigan and, in the Senate, he has been a key leader in the Great Lakes compact,” she said.
Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow cited yearly cuts to Great Lakes programs under the Bush administration and hit a familiar theme by connecting them to Republican nominee Sen. John McCain. McCain has pledged to support Great Lakes restoration but has yet to commit to funding levels for any legislation.
“It’s very reassuring to us in Michigan to have a Great Lakes senator running for president of the United States,” said Stabenow.
That in turn must be reassuring to Obama who would like very much to win Michigan’s 17 electoral votes. The candidate can only hope the same holds true in the other Great Lakes states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
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4 Comments »
Comment posted September 16, 2008 @ 6:14 pm
This seems to be the wrong way to go? why did people in iowa have to pay for the bridge that minnesota did not fix? A $600,000 million ballpark was more important? This should be a state fund and the people of the great lakes pay for? Heck will you guys build a $250,000 million bridge here in iowa? Hey Debbie you make $500.00 per day 365 day a year just like all the men in the senate? tell your residents Iowa needs 250,000 for a bridge? I got it lets ask sen Landreiu's home state if they have any extra $ heck everyone gives money to her? Harkin ,durbin ,obama ,reed ,all did ,did you?
why does obama throw more money to solve problems ? a new stimulis will add huge to the deficet,why did he EARMARK $1 BILLION to his home state? why has he and others take money from freddie mac? why does his vp pick biden use money from his pac fund to pay his $50,000 amtrak transportation to and from washington? this needs to be counted as income and not some pac fund? why are they still collecting $500.00 per day while not working for there home state? these pac funds hold $100's of MILLIONS of dollars and it is not taxed as income this loophole needs to shut down ,this would raise millions in taxes,this is income just like the watress's tips are taxed ,look up your senator at http://www.opensecrets.org see if they have a pac fund? who gives to it and who the pac fund gives money too?
and to think biden said if a woman stands behind the president it is a step backward for women? I sure don't want this guy a heartbeat from the presidency?
ya washington is broke ,I know how to fix it? obama wants higher teacher pay HUH? well will this idea work for washington? more pay?
gee if obama gets in it will be more monney for all kinds? senate makes $500.00 per day 365 days a year and ya don't even need to be there to collect it? you can run for another job and still get the money?
wasn't it the democrats that wanted people making $100,000 get a 300 stimulis check that our grandkids will end up paying for? wonder how much of obamas plans our grandkids will end up paying?
Comment posted September 16, 2008 @ 7:29 pm
Obama announces plan to jump-start Great Lakes restoration
“the 5 billion dollar tax”
The Obama-Biden Great Lakes Restoration Plan calls for $5 billion .
Obama also calls for the creation of a Great Lakes czar to oversee funding ,let me guess the former gov. when she is voted out?
This seems to be the wrong way to go? why did people in iowa have to pay for the bridge that minnesota did not fix? A $600,000 million ballpark was more important? This should be a state fund and the people of the great lakes pay for? Heck will you guys build a $250,000 million bridge here in iowa? Hey Debbie you make $500.00 per day 365 day a year just like all the men in the senate? tell your residents Iowa needs 250,000 for a bridge? I got it lets ask sen Landreiu’s home state if they have any extra $ heck everyone gives money to her? Harkin ,durbin ,obama ,reed ,all did ,did you?
why does obama throw more money to solve problems ? a new stimulis will add huge to the deficet,why did he EARMARK $1 BILLION to his home state? why has he and others take money from freddie mac? why does his vp pick biden use money from his pac fund to pay his $50,000 amtrak transportation to and from washington? this needs to be counted as income and not some pac fund? why are they still collecting $500.00 per day while not working for there home state? these pac funds hold $100’s of MILLIONS of dollars and it is not taxed as income this loophole needs to shut down ,this would raise millions in taxes,this is income just like the watress’s tips are taxed ,look up your senator at http://www.opensecrets.org see if they have a pac fund? who gives to it and who the pac fund gives money too?
and to think biden said if a woman stands behind the president it is a step backward for women? I sure don’t want this guy a heartbeat from the presidency?
ya washington is broke ,I know how to fix it? obama wants higher teacher pay HUH? well will this idea work for washington? more pay?
gee if obama gets in it will be more monney for all kinds? senate makes $500.00 per day 365 days a year and ya don’t even need to be there to collect it? you can run for another job and still get the money?
wasn’t it the democrats that wanted people making $100,000 get a 300 stimulis check that our grandkids will end up paying for? wonder how much of obamas plans our grandkids will end up paying?
Comment posted September 17, 2008 @ 12:32 am
tomtomiowa, even if all the question marks weren't a dead giveaway that your comments were cut and pasted, the mishmash of statements unrelated to the topic of the article (or to each other) would indicate you're just pasting this in a bunch of places. Could you at least bother to get informed instead of posting pure nonsense?
Comment posted November 27, 2008 @ 9:34 am
informative post, keep it up.,
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