Marcy Kaptur: “I thank the ranking member Mr. Bishop for yielding and thank the chairman Mr. Gibbs, and, obviously, my colleague Mr.…”

“I thank the ranking member Mr. Bishop for yielding and thank the chairman Mr. Gibbs, and, obviously, my colleague Mr. Joyce, who just spoke. I rise in support strong support of H.R. 5764. Since the creation of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, our Nation has made great strides in reviving and protecting our Nation's greatest freshwater treasure, our Great Lakes. Still, despite progress, this past summer presented a stark reminder of the unfinished challenge, as a toxic algal bloom shut off the fresh drinking water to over half a million people and businesses in Ohio and Michigan for 3 days across Lake Erie's western basin, the largest watershed in the entire Great Lakes. The public, though shocked, was orderly and beneficent. We didn't have riots or civil disorder. During that 3-day crisis, astoundingly, we learned communities along the lake were not equipped locally to test the water so vital to their own survival. Two precious days were wasted sending and resending vials and samples 5 hours away to EPA labs, and then back and then back again. This simply is unacceptable. Proper testing equipment on Lake Erie is fundamental, fundamental to a response time commensurate with the challenge that remains before us. The Lake Erie community needs its own water testing equipment and certified lab. Already local universities and health departments have been assembling key components of necessary equipment for a certified lab.…”