Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) spoke on the House Floor to urge his colleagues in Congress to repeal the sequester by highlighting the importance of continued Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding for projects like the cleanup of the Buffalo River.
“The environmental benefits of Great Lakes and Buffalo River protection are obvious, but the less direct but equally significant benefits of clean water on our economy cannot be understated,” said Higgins. “Jobs and economic opportunities also flow from healthy lakes.”
The text of Higgins remarks is below:
Mr. Speaker, The Buffalo River is identified by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative as one of 43 areas of concern in the Great Lakes watershed. In 2011, a coalition of corporate and community partners teamed up with state and local governments to begin a multi-million dollar cleanup of the Buffalo River.
Unfortunately, sequestration and uncertainty about a new federal budget threaten to delay this project.
Mr. Speaker, the Great Lakes are a unique national treasure with global significance. They are the largest source of surface freshwater on earth, containing 20% of the world’s supply. They contain 95% of America’s freshwater and they support 1.5 million jobs and $62 billion in wages in the shipping, recreation and fishing industries.
Congressman Higgins’ Western New York district borders Lake Erie. He is a member of the Congressional Great Lakes Caucus, the leader credited with securing a $279 million New York Power Authority relicensing settlement agreement now funding Buffalo’s waterfront development, and a staunch supporter of Great Lakes protection.
