Clean Lakes Mean Good Jobs from the Michigan Land Use Institute alerted us to the fact that today is Great Lakes Day (I was unaware that there even was such a thing). MLUI's Andy Guy says...
...when Washington lawmakers will be hearing from supporters of the proposed $20 billion Strategy to Restore and Protect the Great Lakes. Governor Granholm needs to be there, pitching hard for the proposal. If passed, it would quickly generate thousands of short-term jobs for workers across the Midwest, accelerate the rejuvenation of Rustbelt cities, and permanently position the greater Great Lakes region to compete and win in the 21st century global knowledge economy.
Restoring the Great Lakes ecology will have at least five very positive economic effects including leveraging needed private urban investment, guaranteeing long-term job retention, giving our entire region a competitive edge and spurring new industry. It would generate immediate (and critically needed) short-term job opportunities. A federal investment of $7.5 billion in sewer repairs could, all by itself, generate some 350,000 jobs in the regional construction industry and fully funding the $20 billion restoration strategy would generate thousands of additional jobs for blue collar workers and also scientists, contractors, skilled laborers, technicians, and an unknown number of related support staff.
Visit the Great Lakes Commission's site for Great Lakes Day. You can also view the Strategy to Restore and Protect the Great Lakes and a report by Healing Our Waters about the positive economic impacts of Great Lakes restoration.
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