June 04, 2010
June 4, 2010
Projects also mean economic opportunity, jobs for Michigan citizens
LANSING - The Great Lakes will benefit in many ways from more than $60 million in Environmental Protection Agency funding for 99 Michigan-based projects selected through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative competition, said Ken DeBeaussaert, director of the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes. DeBeaussaert made his remarks in delivering this week's radio address on behalf of Governor Jennifer M. Granholm.
"For example, thousands of acres of Great Lakes shoreline can be improved and restored by removing invasive plants and hardened banks," DeBeaussaert said. "Fish and wildlife habitat can be enhanced as local groups remove dams, restore fish passage and stop shoreline erosion."
"The funding also will mean better water quality monitoring to protect families swimming at many Michigan beaches," DeBeaussaert continued. "It will also enable local groups to identify and correct problems that might otherwise lead to beach closures that hurt local economies. Additionally, the funding will result in better health data about Great Lakes fish consumption and provide local decision makers the information needed to protect our waters."
"The 99 Michigan Great Lakes projects also mean economic opportunity and jobs," DeBeaussaert said. "Economists at The Brookings Institute found that investing in Great Lakes restoration provided both short and long-term economic benefits. These benefits include rising local property values, growing sport fishing and recreational boating opportunities, and increased tourism. This positive impact on the economy and job creation helped broaden the coalition of groups supporting the Great Lakes restoration efforts to include many chambers of commerce."
"Michigan's identity is tied to the Great Lakes," DeBeaussaert said. "With that comes an enormous stewardship responsibility. The Great Lakes restoration funding is a new opportunity for Michigan to protect our water legacy - and we're ready to act."
The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state. The address is available for download on the governor's Web site at www.michigan.gov/gov together with a clip of the quote above. The radio address also is available as a podcast on the Web site as well as on iTunes and via RSS feed for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers. Links to the audio files and text of today's address follow.
Michigan Office of the Great Lakes Director Ken DeBeaussaert
Radio Address - Great Lakes
Full: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov252Full_323653_7.mp3
Edited: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov252Edit_323655_7.mp3
Quote: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov252Quote_323656_7.mp3
Hello, this is Ken DeBeaussaert, director of the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes, pinch hitting this week for Governor Jennifer Granholm.
We all have priceless memories of time spent on or near the Great Lakes with family and friends. With our $16 billion fishing and recreational boating industries and the tourism that's crucial for coastal communities, our waters are a legacy we cannot take for granted.
Fortunately, across the state there are people and groups working to protect and restore the Great Lakes, ensuring that future generations will continue to enjoy a "Pure Michigan" experience. They include private citizens, environmental and conservation groups, universities and a host of federal, state and local government agencies.
The efforts of these organizations and individuals got a boost recently with some good news from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA announced that 99 Michigan-based projects were selected for funding through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative competition. These projects will receive a total of more than $60 million.
The Great Lakes will benefit in many ways from this funding. For example, thousands of acres of Great Lakes shoreline can be improved and restored by removing invasive plants and hardened banks. Fish and wildlife habitat can be enhanced as local groups remove dams, restore fish passage and stop shoreline erosion.
The funding also will mean better water quality monitoring to protect families swimming at many Michigan beaches. It will also enable local groups to identify and correct problems that might otherwise lead to beach closures that hurt local economies.
Additionally, the funding will result in better health data about Great Lakes fish consumption and provide local decision makers the information needed to protect our waters. And the next generation of Michigan citizens will be able to learn the importance of the Great Lakes, which are a national treasure and contain one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water.
The 99 Michigan Great Lakes projects also mean economic opportunity and jobs. Economists at The Brookings Institute found that investing in Great Lakes restoration provided both short- and long-term economic benefits.
These benefits include rising local property values, growing sport fishing and recreational boating opportunities, and increased tourism. This positive impact on the economy and job creation helped broaden the coalition of groups supporting the Great Lakes restoration efforts to include many chambers of commerce.
Michigan's identity is tied to the Great Lakes. With that comes an enormous stewardship responsibility. The Great Lakes restoration funding is a new opportunity for Michigan to protect our water legacy - and we're ready to act.
Thank you for listening.
# # #
