Monday, December 21, 2020

U.S. Senate Vote Paves Way to Boost Great Lakes Funding

 

U.S. Senate Vote Paves Way to Boost Great Lakes Funding

Vote to reauthorize Great Lakes Restoration Initiative allows Congress to ramp up annual funding from $300 million to $475 million for successful program that protects Great Lakes, drinking water, public health, jobs.

 

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (December 21, 2020)—In a major victory for Great Lakes and clean water advocates, the U.S. Senate last night unanimously passed the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2019. The bill allows Congress to continue funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for five years, and increases the program’s annual funding from $300 million to $475 million by 2026. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the bill earlier this year by a vote of 373 to 45. The legislation heads to President Donald Trump for signature. Passage of the bill is a top priority for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.

 

Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition, said:

 

“This is tremendous news for the more than 30 million people who rely on the Great Lakes for their drinking water, health, jobs, recreation, and quality of life. Over the past decade, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has been producing results for communities across the region, but serious threats remain. This bill recognizes the work we have left to do, and allows Congress to boost funding to tackle these threats before they get worse and more expensive to solve.

 

“We thank U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) for their leadership and determination to get this bill across the finish line. We also thank U.S. Reps. David Joyce (R-Ohio) and Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) for their leadership to rally support in the House, as well as the many Democrats and Republicans who worked in a spirit of bi-partisanship to make sure that Great Lakes restoration and protection continues to be a national priority. Clean water is a basic need, and we need to do everything we can to ensure that clean, safe and affordable drinking water is available to everyone.

 

“We look forward to working with federal elected officials to ensure that this successful program continues to meet ecological objectives while confronting environmental injustices that afflict the most vulnerable communities. We have the opportunity to lift up and help all communities – especially those that have borne the brunt of pollution and environmental harm.”

 

Support for the Great Lakes Restoration Act has produced strong bipartisan support in the Senate with 13 co-sponsors (in addition to lead sponsor Sen. Stabenow) and in the House with 49 co-sponsors (in addition to lead sponsor Rep. Joyce). The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative invests in local projects in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to clean up toxic pollution, fight invasive species, reduce runoff from cities and farms, and restore fish and wildlife habitat. The initiative has supported 5,449 projects that are helping to better the environment and economy.

 

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 160 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at www.healthylakes.org or follow us on Twitter @healthylakes.

Monday, April 13, 2020

A Message from the PFBC


As the commission continues to drive home the social distancing message, we'd like to share the following information with you on our website:    www.fishandboat.com.

In particular, the video at the following link and the graphic below have really resonated:  https://youtu.be/NUtaY260DDA.

Thank you in advance for sharing the social distancing message far and wide.

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

February 18th Meeting Approaching!


Please join us Tuesday February 18th at the Erie Elks Lodge at 2409 Peninsula Dr, Erie, PA 16506 at 7:00 pm for our regular meeting.  It addition to regular business we will have a presentation from Chuck Keeports, the hydrologist of the Allegheny National Forest.   He will cover some findings from the water quality snapshots. I will give an overview of the main projects he is involved with, which include culverts designed for fish passage and large wood restoration in streams.  Many of these headwater streams have populations of wild brook trout plus some wild brown trout present.  A waitress is available for food or beverages for those who desire.

Several of our members have participated in as volunteers taking water samples for the snapshot days whereby the Forest Service and Penn State are able to gather much more data than would be possible in a day over the entirety of the ANF.  These snapshot days are held on a Tuesday in October and April meeting in Sheffield at the Lions Club.  Jake Lemon is currently asking for volunteers for would like to participate in the April 7th snapshot.  You can contact Jake at jlemon@tu.org or 814-779-3965.  Its a fun day as each party travels to 4-6 streams seeing a chunk of the forest with a member of the Forest Service or Western Pennsylvania Conservency. 


Bill Eckert

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

FLY FISHING FILM TOUR UPDATE

The Tom Ridge Center is not available this year, so we are actively working to find a new venue to host the event.  That's the reason you haven't heard anything from us so far, but please stay tuned to this page or our Facebook page for more information.  We are hoping to figure all this out within the next week.

If we pull things off, the film will be in March of this year.

Thank you for your understanding.