Feb 15: The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) is calling on Congress to reauthorize the Great Lakes Legacy Act in order to continue progress in remediating contaminated sediments in the Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs). First passed in 2002, the Great Lakes Legacy Act authorizes funding to remediate contaminated sediments in the U.S. and binational Great Lakes Areas of Concern designated under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
Commission Chair and Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry Jr., in a letter to Congressional leaders and members of the House and Senate Great Lakes Task Forces said, “The Legacy Act program has been highly successful in cleaning up toxic hot spots in Great Lakes rivers and harbors and has become a cornerstone of Great Lakes restoration efforts. It’s critical that Congress reauthorize the Great Lakes Legacy Act and maintain this vital program for restoring the Great Lakes.” Cherry noted that the Commission’s recommendations are consistent with the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration and that the Legacy Act enjoys strong support from the Great Lakes states, the business community, regional environmental organizations and local Area of Concern advisory councils.
The Commission recommended several amendments to benefit the Great Lakes states and improve the Legacy Act’s effectiveness and efficiency. Two major recommendations included, one, reauthorizing the Legacy Act through 2013 and increasing authorized appropriations to $150 million annually, consistent with the recommendations of the Great Lake Regional Collaboration and to better match the projected long-term costs of remediating contaminated sediments. Second, the GLC recommended that the current 35 percent nonfederal cost-share requirement be reduced to 25 percent for orphan sites where no responsible party is available to support the nonfederal cost share, to lessen the burden on states and local communities. The complete list of recommendations and additional information is available fro the contacts below.
To date, five cleanup projects and seven projects to monitor and evaluate contaminated sediments have been implemented under the Legacy Act, with eight additional projects now under review. The original Great Lakes Legacy Act enacted in 2002 authorized $270 million over five years to remediate contaminated sediments in Great Lakes Areas of Concern.
Access a release from the GLC (click here). Access the complete recommendations and background (click here).
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