Commentary: Funds for Great Lakes make smart investment
Detroit Free Press - 2/28/08
BY Lt. Gov. John D. Cherry, Jr.
Advocates for the world's greatest freshwater resource are gathering Thursday in Washington, D.C., for Great Lakes Day. As we do, the citizens of Michigan and of all the states in the Great Lakes region should take time to recognize the importance of these priceless bodies of water and what we need to do collectively to protect and preserve them.
http://www.freep.com/

Groups: Local aid for lakes pours in as federal aid falls
Detroit Free Press - 2/28/08
WASHINGTON - A report released today by the Great Lakes Commission and Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative says local governments are making substantial investment in protecting the Great Lakes but that the federal government isn't providing nearly enough.
http://www.freep.com/

Local communities spend far more than feds on Great Lakes
The Macomb Daily - 2/28/08
As hundreds of environmental activists gather in Washington today to mark Great Lakes Day in the nation's capital, a new study finds a huge gap between local communities and the federal government in funding for the lakes.
http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/022808/loc_local03.shtml

Upper governments skimp on water quality management
The Chronicle - Journal (Thunder Bay, Ontario) - 2/28/08
The Canadian and U.S. governments are striking out while municipalities are rounding third when it comes to paying for Great Lakes infrastructure, says a report released Wednesday.
The Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative report suggests that towns and cities on both sides of the border spend about US$15 billion a year on water quality management and ecosystem protection.
http://www.chroniclejournal.com/stories_local.php?id=94773

Time for feds to chip in on Great Lakes cleanup?
Duluth News Tribune - 2/28/08
Duluth isn't alone in feeling overwhelmed with the cost of keeping Lake Superior clean. State and local officials from across the Great Lakes region on Wednesday said they are investing billions of dollars to clean up the Great Lakes, and said it's time for the U.S. and Canadian federal governments to do the same.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=61283&section=News

Great Lakes Funding Called Inadequate
Associated Press - 2/28/08
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - Local governments devote about $15 billion annually on Great Lakes environmental programs and the U.S. and Canadian governments isn't paying their fair share, a new report says.
The national governments need to step up and invest more in protecting and restoring the world's largest surface freshwater system from sewage overflows, invasive species, toxic pollution and other problems, the report says.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i-ooUfdfxmgHIC_k4pn2zqUrK73AD8V384VG6

Local Governments Shoulder Unfair Burden on Great Lakes
Associated Press - 2/28/08
A new report points to a big gap in what local governments pay to keep the Great Lakes clean and what the U.S. and Canadian federal governments spend.
http://www.fox28.com/News/index.php?ID=33799

Canada, U.S. municipalities pay for bulk of Great Lakes work, not feds: report
The Canadian Press - 2/27/08
TORONTO - The Canadian and U.S. federal governments are missing in action when it comes to paying for Great Lakes infrastructure, leaving municipalities with a disproportionate share of the bill, says a new report released Wednesday.
The report by the Great Lakes Commission is based on a poll of municipalities within the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basin and suggests that towns and cities on both sides of the border spend about US$15 billion each year on water-related infrastructure.
http://canadianpress.google.com/

Great Lakes Officials Seek Aid from U.S. and Canada
NY Times - 2/27/08
CHICAGO - Regional government agencies around the Great Lakes spend some $15 billion a year to protect the lakes from invasive species, contaminated sediment and sewage overflows, a new study shows. But local officials say that still more protection is needed and that the United States and Canadian governments should pay for it.
http://www.nytimes.com/

Report today says federal government not providing enough for the Great Lakes
Detroit Free Press - 2/27/08
At a news conference in Washington today, where Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry was one of the speakers, officials with the groups acknowledged they could not put a dollar-amount on how much various federal agencies spend on the Great Lakes.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/NEWS07/80227062

New Report: Local Governments Investing Billions in Great Lakes Restoration, Where's the Federal Government?
StreetInsider.com - 2/26/08
The new report details how much money local governments are investing in Great Lakes restoration and protection and asks whether the U.S. and Canadian governments are upholding their end of the bargain to protect the largest freshwater resource in the world. Produced by the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative and the Great Lakes Commission, the report comes as local, state and federal leaders join advocates in Washington, D.C., for the annual Great Lakes Day.
http://www.streetinsider.com

Lieutenant governor is more than just a figurehead
Associated Press - 2/24/08
Most residents probably can't name Michigan's lieutenant governor or say what he does. But Cherry, a veteran state lawmaker before becoming Granholm's running mate in 2002, is far from a bench-warming figurehead in her administration.
Respected for his fair-mindedness and ability to forge relationships with Republicans after two decades in the House and Senate, Cherry has led efforts to bring about many of the changes Granholm wants and has helped decide what those goals should be.
http://www.examiner.com/a-1239039~Lieutenant_governor_is_more_than_just_a_figurehead.html