In The News

New bill about the Great Lakes has merit
The Ludington Daily News - Editorial - June 10, 2013

Last week U.S. Rep’s Bill Huizenga, Dan Benishek and Candice Miller, joined by two New York State colleagues, introduced a bill to have the U.S. Corps of Engineers treat the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway as one unit when it comes to dredging makes sense.

Especially in light of the fact that apparently the Corps has for a long time treated the Mississippi River system as one unit.

In essence, the current different ways of treating such large water resources created an imbalance that puts the Great Lakes at a disadvantage, and in particular, individual Great Lakes harbors.

The legislation also would allow recreational harbors, such as Pentwater, to be eligible for dredging if the harbors comes up with 50 percent of the funds.

It’s perhaps not a perfect solution, since even recreational harbors such as Pentwater contribute to the local, state and national economies. But it’s better than being shut out entirely.

Huizenga said the bill has a fairly good chance of passing and becoming law, noting other members of Congress seem sympathetic to the plight of Great Lakes harbors.

By now, though, everyone knows one can’t count on anything making it through both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate. Last week, though both parties and both the House and the Senate expressed a willingness to do something to prevent student loans rates from doubling, they couldn’t pass the needed legislation causing one member of Congress to lament, if they couldn’t pass the student loan fix, they can’t pass anything.

Huizenga, Benishek and other sophomore Republicans last term chose to forego the practice of earmarks, which undoubtedly were abused. But an earmark didn’t always equate to pork barrel politics. Sometimes, it was the only way to get necessary work done when local matters just don’t seem to cut with lawmakers who don’t understand certain unique local needs.

To their credit, Huizenga and Benishek are trying to find a more permanent, above-board fix to the dredging issue. But they’ve yet to succeed in getting the harbor maintenance fund that has funds available, actually be dedicated to doing harbor maintenance such as dredging.

This isn’t meant to criticize them, but rather to point out what seems logical to citizens, sometimes can’t get through Congress. Maybe this time these two initiatives will.