Groups Excited About Great Lakes Under Obama Presidency

Nov 6: Citing the fact that both President-elect, Barack Obama and his newly appointed Chief of Staff, U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel are both from Chicago and very familiar with the plight of the Great Lakes, Great Lakes organizations expressed excitement at a teleconference they held about the way forward for the Great Lakes.

A release from the Alliance for the Great Lakes indicates, "The election of Barack Obama as president and the Great Lakes policies he’s embraced portend good things for the Great Lakes. . . U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel’s decision to serve as Obama’s chief of staff may open doors for the Great Lakes a little further." Alliance President Cameron Davis, who served as a senior advisor to the Obama-Biden campaign in his personal capacity but spoke solely on the Alliance’s behalf at the event said, “This is a momentous time for the country, for the world and, of course, for the region. We are very excited here at the Alliance for the Great Lakes for the doors that have opened.”

Davis and Michael Kraft, professor of public and environmental affairs and political science chairman at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, led the hour-long teleconference that attracted an unprecedented 140-plus participants from around the Great Lakes region and Canada and included leading federal and state environmental officials, political leaders, advocates and the media. Kraft, author of numerous books on environmental policy, forecast the country will see a “striking difference” between the evolving Obama administration and that of President Bush, citing as an example the matter of scientific integrity -- on which Bush has been criticized by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Kraft and Davis agreed, however, that the economic downturn could present a hurdle to progress on the Great Lakes and other environmental initiatives. Given that scenario, Davis encouraged Great Lakes advocates to figure out ways to finance their priority projects, rather than present unfunded projects to the new administration. The teleconference event was part of the Alliance’s ongoing Coastal Allies Network program featuring current events discussions.

Access a lengthy release with further details on the teleconference (click here). Access more information on the Coastal Allies Network (click here).