Several state and federal lawmakers from Ohio vowed on Monday to step up legislative efforts to stop invasive aquatic species from reaching Lake Erie waters through ship ballast water.
"I call them terrorists from abroad," said Sen. George Voinovich, who along with a representative from Sen. Sherrod Brown's office was at a news conference at Edgewater Park on Monday, pushing for tougher federal legislation to treat the ballast water aboard ships that have come from the ocean into the Great Lakes.
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1185266119130890.xml&coll=2
The legislative objective is great, but news conferences are a dime a dozen. And the specifics of what the Senators are seeking are not clarified in the article. Still, there seems to be a crescendo building in the media. Can the shipping industry win for the 20th straight year and fend off any meaningful limits on its freedom to pollute biologically in the Great Lakes?
Terrorists?! Sounds like a typical politician soundbite. And yet...if an enemy of our country had done this--deposit in the Great Lakes something that could decimate our fishing/swimming/boating/lakes way of life--isn't that exactly what we'd call it?! And then Guvment would have to kick into action...so WHY DON'T THEY DO SOMETHING...NOW?!
Posted by: Jack | July 24, 2007 at 08:43 AM