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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Study: Budget Plan Leaves Great Lakes On “Thin Ice”

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Thursday, February 7, 2008   

St. Paul, MN – The implications of President Bush's proposed $3 trillion budget for next year are that Lake Superior, and the other Great Lakes, are being left on thin ice. That's the view of Cameron Davis with the Alliance for the Great Lakes, who says the budget reduces funding for protecting and restoring the Lakes by 16 percent.

"By not reinvesting in the Great Lakes, and by not restoring wetlands, providing funding to keep invasive species out of the Great Lakes and help support clean water, we will start to see an erosion of the quality of our life here in this region. It's already happening."

Davis believes the waterways are at the heart of the nation's economy and environment, which should make them a top priority. He adds that Minnesota will be among the biggest losers if the budget priorities don't change.

"What we're looking at is the loss of about 20 percent of funding from last year's funding levels for Minnesota. That's just for one program that would help municipalities and states treat sewage and ensure clean drinking water."

He likens reduced support for the Lakes waters as a retreat in the fight against the growing threats of sewage pollution, invasive species and the related health of Great Lakes states' residents.

"We've got 95 percent of the nation's fresh surface water. That tells us that, as go the Great Lakes, so goes policy and funding for the rest of the country. Restoring the Great Lakes doesn't just make good ecological sense, it makes good economic sense."

A recent study by the Brookings Institute cites a $50 billion economic benefit from restoring the Great Lakes, including growth and innovation in such diverse areas as heating and cooling, sanitation and food. The report also says the region could be a magnet for skilled workers, as well as boosting the recreation industry.



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