Bipartisan support to stop invasive species and ballast water in Great Lakes

From the PD --

A U.S. House committee this week debated The Clean Water Restoration Act - an update of the 1972 Clean Water Act.

Members of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative - including Cleveland and Toledo - on July 12 called on the Canadian and U.S. governments to pass comprehensive invasive species and ballast water control legislation.

Ballast water from ships is cited as the source of dozens of invasive aquatic species continually changing the entire Great Lakes ecosystem.

U.S. senators George Voinovich and Sherrod Brown and Ohio Rep. Michael Skindell will join state officials and environmentalists Monday morning at Edgewater Park to provide a briefing on their roles in both federal and state proposals to stop destructive exotic species.

The board of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency last week voted to support anti-invasive species legislation.

It cannot be stressed enough how IMPORTANT it is to protect one of our states greatest assets!