Political Quotes

“today I am introducing the Great Lakes Water Protection Act with my colleague, Senator Mark Kirk. We face many challenges in protecting the Great Lakes--from contaminated sediment to industrial pollutants to invasive species. This legislation tackles another significant threat to the water system municipal sewage. A recent report found that from January 2009 through January 2010, five U.S. cities dumped a combined 41 billion gallons of waste water into the Great Lakes. Sewage and storm water discharges have been associated with elevated levels of bacterial pollutants. For the 40 million people who depend on the Great Lakes for their drinking water, that is no small matter. When bacterial counts go too high, beaches have to be closed. In Illinois, we have 52 public beaches along the Lake Michigan shoreline. People use these beaches for swimming, boating, fishing--and many communities generate revenue from the public beaches. Our legislation will quadruple fines for municipalities that dump raw sewage in the Great Lakes and direct the revenue from these penalties to projects that improve water quality. The bill also includes new reporting requirements that will provide a more complete understanding of the frequency and impact of sewage dumping on this critical water system. The Great Lakes are a national treasure. Illinoisans know that. They want to protect Lake Michigan, and they are willing to fight for the lake.…”