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Posts: 82
Location: Cottage Grove, Mn | Detroit Free Press
WASHINGTON — With reports swirling that President Donald Trump intends sharp cutbacks at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Free Press has learned that a drastic reduction may be under consideration for Great Lakes restoration efforts, which in the past have received bipartisan support.
The National Association of Clean Air Agencies confirmed for the Free Press late Thursday that an initial proposal from the White House Office of Management and Budget calls for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to be cut from $300 million a year to about $10 million.
The cut was first reported by Rob Davis, a reporter for the Oregonian, who tweeted a list of potential cuts — none of which have been finalized. Bill Becker, executive director of the Association of Clean Air Agencies, which includes the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as a member, was unable to release the proposal but confirmed the figures. He said they could be appealed by the EPA before a budget request is finalized and presented to Congress, which is expected to happen this month. . . |
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Location: oswego, il | It will be ok, the bait makers who make rubber baits will just have to come up with a soft fire resistant rubber. |
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Posts: 743
| seems pretty drastic. these big cuts are scary. But for every $1000 the federal government spends on ANY program, it could really be done for $100 to $300. If the EPA would not have wasted money on non necessary jobs and equipment and contracts, it could have easily operated very smoothly and efficiently on a $90MM budget. (and not raising attention to get such drastic cuts.) When 15 people have the same job that 1 person could do in less than 40 hours a week, it raised eye brows, occasionally. |
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Location: Sawyer County, WI | But think of the boom in corporate profits that the reduction in regulations will yield ! It's a worthwhile trade, right ?
You get the government you deserve. |
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Posts: 54
| tomcat? Really? 15-1? You need to buy more Bottled water.... stock up now. You ever been to Mexico or China? |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Oh No.. Run for your lives, the sky is falling, the sky is falling.
EPA is one of the most Wasteful spenders in the entire Federal Government.
So now America's Water and Air is being compared to Mexico and China ?
That's a stretch, given the fact that no one has a clue what will be cut from the EPA.
Give the new administration some time to figure out what is wasteful spending.
Smaller Government is good for everyone.
Relax Guys. We aren't reverting back to the 60s or 70s. |
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| Top H2O - 3/4/2017 9:34 PM
Oh No.. Run for your lives, the sky is falling, the sky is falling.
EPA is one of the most Wasteful spenders in the entire Federal Government.
So now America's Water and Air is being compared to Mexico and China ?
That's a stretch, given the fact that no one has a clue what will be cut from the EPA.
Give the new administration some time to figure out what is wasteful spending.
Smaller Government is good for everyone.
Relax Guys. We aren't reverting back to the 60s or 70s.
I really hope you are right. However, here in WI, our local state senator, Tom Tiffany is pushing hard to get clean water laws softened. He made the public statement that no business would push for laws that allow pollution. Which is a demonstrable crock of you know what. In the 1970s, paper mill operators in WI spent a lot of money trying to fight clean water bills, including a push to have the Wisconsin River declared an "industrial river". That meant that it could continue be used to dispose of mill waste, including chemicals like chlorine and sewage, along with untreated waste from canning plants like we had in Wis. Rapids. Every day in the season, they pumped tons of bean and other vegetable waste directly into the river. I used to fish carp in that bean waste. It was all the ends and stems from truck loads of beans. Big area of the river would turn green and if it was a dry year, where the water moved slowly and the #*^@ was only open in a little ways, it eventually stunk to high heavens.
Tiffany's bill would allow a lot of that to happen again. |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Nof8
You have always been on the far side of these kind of political Issues.. i.e., man is evil and just wants to destroy the planet.
Sorry, I don't buy it.
We (America) aren't going back to the 60's/70's
America has the cleanest water and Air that we have ever had since the 1860's.
Tiffany's Bill isn't going to cause wide spread pollution or planetary chaos. We will never be like China or Mexico..
Heck Canada doesn't even have stricter rules for Air Quality and Water Quality than we do here
Relax.
Reefhawg, where are you ? He is a super smart Environmental Engineer
that works with the Paper Mills in Wisconsin, and can bring valuable/truthful info to this subject.
I really am a proponent of clean air and water... but some of the ridiculous
governmental regulations need to be changed for economic good. |
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| Top H2O - 3/5/2017 10:04 PM
Nof8
You have always been on the far side of these kind of political Issues.. i.e., man is evil and just wants to destroy the planet.
Sorry, I don't buy it.
We (America) aren't going back to the 60's/70's
America has the cleanest water and Air that we have ever had since the 1860's.
Tiffany's Bill isn't going to cause wide spread pollution or planetary chaos. We will never be like China or Mexico..
Heck Canada doesn't even have stricter rules for Air Quality and Water Quality than we do here
Relax.
Reefhawg, where are you ? He is a super smart Environmental Engineer
that works with the Paper Mills in Wisconsin, and can bring valuable/truthful info to this subject.
I really am a proponent of clean air and water... but some of the ridiculous
governmental regulations need to be changed for economic good.
Nothing speculative about my post. I never said any of the things you put in your post. Tiffany was quoted in a public meeting saying just what I said and he has introduced bills here in WI that would severely weaken WI laws protecting water. Perhaps if you read WI papers you would know that. The WI DNR had already eliminated laws that once regulated high capacity wells for ag. The Plover river recently dried up, it is claimed because of this type of well. Nothing speculative about that. Again, a little bit of research will show you what is happening. Read up on how many high capacity wells there are in WI today, compared to 10 years ago.
I hope you are right, in my life time I have seen the Wis. River, which I grew up 2 blocks away from, go from being an open industrial sewer to a body of water that people swim, boat and fish in. To pretend it got that way because of a sudden change of heart on the part of those polluting it is simply not realistic. What regulations would you change? You make strong statement they are ridiculous and for all I know there may be some but tell us what they are and what their current impact is. |
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Posts: 54
| What I quoted is no rip on China or Mexico. (I have been to both countries).Try brushing your teeth at the sink at either place. What i am trying to say is Clean Air and Water comes at a price. |
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| bomber34 - 3/6/2017 8:24 AM
What I quoted is no rip on China or Mexico. (I have been to both countries).Try brushing your teeth at the sink at either place. What i am trying to say is Clean Air and Water comes at a price.
Yes and polluted water also comes at a very high price in terms of health. |
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Posts: 2327
Location: Chisholm, MN | I worked for the Feds for 6 years and it was a complete waste of money...my job, the job we were doing, and most of the other jobs they do. Maybe this will push them to do a better job of managing money, or maybe it will be a disaster. Time will tell. I value clean water and the great lakes, but I know the spending is out of control. |
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Location: Sawyer County, WI | Top H2O - 3/4/2017 9:34 PM
Give the new administration some time to figure out what is wasteful spending.
Completely subjective, and a statement that sounds remarkably like Pelosi's "We have to sign it to find out what's in it".
Top H2O - 3/4/2017 9:34 PM
Smaller Government is good for everyone.
But in this case especially for those who make a living off the natural resources of the country.
Top H2O - 3/4/2017 9:34 PM
Relax Guys. We aren't reverting back to the 60s or 70s.
I really hope you are correct, but time will tell. There's no question there are more than a few ridiculous regulations but I would prefer those changes to take place under an EPA director who was less of a pawn for industrial interests. |
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| Kirby Budrow - 3/6/2017 9:19 AM
I worked for the Feds for 6 years and it was a complete waste of money...my job, the job we were doing, and most of the other jobs they do. Maybe this will push them to do a better job of managing money, or maybe it will be a disaster. Time will tell. I value clean water and the great lakes, but I know the spending is out of control.
The irony is that the cuts to things like great lake restoration are being done to funnel another $300 Billion into military spending. There is no more wasteful spending in the budget than military hardware. Been demonstrated over and over again. In fairness, Pres. Trump has said he is going to renegotiate contracts and be a lot tougher on military contractors. It has been reported that he has already gained concessions on the F-35 project, the most expensive weapons system ever. An example is that the helmets, which each pilot has his own customized cost over $100,000.00 each. They are part of the weapons system. After the first batch of over a hundred were produced, the pentagon admitted they didn't work and scrapped them, at a cost of a cool 100 grand a piece. In the civilian world, you produce a product that doesn't work, you either don't get paid, or you get sued. Not with the military. |
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Posts: 556
| No matter how you want to look at it----Trump supporter or Not ... If you are a fisherman--or at all concerned about clean water... this is not good..... Say what you want if you are in favor of it---If these cuts were to stay in place for 10-15 yrs...You and everybody else would see Drastic--Negative effects on our water. All for the love of the $$$ for the corporations if you ask me.... I think it's SAD !!!! |
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Location: Northern Wisconsin | So lakes and rivers will become more polluted so that businesses and corporations can make/save more money? Sounds about right.
If anyone else can explain what is happening better than that, I am all ears. |
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Real time debt... worried about a few dollars that involve what? Maybe we should start with an individual with the title "executive director of clean air agencies". Wonder what the tax payers "obligation" to this government employee is. Pention? Maybe we, the pleebs, should start somewhere other than cutting what comes out of our pockets and instead should see what is going in theirs?....... or we could blame it all on collusion with the Russians
http://www.usdebtclock.org/# |
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Posts: 841
Location: Southwest PA | This is slightly off topic but do you guys think rock salt adversely effects the freshwater fisheries at all? There are so many "no dumping, drains to waterway" sewer grates on the roads here in PA and I wanted to ask on a new topic but this topic seems fitting enough. Delete if necessary mods but I'm interesting in seeing opinions. |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Ok,
So the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Budget (MAY) be cut from 300 MILLION Dollars a year to 10 MILLION Dollars a year. (This is just speculation, and a guess)
My question is: How many people out there know that this $300,000,000.00 is not the Federal Governments money, but the working American Peoples hard earned money ?
My second question is , What was "Our" $300,000,000,00. spent on in just 1 year and where did it go ?
As a Successful Business Owner and a 40% tax payer, I would like to know what my share of payments went to and How my hard earned money was spent by my Government concerning the EPA.
Am I the only one here that feels that the EPA is putting the Screws to us ? |
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Posts: 109
| No, but you are kidding yourself if you think that we have not all benefited from cleaner water and air – especially as musky fishermen. I know, I know, let the free market take care of our lakes, rivers and air as I am sure they have our best interests in mind, not their shareholders. Again, there is surely waste, but there is significant waste in all aspects of government as well as the private sector….think about the subsidies that those private entities working in the transportation or farming or healthcare sectors (or professional sports) get to enjoy, and I promise you they are not 100% efficient, but they all contribute to our lives/quality of lives, just as the EPA does. If you don’t want to pay for something, it will not take long for those things we “demand” to go away. |
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| Top H2O - 3/12/2017 11:00 PM
Ok,
So the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Budget (MAY) be cut from 300 MILLION Dollars a year to 10 MILLION Dollars a year. (This is just speculation, and a guess)
My question is: How many people out there know that this $300,000,000.00 is not the Federal Governments money, but the working American Peoples hard earned money ?
My second question is , What was "Our" $300,000,000,00. spent on in just 1 year and where did it go ?
As a Successful Business Owner and a 40% tax payer, I would like to know what my share of payments went to and How my hard earned money was spent by my Government concerning the EPA.
Am I the only one here that feels that the EPA is putting the Screws to us ?
The biggest problems for the great lakes have been caused by private business. The shipping industry introduced all the invasives, bringing them in hold of ocean going vessels. The Lake Michigan yellow perch population which for a hundred years held up with both sport and commercial fishing was almost completely wiped out by invasives. Too bad our elected officials don't have the guts to put the screws to the businesses that harmed the great lakes. Pollution of water, introduction of invasive species by private business steals from the public. Unfortunately, all tax payers get hit with the bill for cleaning it up. |
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Posts: 119
| The problem doesn't end at the great lakes either fellows. With the return of the oil and gas boom across most of the East and Midwest there are many who are concerned with clean water in creeks and rivers that hold our coveted prize. I'm not versed on drilling or "fracing" procedures but I've heard many people grumble about all of the brine water that gets mixed with our freshwater and whatever else is used to force the product to the surface that is pumped into the underground watertable. |
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Posts: 1636
| You guys really know your #*#*. Good read. I hope things don't go south. |
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| In Wisconsin, we have seen a long term, concerted effort by Gov. Walker to reduce the authority and presence of the DNR. Now, just weeks before the fair starts, it was just announced that after 70 years, DNR employees, many of whom volunteered their time will not staff a booth at the state fair. In the past they presented on clean water, natural resources, hunting, fishing and camping. It was an opportunity to talk to folks about all the great outdoors has to offer in the state of WI. No reason was given but the guess by former DNR employees, including the retired former head Warden that it was a deliberate attempt by the Walker administration to lessen the DNR profile and to avoid having DNR specialists answering touchy questions like the high capacity wells in central WI that have dried up lakes and streams. |
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Location: oswego, il | Greed is greed and if you don't think a situation could arise you do not understand greed. |
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Posts: 7
| Polluted water is both an environmental and health hazard |
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Posts: 267
| The biggest polluter in the country has polluted and continues to pollute at a high rate. Agriculture. No one wants to touch the damage that industry does. |
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| Smell_Esox - 7/11/2017 2:30 PM
The biggest polluter in the country has polluted and continues to pollute at a high rate. Agriculture. No one wants to touch the damage that industry does.
The former Republican congressmen from Green Bay, Reid Ribble held a press conference and made clear that agriculture was part of the problem for the dead zone in Green Bay. Nothing came of it WI. Walker is in the pocket of big ag. |
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Posts: 1529
| lets just frack the great lakes. should be fun huh. |
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