Jeff Duncan: “Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge all Members to concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 1070, the Great Lakes Legacy Act of…”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge all Members to concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 1070, the Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2002. Industrialization over the past 200 years has contaminated sediments in the Great Lakes. This sediment contamination can limit some uses of the lakes, particularly fishing, when contaminants get into the food chain. As a result, many of the Great Lakes are under advisories warning people not to eat the fish that they catch. Unfortunately, 200 years of contamination is difficult to reverse and sediment cleanups can be very controversial. Little progress has thus been made. The Great Lakes Legacy Act will help overcome the obstacles to cleanup by encouraging voluntary, consensus-based cleanup actions that will be carried out by the EPA in partnership with non-Federal sponsors. The Great Lakes Legacy Act also will help reduce the controversy surrounding sediment cleanups by ensuring that any cleanup actions funded by this legislation will truly benefit human health and the environment.”