Port of Cleveland Thanks Public for Speaking Out Against Open Lake Dumping
March 3, 2016
By: AJOT
March 3, 2016
The citizens of Northeast Ohio showed up in force March 1st at the Breen Center to oppose the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) latest proposal to dump unsuitable sediment in Lake Erie. Over 100 members of the general public attended, along with public officials and local leaders advocating for the protection of clean water, the environment and jobs.
Public officials and community stakeholders who spoke in opposition to open lake dumping included: Kurt Princic, Northeast District Chief for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency; David Emerman, Assistant Ohio Attorney General; Mike Foley, Director of Sustainability for Cuyahoga County, Will Friedman, President and CEO for the Port of Cleveland; Chris Ronayne, Chair of the Port’s Board of Directors, along with representatives and comments on behalf of Congresswomen Marcia Fudge and Marcy Kaptur. Representatives from the business and nonprofit community, including ArcelorMittal Cleveland steel mill, the Ohio Environmental Council, and the Cleveland Water Alliance, among others, also spoke about the threat the USACE’s position poses to the local economy and environment. The voices against the USACE’s plans were consistent, with many private citizens urging the USACE to abandon its unreasonable position and instead work with other stakeholders on a safe solution.
“The Port of Cleveland is gratified by the outpouring of public support in the community to stop the Army Corps’ plan to dump unsuitable sediment into our most precious natural resource, Lake Erie,” said Will Friedman, Port President and CEO. “We thank all who attended, and if it was not clear before, it’s now abundantly apparent that there is virtual unanimity in our community that open lake dumping is a very bad idea . We hope the Army Corps will respect the public’s wishes and work with us and others to implement a sensible approach to handling sediment that protects water quality, wildlife, and jobs.”