Great Lakes United believes this proposed rule is essential to improve, adopt and fully implement, as 72% of the invaders that have established since 1959 are from the ballast discharge of ocean-going ships (Reid, et al, 2002). In general, Great Lakes United supports the provisions under the proposed rule, “Penalties for Non-Submission of Ballast Water Management Reports” that require mandatory Ballast Water Management reporting and would apply penalties to ships operating without the required reports. Great Lakes United believes that strong enforcement and application of penalties are needed to analyze the effectiveness of existing ballast water management requirements-- requirements created to protect the Great Lakes from invasive species.

I am writing on behalf of Great Lakes United to comment on the proposed rulemaking, “Mandatory Ballast Water Management Program for U.S. Waters.” In this proposed rulemaking, the U.S. Coast Guard is “proposing to convert the voluntary ballast water management program into a mandatory ballast water management program” thereby increasing the Coast Guard’s “ability to protect against introductions of new non-indigenous species via ballast water discharge.” In the proposed rulemaking the Coast Guard notes that the mandatory ballast water management program proposed nationwide is already mandatory for vessels entering the Great Lakes.

Background information on the zebra mussel. Includes native range, history of invasion, biology, and ecological impacts.

This factsheet provides background information and a list of invasive species discovered in the Great Lakes.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Great Lakes United calls on the Federal Cabinet to immediately overrule the Minister's decision and direct her to make preparations for a full, independent panel environmental assessment hearing to fully address the health and social concerns expressed by the public.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that GLU urges maximum waste reduction, reuse, recycling
and composting efforts to dramatically reduce the waste of valuable resources and the contamination of the environment through disposal; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that GLU opposes the export of garbage korn communities where the garbage is generated; and BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that GLU supports legislation prohibiting the flow of waste from one region to another, including legislation that will give individual states, provinces, municipalities, and tribal and First Nation territories the authority to prohibit the flow of such
waste across their borders.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the International Joint Commission is asked to fulfill the recommendations and objectives of Phase II of the Levels Reference Study for continued examination of the interests and issues identified, undertake science-based impact analyses of current and future water levels regulation plans, and release the results of these investigations to the public for review and input.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:(1) Great Lakes United rcspcctfi~llyrc quests Canada's Minister of the Environment to appoint an independent panel to review the re-start of the Pickering "A" nuclear station; and (2) Great Lakes United respectfully requests the Environment Minister to instruct the panel to reconsider the scope of the review, and to include amongst other issues the review of a severe accident with loss of containment, alternative means of generating electricity, and an economic evaluation of the re-start proposal and its alternatives.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Great Lakes United hereby supports full protection of all old growth from any logging or disturbance in Zoar Valley Multiple Use Areas and; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Great Lakes United opposes any logging in the Valentine Flats and; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Great Lakes United supports keeping Valentine Flats off limits to motorized vehicles.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Great Lakes United supports prohibition of logging for the purpose of commercial timber extraction on federal lands, as the first step towards managing Great Lakes forested ecosystems sustainably.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Great Lakes United members advocate the removal
of the 5.5 miles of four lanes of concrete Robert Moses Parkway between Niagara Falls, New York, and Lewiston, New York, and the land be restored with trees, long-grass wildflower meadows in accord wirh Frederick Law Olmstead and Calvert Vaux's philosophy of natural parks, to be complemented by gorgetop hiking and biking trails to run the entire length.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Great Lakes go on record in favor of an extensive program to bring native fish populations up to levels supportable by the forage base through restoration, and that further stocking of non-native fish species be annually reduced until final elimination of such stocking is achieved.