Political Quotes

“Mr. President, recently Chicagoans were asked in a poll what asset of their great city they valued most. By a large margin, they chose Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan is the primary source of drinking water for more than 10 million people--not just in my home State of Illinois but also in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan. The lake is also part of the $7 billion per year Great Lakes fishing industry. Millions of people visit Lake Michigan for its recreational opportunities like swimming, kayaking, boating, or just taking a walk along the beach. It is a beautiful lake. Unfortunately, we are faced with a threat to the health of our Great Lake. This week, on Thursday, May 24, the coal-fired car-ferry S.S. Badger will begin its 60th year sailing on Lake Michigan. Many people have fond memories of the Badger, steaming from its homeport of Ludington, MI, to Manitowoc, WI, every summer. But they need to be reminded of this: It is the last coal-fired ferry in the United States, and every year it dumps another 500 tons of coal ash into Lake Michigan. Think about that for a moment--500 tons of coal ash every year since the 1950s. What must the bottom of the lake look like? The owner of the Badger insists that the coal ash is basically just sand, but we know better. Scientists are concerned about coal ash because it contains chemicals like arsenic, lead, and mercury. Once in the lake, these chemicals enter the food chain through the water we drink and the fish we eat.…”