Benefit Project for Great Lakes Restoration

Benefit Project for Great Lakes Restoration



2007 September -   Restoring the health of the 
Great Lakes will create $50 billion in economic benefit for the region, 
about twice what it will cost to restore the lakes, according to a new 
cost-benefit analysis, conducted by the Brookings Institution Metropolitan 
Policy Program. 
The report was released Wednesday on the eve of the 3rd Annual Great Lakes 
Restoration Conference which opens today in Chicago. 
"This new report confirms in dollars and cents that the health of the 
Great Lakes economy depends on the health of the Great Lakes," said Robert 
Litan, a Brookings Senior Fellow and vice president for research and 
policy at the Kauffman Foundation, who led the team of researchers who 
conducted the study. 
The report estimates that cleaning up the lakes would also yield $30 to 
$50 Billion in short-term economic activity. 
"A tremendous opportunity exists to restore the lakes, re-invigorate the 
region's economy, and boost the competitiveness of the nation. The report 
makes a compelling case for Congress to act now to restore the lakes by 
passing the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act," he said. 
The group of five large lakes on or near the Canada-United States border 
are the largest group of fresh water lakes on Earth, containing 20 percent 
of the world’s fresh surface water. 
The report, "Healthy Waters, Strong Economy: The Benefits of Restoring the 
Great Lakes Ecosystem," concludes the economic gains will come from 
increases in tourism, the fishing industry, recreational activity and home 
values. 
The report projects that some of the restoration funds would go towards 
modernizing wastewater treatment systems to reduce sewage and other 
contamination that will mean fewer beach closings and improved water 
quality. 
Some funding would go towards stopping invasive species and increasing the 
supply of fish in the Great Lakes to avoid the dislocation of 
sport-fishery workers and assets. 
Some funding would restore and protect wildlife habitat for birds and 
waterfowl for naturalists and hunters. 
Removing contaminated sediment in areas of high concern to reclaim 
communities and increase property values is another funding priority. 
"The conference is intended to light a fire under Congress, the President 
and presidential candidates to restore the Great Lakes because the 
problems only get worse and more expensive the longer we wait," said Tom 
Kiernan, president of the National Parks Conservation Association and 
co-chairman of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. 
"The conference will make clear that industry, business and conservation 
groups agree: The Great Lakes are vital to the region, and it is time to 
act so that we can protect our lakes, our National Parks, our economy, our 
drinking water and our way of life," Kiernan said. 
The intensified effort to restore the Great Lakes comes as Illinois 
congressional leaders such as Senator Richard Durbin and Congressman Rahm 
Emanuel, both Democrats, and Congressman Mark Steven Kirk, a Republican, 
are calling for Great Lakes protections. 
"The conference comes at a critical time for the Great Lakes and the 
millions of people who rely on them for their jobs, their health and their 
way of life," said Andy Buchsbaum, director of the Great Lakes office of 
the National Wildlife Federation and co-chairman of the Healing Our 
Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. 
"The threat is urgent. The solutions are clear," he said. "We intend for 
the conference to inspire those holding office, and seeking office, to 
commit themselves to restoring the Great Lakes." 
The conference will feature some of the region’s top scientists to reveal 
the state of the Lakes’ health. Policy staff from the major 2008 
presidential campaigns have been invited to talk about their candidates’ 
environmental and Great Lakes platforms. 
"Every day, new news about a new threat to the Great Lakes is hitting the 
headlines," said Cameron Davis, president of the Alliance for the Great 
Lakes and incoming co-chairman of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes 
Coalition. "People from around the region will be gathering to keep the 
momentum going in reversing this tide of threats so we can leave the Great 
Lakes better than the way we found them." 

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