who should go first in paying for Lakes protection?

Does anyone else see an inconsistency between:

Several mayors said the lakes should not be deemed merely local concerns, but seen as a broader issue, akin to assisting the New Orleans region after Hurricane Katrina  or restoring the Everglades in Florida.

And the rightful refrain that other regions should not be given license to take Great Lakes water?

Yes, federal policy and lack of same had a major role in worsening the problem of invasive aquatic species in the Lakes, and for that crisis a federal funding and policy solution makes sense. But so many of the other challenges facing the Great Lakes have been exacerbated by states and communities.

It is time for the Great Lakes states to put new money on the table to protect the Lakes -- and only then ask for federal help in the form of a partnership.