Number
161647
Version
SUBSTITUTE 1
Reference
Sponsor
ALD. WITKOWSKI, MURPHY, KOVAC, BOHL, BAUMAN, JOHNSON AND RAINEY
Title
Substitute resolution expressing the City of Milwaukee's opposition to proposed reductions in the funding provided to the Environmental Protection Agency for Great Lakes pollution cleanup and urging President Donald J. Trump to move forward with efforts to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes.
...Analysis
This resolution expresses the City of Milwaukee’s opposition to proposed reductions in the funding provided to the Environmental Protection Agency for Great Lakes pollution cleanup and urges President Donald J. Trump to move forward with efforts to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. The Department of Administration - Intergovernmental Relations Division is directed to include the substance of this resolution in the City of Milwaukee's Federal Legislative Package for the 115th United States Congress.
Body
Whereas, The Great Lakes represent the largest body of surface fresh water in the world and are a vibrant, diverse ecosystem that is critically important to the economic well-being and quality of life of the Canadian and U.S. populations in the Great Lakes basin; and
Whereas, Although the Great Lakes are large, outflows from the Great Lakes are relatively small, less than 1% per year, in comparison with the total volume of water, such that pollutants entering the lakes are retained in the system and become more concentrated with time; and
Whereas, One of the most serious threats to the Great Lakes presented by invasive species currently comes from Asian carp that have migrated northward through the Mississippi River system over the years to a point where they are as far north as Wisconsin and Minnesota, and into Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, as well; and
Whereas, Invasive carp have established dominant populations in many places in the river systems, reducing significantly or eliminating populations of the more desirable species of fish because of their voracious food consumption and prolific reproduction; and
Whereas, Many federal, state, provincial and local government agencies in the United States and Canada have worked diligently and expended tens of millions of dollars over the past 15 years on a variety of projects to reduce pollution and improve water quality in the Great Lakes and to stop the migration of invasive carp and keep them out of the Great Lakes; and
Whereas, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made cleanup and restoration of the Great Lakes a major priority, and coordinates commitments and partnerships between the United States and Canada to keep the Great Lakes region vital for the area's millions of people and its rich array of species and habitats; and
Whereas, The EPA's Great Lakes program administers grants, cooperative agreements and contracts, including the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative <https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-funding/great-lakes-restoration-initiative-glri>, which is the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades, and funds a variety of activities including grants and the direct implementation of Great Lakes pollution monitoring and restoration projects; and
Whereas, President Donald J. Trump’s 2018 budget proposal calls for reducing the budget allocated to the EPA by 31% and eliminates funding for the EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which has typically received $300 million annually; and
Whereas, The proposed reductions in the funding provided to the EPA for Great Lakes pollution cleanup would greatly hamper pollution monitoring and cleanup and could lead to the infiltration and expansion of invasive species like Asian carp; and
Whereas, Once an invasive species establishes itself in an ecosystem, it is exceedingly difficult to eradicate it, and it often inflicts serious damage on the ecosystem and imposes major costs in the form of efforts to control it; and
Whereas, Invasive species have already inflicted hundreds of millions of dollars in damage across the Great Lakes, and invasive carp pose a serious threat to the $7-billion sport and commercial fishery that support the economy and help define the culture of the entire region; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee, that the City of Milwaukee opposes proposed reductions in the funding provided to the Environmental Protection Agency for Great Lakes pollution cleanup; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the City of Milwaukee urges President Donald J. Trump to move forward with efforts to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Department of Administration - Intergovernmental Relations Division shall include the substance of this resolution in the City of Milwaukee's Federal Legislative Package for the 115th United States Congress; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Department of Administration - Intergovernmental Relations Division is directed to actively oppose reductions in the funding provided to the Environmental Protection Agency for Great Lakes pollution cleanup and to promote efforts to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes, working closely with advocacy groups, and federal legislators and other federal officials who share the same goals; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Department of Administration - Intergovernmental Relations Division shall encourage other local units of government within Milwaukee County and across the State of Wisconsin, the governments of Great Lakes-adjacent states and state and national organizations that focus on the importance of the Great Lakes to adopt similar resolutions; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the City Clerk shall send copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, all members of Wisconsin's Congressional delegation, the heads of all appropriate federal agencies, all members of the Wisconsin Legislature, the Governor of Wisconsin, the heads of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, all members of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors and the Milwaukee County Executive.
Requestor
Drafter
LRB167912-2
Dana J. Zelazny
March 16, 2017