HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2003.03.19 - 27202MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION # 03061 March 20, 2003
BY: GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE, WILLIAM R. PATTERSON, CHAIRPERSON
IN RE: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS — ADDED FEDERAL FUNDING TO FIGHT POLLUTION IN LAKE
ST. CLAIR
To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners
Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen:
WHEREAS the Great Lakes -- Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario - and their connecting channels
form the largest fresh surface water system on Earth; and
WHEREAS the Great Lakes, in their current state, are one of the youngest natural features on the North
American continent. Covering more than 94,000 square miles and draining more than twice as much land,
these freshwater seas hold an estimated 6 quadrillion gallons of water, about one-fifth of the world's fresh
surface water supply and nine-tenths of the U.S. supply; and
WHEREAS the channels that connect the Great Lakes are an important part of the system. One of the
channels is Lake St. Clair. This body of water is a 26-mile long lake north of Detroit between Lakes Huron and
Erie, with the United States on the west and Canada on the east. Lake St. Clair plays a vital role in the Great
Lakes system; and
WHEREAS the Great Lakes system, including Lake St. Clair, greatly affects our way of life, as well as all
aspects of the natural environment, from weather and climate, to wildlife and habitat; and
WHEREAS Lake St. Clair supplies drinking water to 6 million U.S. and Canadian citizens and has a direct
effect on the water flowing downstream into Lakes Erie and Ontario. It is the most productive sportfishery in
the Great Lakes and is one of the most heavily used portions of the Great Lakes for recreational boating; and
WHEREAS the Oakland County Board of Commissioners recognizes that Lake St. Clair has been plagued
with beach closings, sewage overflows, invasive species, toxic contamination and other ills. For far too long
a period of time, these environmental hazards have been overlooked when it came to restoring and protecting
the water resources of the Great Lakes; and
WHEREAS Representative Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak) and Representative Candice Miller (R-Harrison
Twp.) have introduced a resolution which supports three bills pending in Congress seeking to make Lake St,
Clair eligible for millions of dollars in extra federal aid.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners hereby supports
the efforts of Representative Levin and Representative Miller and urges the United States Congress to pass
these bills to help protect Lake St. Clair and ensure that the lake is a healthy and productive resource for the
millions who rely on this invaluable resource for their drinking water.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this adopted resolution be forwarded to the Governor of the State
of Michigan, the Oakland County delegation to the state and federal legislatures, the Michigan Association
of Counties, the Great Lakes Commission and Oakland County's legislative lobbyists.
Chairperson, we move the adoption of the foregoing resolution.
GENERAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
kre,
General Government Committee Vote:
Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote,
G. William Caddell, County Clerk
Resolution #03061 March 20, 2003
Moved by Patterson supported by Middleton the resolution be adopted.
AYES: Law, Long, McMillin, Middleton, Moffitt, Moss, Palmer, Patterson, Potter, Rogers, Scott,
Suarez, Webster, Zack, Bullard, Coleman, Coulter, Crawford, Douglas, Gregory, Hatchett, Jamian,
Knollenberg, Kowa (24)
NAYS: None. (0)
A sufficient majority having voted therefore, the resolution, was adopted_
STATE OF MICHIGAN)
COUNTY OF OAKLAND)
I, G. William Caddell, Clerk of the County of Oakland, do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is a true
and accurate copy of a resolution adopted by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners on
March 20, 2003, with the original record thereof now remaining in my office.
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the County of Oakland at
Pontiac, Michigan this 20th day of March, 2003,