The Great Lakes are central to Michigan’s identity and to the health and prosperity of Michigan residents. Michiganians rely on the lakes for clean drinking water, recreation, tourism, and transporting vital commodities. They are an immensely valuable resource for the entire nation. Protecting that resource has been a top priority of mine since coming to the Senate.

My current priorities for the lakes are passage of the Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act, which would authorize funding for President Obama’s $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve Boundary Modification Act. I’m also fighting for emergency action to prevent Asian carp from entering the Lakes. These fish, which threaten to move from the Mississippi River watershed into the Great Lakes, could do immense harm to lake ecosystems. In December 2010, Congress passed the Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act, a bill I introduced, which bans importation or interstate trade of live bighead carp, one problem Asian carp species.

It’s also important to promote commerce and historic preservation on the lakes. I introduced the Harbor Maintenance Act in an effort to ensure that funding is available to keep Great Lakes harbors open and operable. I’m fighting for funding to upgrade the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie to protect the viability of Great Lakes shipping.

These efforts follow years of advocacy for the Lakes that helped win funding for cleanup of contaminated sediments and water quality protection; funding and new regulations to fight invasive species such as the zebra mussel; and preservation of such treasures as the Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary and wilderness areas of the Pictured Rocks and Sleeping Bear Dunes national lakeshores.

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