Volume 148, No. 111 covering the 2nd Session of the 107th Congress (2001 - 2002) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“THE GREAT LAKES LEGACY ACT” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1505 on Sept. 5, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE GREAT LAKES LEGACY ACT
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HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK
of illinois
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, September 4, 2002
Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1070, the Great Lakes Legacy Act introduced by Representative Vernon Ehlers. Years of contamination due to industrialization on the shores of the Great Lakes severely damaged these environmental treasures. The Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2001 is important to the region because it commits federal resources to remediate contamination of lake bed sediments that plague the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes are under assault: under assault from industrial pollution, under assault from alien species being introduced into the lake, such as the Fish Hook Flea, the round gobie, and the Zebra Mussel. The Great Lakes shores are also burdened by nuclear waste stored at scores of sites around the region: in my district nuclear waste sits less than a hundred yards from the shore of Lake Michigan.
Currently, there are 43 AOCs, or Areas of Concern, in the U.S. and Canada surrounding the Great Lakes that require sediment remediation according to the U.S./Canadian International Joint Commission. It is important to note that, to date, NO AOC in the U.S. has been cleaned up sufficiently to be de-listed.
The Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2001 authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Great Lakes National Program Office to carry out projects to remediate contaminated sediment or prevent further contamination in the Great Lakes region. This bill authorizes
$50 million a year in fiscal 2003-2007 for remediation plans and $2 million annually for research and development of innovative technologies for sediment clean up.
I am here, more specifically, to speak on behalf of the city of Waukegan in my district, which was home to what many have called the worst PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) contaminated site in the U.S. The city of Waukegan lies fifty miles directly north of Chicago on the west shore of Lake Michigan. In the 1980's Waukegan Harbor was designated an Area of Concern by the International Joint Commission on the Great Lakes.
Most of the contamination of Waukegan Harbor took place over a 13-
year period from 1959 to 1973 at the Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) shoreline headquarters. OMC was a recreational marine products manufacturer that used a fluid in their dye-casting machines that contained PCBs. The PCBs were discharged from two locations in the plant: one directly into Lake Michigan and another into Waukegan Harbor. By the time the pumps were shut down in 1976, the United States EPA approximated that 300,000 pounds of PCBs were discharged directly into the water of Lake Michigan and an additional 700,000 were discharged on the OMC property. An average 9 to 10 pounds of PCBs were discharged into Lake Michigan daily.
Many different entities have taken part in the clean up of Waukegan Harbor, including: the US EPA, the Illinois EPA, the Waukegan Harbor Citizens Advisory Group and OMC, who set up a trust to help facilitate their portion of the harbor clean up. The clean up has been successful to this point. The US EPA recently stated in a new remediation study
``that the remediation at Waukegan Harbor successfully lowered concentrations of PCBs at the site.'' However, more corrective action is needed in Waukegan to remove the remaining harbor contamination.
The efforts thus far in Waukegan Harbor illustrate one of the first Areas of Concern to actually demonstrate environmental and economical benefits resulting from a cleanup. We cannot stop the momentum now and leave the job unfinished.
Potentially, the Great Lakes Legacy Act will enable the federal government to help remove the remaining impaired sediments from Waukegan Harbor, and delist the harbor within 18-24 months.
This bill would enable sites like Waukegan Harbor, in the process of cleaning up, the chance to continue their efforts to complete the job and for others to begin cleaning up contaminated sites. This act would empower communities, such as Waukegan, to redevelop areas that before had little hope of an economical rebirth. A revitalized Waukegan Harbor offers the city a chance to reach its economic potential that was never before possible.
I would like to thank the many groups, private and governmental, which have helped in this effort to clean the contaminated sediments in Waukegan Harbor. Also, I would like to thank Rep. Ehlers for his leadership on this important issue. I urge my colleagues to support The Great Lakes Legacy Act, because it offers a healthy environmental and economic future to communities such as Waukegan.
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