Therefore be it resolved that Great Lakes United (GLU) urge that existing authorities be exercised to delineate complementary policies for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River bottomlands that: As a first priority, identify and map areas that should be protected from any significant lakebed alternations, and designate them for legal protection. Prohibit uses of lakebed that are not water-dependent. Identify locations for sitting of projects in areas that can tolerate such disturbances. Prevent degradation of aquatic habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms, water-dependent
birds, and other wildlife from proposed uses. Require a demonstration of clear and substantial public benefit, including but not limited to environmental benefit—including the reduction of electric generation from coal-fired power
plants or nuclear waste generating–facilities—before authorizing such uses. Require the assessment of alternatives to bottomland-use proposals.

Therefore be it resolved that Great Lakes United reaffirms its 2002 opposition to physical and seasonal expansion of the Great Lakes navigation system and St. Lawrence Seaway, and requests that the governments of the United States and Canada formally agree to no longer pursue fiscally irresponsible studies that promote the physical and seasonal expansion of the Great Lakes navigation system and St. Lawrence Seaway.

Therefore be it resolved that Great Lakes United urges Congress to require full Canadian participation in the design and implementation of the Supplement Report as a condition of further funding, and Be it further resolved that Great Lakes United urges Congress to require the Corps to work with other federal agencies and the Canadian government to agree on binational goals and objectives of the Supplement Report, including the following: To assess cumulative environmental damage and socioeconomic losses related to past commercial navigation system construction and operation, and To assess the engineering needs, economic benefits, and environmental and socioeconomic costs, both indirect and cumulative, associated with maintaining the current commercial navigation system, and. To examine the national and regional socioeconomic justification and environmental consequences of continuing foreign commercial shipping through the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Therefore be it resolved that Great Lakes United supports and prioritizes the restoration of natural reefs and aquatic habitat that have been destroyed or degraded due to human activity over the construction of artificial reefs.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the Canadian Autoworkers recommends to Transport Canada that the goals of the supplement to the reconnaissance study be to: Examine the engineering needs and costs associated with maintaining the benefit of domestic shipping and jobs to the regional economy, and examine the economic justification of continued access by foreign ships to the Great Lakes basin.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Great Lakes United calls on the U.S. Congress to immediately stop the Great Lakes Navigation System review, and calls on the Canadian Government to withhold financial or administrative support to the said study.

Therefore be it resolved that Great Lakes United urges the governments of Canada and the United States to: Assess all vectors of ANS introductions, including intentional and unintentional, into the Great Lakes and determine the relative risk of each vector. Develop an action plan to prioritize and prevent ANS introductions from all vectors with set implementation deadlines. Develop mandatory federal enforcement programs for implementation of the action plan insuring provisions for citizen suit. Set criteria and standards for ballast water treatment and management that are subject to guaranteed periodic review and revision and that effectively reduce transfers of invasive organisms into and within the Great Lakes. Create and implement a thorough and effective screening process to ensure all policies, treatments and technologies are environmentally sound (as defined in the National Invasive Species Act).

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Great Lakes United calls on the U.S. Congress to immediately stop the Great Lakes Navigation System review, and calls on the Canadian Government to withhold financial or administrative support to the said study.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Great Lakes United: Demand that the governments of states and provinces possessing Great Lakes shoreline sand dunes ban the mining of Great Lakes shoreline sand dunes; Demand that industry turn to alternative sources of sand and that these sands are extracted with as little environmental impact as possible; Demand that industry develop alternative, low impact technologies to end their dependence on sand; Demand that the governments of states and provinces possessing Great Lakes shoreline sand dunes follow steps prescribed.

Great Lakes United urges the governments of Canada and the United States to: Assess all vectors of ANS introductions, including intentional and unintentional, into the Great Lakes and determine the relative risk of each vector. Develop an action plan to prioritize and prevent ANS introductions from all vectors with set implementation deadlines. Develop mandatory federal enforcement programs for implementation of the action plan insuring provisions for citizen suit. Set criteria and standards for ballast water treatment and management that are subject to guaranteed periodic review and revision and that effectively reduce transfers of invasive organisms into and within the Great Lakes. Create and implement a thorough and effective screening process to ensure all policies, treatments and technologies are environmentally sound (as defined in the National Invasive Species Act).