Kaptur elected to serve as Co-Chair of Great Lakes Task Force
February 7, 2015
WASHINGTON--Yesterday Members of the Great Lakes Congressional delegation voted to elect Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) to serve as Co-Chair of the House Great Lakes Task Force (GLTF). She joins fellow Co-Chairs Representatives Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Candice Miller (R-MI), and Sean Duffy (R-WI). The GLTF is a bipartisan working group focusing on issues impacting the economic and environmental health of the Great Lakes region.
“The Great Lakes are an ecological treasure and a major economic driver for our region,” said Rep. Kaptur. “This unparalleled resource regularly faces environmental threats such as algal blooms and Asian carp as well as long-term concerns that include aging infrastructure, upgrading industrial manufacturing capacity and expanding tourism. I am eager to advance big ideas that will safeguard this resource, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and fellow Co-Chairs to improve and promote our irreplaceable Great Lakes region.”
“Representative Kaptur is a close friend and a strong ally when it comes to Great Lakes issues,” said Rep. Louise Slaughter, a long-serving Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Task Force. “After algal blooms disrupted the water supply in Toledo, she sprang into action and secured extra funding to combat algae in the Great Lakes. I know she will be a strong defender of the Great Lakes, and welcome her as a co-chair of our bipartisan task force.”
“I welcome Rep. Kaptur as one of our new Co-Chairs on this bipartisan, bicameral group of members dedicated to protecting the Great Lakes. Kaptur has been a fierce advocate of our Magnificent Great Lakes, and I look forward to continuing our work together on the Task Force,” said Rep. Candice Miller, a longstanding Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Task Force.
Rep . Sean Duffy (WI-07) offered, "Rep. Kaptur has been a great advocate for Ohioans on Great Lakes issues and I look forward to working with her in her newly expanded role as a Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Task Force. The Task Force has provided critical support for Great Lakes economic development, shipping and commerce, and conservation initiatives. She will be a great asset for our efforts to restore and protect these beautiful and economically important waters."
In her first speech to the Task Force as a Co-Chair, Representative Kaptur highlighted the importance of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, the need for investments in transportation and infrastructure, emerging concerns regarding Nonpoint Source Pollution, and the importance of strategic initiatives that position the Great Lakes to be globally competitive.
Representing a district that includes the largest stretch of Lake Erie’s coastline, Congresswoman Kaptur has long fought for Great Lakes priorities. As a Member of the House Appropriations Committee, she has helped fund key regional programs including the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. She also assumed a leading role in addressing and preventing toxic algal blooms in the lakes following a three-day water emergency in her hometown of Toledo.
The House Great Lakes Task Force was founded in the mid-1980s and is associated with the Northeast-Midwest Institute. Working together, the Great Lakes Task Force builds support for key regional programs, coordinates efforts to provide agency oversight, and advances legislative initiatives and funding priorities.
Contact: Matt Sonneborn, 202-225-4146 or Matt.Sonneborn@mail.house.gov
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