THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the preventative principle of zero discharge of contaminants be fully implemented through all laws, public policies and private practices; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that no new substances be introduced into the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem until they have been proven not to cause human health problems; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED; that responsible government agencies, including public health agencies, be held accountable and financially responsible for the commitments in and implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that research into the human health effects of Great Lakes water quality be a priority of research sponsored by the re at Lakes Protection Fund and projects sponsored by other organizations; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that research into human health effects focus on vulnerable populations, be interdisciplinary and include socioeconomic as well as neurological, biological and physiological aspects; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that said research be a long-term responsibility and financial commitment of governments and that said research include comprehensive epidemiological studies incorporating the full range of exposure pathways; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that governments encourage and provide incentives for the development of alternatives to toxic substances causing human health effects; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Great Lakes United collaborate with groups at risk to develop information and educational programming to share wirh these groups; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that after the release of the State of the Great Lakes report being prepared by the Conservation Foundation and Institute for Research on Public Policy, Great Lakes United will sponsor an educational conference to inform the public of emerging public health issues and their implications; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Great Lakes United inform policy makers about public concsrns over emerglng health issues and seek their commitment to develop and implement additional appropriate measures to protect human health in the Great Lakes Basin.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Great Lakes United urges the United States Congress to reauthorize and strengthen the Coastal Zone Management Act prior to its expiration in October 1990; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Great Lakes states not currently participating in the federal Coastal Zone Management Program take immediate steps to join the Program so that the Great Lakes ecosystem can benefit fully from comprehensive, Basin-wide shoreline management.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Great Lakes United urges the United States Congress and the Canadian Parliament to appropriate full funding for Great Lakes sea lamprey control and research programs.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the preventative principle of zero discharge of contaminants be fully implemented through all laws, public policies and private practices; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that no new substances be introduced into the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem until they have been proven not to cause human health problems; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED; that responsible government agencies, including public health agencies, be held accountable and financially responsible for the commitments in and implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that research into the human health effects of Great Lakes water quality be a priority of research sponsored by the re at Lakes Protection Fund and projects sponsored by other organizations; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that research into human health effects focus on vulnerable populations, be interdisciplinary and include socioeconomic as well as neurological, biological and physiological aspects; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that said research be a long-term responsibility and financial commitment of governments and that said research include comprehensive epidemiological studies incorporating the full range of exposure pathways; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that governments encourage and provide incentives for the development of alternatives to toxic substances causing human health effects; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Great Lakes United collaborate with groups at risk to develop information and educational programming to share with these groups; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that after the release of the State of the Great Lakes report being prepared by the Conservation Foundation and Institute for Research on Public Policy, Great Lakes United will sponsor an educational conference to inform the public of emerging public health issues and their implications; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Great Lakes United inform policy makers about public concerns over emerging health issues and seek their commitment to develop and implement additional appropriate measures to protect human health in the Great Lakes Basin.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that state- and province-wide data systems be established to cover spills and misses, which analyze and report causes including human factors; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that state- and province-wide spill prevention programs be established for fixed installations and transportation systems which target engineering design, human factors, substance abuse, employee assistance programs, operator training, monitoring and control of transportation systems; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that funding be appropriated for spill prevention research; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Great Lakes United urges the federal governments of the United States and Canada and also the governments of the states and provinces that front on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River to work with the snipping companies to finance, build, staff and maintain an oil spill clean-up capability that is 50 percent larger than the largest foreseeable disaster that could occur on the lakes and/or rivers; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Great Lakes United urges the U. S. Congress and Canadian Parliament, each Great Lakes state's Congressional delegation and Canadian federal and provincial legislators and the Great Lakes governors and premiers to work to establish federal legislation to provide for a Great Lakes National Spill Prevention Program providing authority and funds for research, data management and analysis, improved transportation controls, planning and training and cooperation with the U. S. Department of Transportation, Transport Canada; U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environment Canada, the International Joint Commission, and the Great Lakes states and provinces; AND

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that an emergency clean-up team for the Great Lakes Basin be established that can respond immediately to a spill with state-of-the-art equipment.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that, as a first step in efforts to restore water quality in the Great Lakes, Great Lakes United endorses the adoption of a Toxics Freeze. The Toxics Freeze must prohibit any net increases in the total mass loadings entering the Great Lakes or any of the 362 toxic conipounds on the IJC Great Lakes Water Quality Board's "1986 Working List of Chemicals in the Great Lakes Basin"; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that ihe Toxics Freeze is recognized as only the first step 2nd must be coupled with measures that wiil reduce the total mass loadings of toxic substances according to a strict tinletable; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that GLU call upon the governments in all Great Lakes jurisdictions -- States, Provinces and Federal Governments -- to adopt a Toxics Freeze either as a new law or as part of ongoing programs which may inciude Remedial Action Plans, Lakewide Management Plans, Quebec's "Projet de miss en vaiuer du Saint-Laurent", Ontario's MISA program, and revisions to water quality standards and pcilution control regulations.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Great Lakes United set up a transboundary working group in conjunction with the Zero Discharge Alliance to develop a strategy for implementation of the air toxics provisions of the Clean Air Act and similar Canadian clean air initiatives and strategies for applying the policy of zero discharge to air toxics in accordance with Annex 15 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Great lakes United create the LABOR AND ENVIRONMENTAL TASK FORCE to develop strategies to support efforts establishing programs at the local, state and provincial levels to compensate and retrain workers so affected; in addition, to support labor participation in decisions regarding process changes and production reorganization to achieve zero discharge; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Task Force will work to strengthen and build the alliance between labor and environmental organizations to achieve our common goals.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Great Lakes United and its member organizations support passage of a strong Michigan Scenic Rivers legislation and pass our concerns on to appropriate parties.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Great Lakes United affirm its opposition to construction of new water level control structures in the Great Lakes; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the plan of study for Phase 2 of, the IJC water level study emphasize identifying responses to water level fluctuations that do not require structural controls. These include approaches such as coastal zone hazard planning and other land use management approaches.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Great Lakes United supports the inclusion of strong antidegradation procedures as part of the U.S. EPA's Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative. The antidegradation policies and procedures should be used to move expeditiously to zero discharge of persistent toxic substances. Such policies should be implemented in conjunction with efforts such as Lakewide Management Plans and Remedial Action Plans that set clear targets for reducing total loadings of persistent toxic chemicals in regular, enforceable steps to zero. Antidegradation review should triggered not only by proposed or actual increases above current discharges, but should be also triggered by increases above target load allocations derived from load reduction plans thereby assuring steady progress to zero discharge; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Great Lakes United proposes that Great Lakes antidegradation policy be implemented in such a way that:

1. any exception to antidegradation prohibitions be treated as "variances" so that decisions about proposed exceptions are made in a public forum,
2. such exceptions be allowed only after the discharger requesting exception satisfies the following hierarchy of legally enforceable requirements:
a) that the discharger has implemented a waste reduction program using the best available waste reduction/pollution prevention techniques,
b) that the discharger can prove that no environmental damage will occur and that the proof is corroborated by independent experts.
c) that economic and social factors shall not be considered reasons for variances.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that RAP writing teams be advised that all RAPs should thoroughly identify and investigate all potential AOC and upstream sources of urban non-point source pollution; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all RAPs should include existing data, for all identified and likely sources of urban non-point source pollution, then make detailed recommendations for monitoring, levels of detection, specific sources, estimations of loadings, specific methods of remediation, a timetable for completion, a list of parties responsible for remediation, and a list of potential sources of funding for remediation; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that remedial measures for cleaning up urban non-point source pollution should set a goal of zero toxic discharge, with emphasis on the source reduction of polluting substances.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that remedial measures be developed in the control of urban runoff and the use of wetlands be considered as an appropriate management tool to prevent further degradation of water quality resulting from urban runoff.