WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Long prior to climate change becoming a major concern, North America’s Great Lakes served as a dumpground for industrial excesses.
WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Before climate change was a major concern, the Great Lakes of North America were a dump ground for industrial excesses on either side.
Three decades later, North America’s largest freshwater source is back in the spotlight. This is at least partly due to the political woes and actions of a certain U.S. president.
Joe Biden, who will be facing a Republican reckoning in November’s midterm elections was able to mark one year since his inauguration and made a vow not to return to the White House. He also boasted a bit more about his legislative victories.
Biden stated, “I’m going get out of that place more often.” “I’m going make the case about what we’ve done, why it’s important and what will happen if I get their support for what else I want.”
So it was that Biden arrived in Lorain (Ohio) last month to announce plans to spend US$1 billion on “the most significant restoration” of the resource in the history of Great Lakes.
This money is a small fraction of the $1.2-trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was promoted by the White House throughout 2022 after the preChristmas collapse of what was supposed the crowning achievement of this administration: The $2-trillion climate- and social spending package known As the Build Back better bill.
Biden stated, “Three decades ago, we made this promise.” “There was a lot to talk about, many plans, but very little progress. It was slow. This has changed today.
22 of the 25 problem zones, known as “areas in concern”, will be targeted on the U.S. shore of the lakes. This is a level that experts, advocates, activists and activists have been clamouring since the 1990s.
“That’s a huge deal, you know?” John Hartig is a U.S.-born conservationist who is currently serving as a visiting scholar in the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Windsor.
Hartig is widely regarded as one the world’s foremost experts on Great Lakes restoration. He was born in Detroit and earned his PhD at the institute more 35 years ago.
“Money makes it go,” right? It takes resources to do this, not just talking about it. These are significant investments.
Canadians are also affected by the same trend. There is hope that the new American ambitions will put more pressure on the federal government and the Ontario government to finish what they started.
It’s already happening: Steven Guilbeault (Environment Minister) visited Hamilton Harbour on Wednesday, to announce significant progress on Randle Reef. This was the long-standing most polluted area in Canada.
Guilbeault stated that the remaining toxins on the Reef are now completely contained in an engineered containment facility. Stage 2 of a three stage, $139 million project was funded through a public-private partnership. Ottawa, Ontario, and local partners each contributed a third of the funding.
The final step will be a two-year process that will begin this fall. It will include capping the facility in order to complete the isolation process and also provide new port lands within the harbour.
The federal government has a responsibility to protect the lakes under the Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. It dates back to 1972 and was renewed in 2012. There is also a new agreement with Ontario that went into effect in June.
The agreement gives Ottawa and Ontario until 2026 to address six other areas of concern in Ontario.
Hartig cited a 2018 study Biden also mentioned: A University of Michigan study on the impact of cleanup investments made by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative between 2010 and 2016. This multi-agency taskforce was established in 2004 by then-president George W. Bush.
These are the findings It was well spent.
Hartig stated that for every dollar you spend on these projects, you will receive $3.35 in economic activity through 2035, which includes economic redevelopment. “That’s a pretty high return on investment for any place, really.”
Hartig said that Canada has not been trailing the U.S., citing the Randle Reef project of $139 million and the $80 million spent on habitat rehabilitation along Lake Ontario near Toronto since 1987.
He stated that the next step was the so-called “Action Plan To Protect the Great Lakes”, which is a 10-year, multi-billion-dollar effort to protect them from climate change, pollution, toxins, algal blooms, and contaminated beaches.
Hartig stated that he is hopeful that Biden’s investment and Canada’s progress will make it a priority soon.
Hartig stated, “I believe this is going to serve as an incentive to take another look at the action plan.”
“Investing to protect the Great Lakes is also investing in communities of the Great Lakes. It is a valuable resource. So yeah, I think they will be able to take a hard look at that.”
However, cleaning up polluted areas is not the only challenge, especially with the growing impact of climate change.
A coalition of U.S.- and Canadian mayors within the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence River Basin is asking the federal government to focus on the threat of coastal erosion, flooding and rising water levels.
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is asking Ottawa to implement an expanded version the action plan with a $2.2-billion price tag over ten years.
Ontario and Quebec leaders want the federal government $1 billion to create a joint office of “shoreline resilience and climate adaptation” to support long-term planning efforts along both the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence corridors.
We need government action to improve planning and to encourage investments in long term, environmentally friendly solutions for protecting our shorelines and waterfronts,” Brian Saunderson (Canadian co-chair) stated in a statement.
“The federal government must make this a top priority and work closely with the Ontario, Quebec, and Canadian governments to protect property and ensure water quality.”
This report by The Canadian Press first appeared March 9, 2022.
James McCarten, The Canadian Press
