$20 billion is a lot of money, but, according to one study, an investment of that amount to clean up the Great Lakes could generate nearly three times that amount in jobs and economic investment. After Great Lakes leaders agreed to a cleanup plan in 2005, federal legislators have taken no action to support it, and one Great Lakes editor agrees that it’s time for businesses, organizations and state government to move ahead on their own.
According to excerpts from the story:
We have voiced support on numerous occasions for the Great Lakes restoration plan unveiled in 2005 by a coalition of federal, state, local and tribal agencies.
The ambitious long-range strategy would protect and upgrade the Great Lakes' ecosystem at an estimated cost of $20 billion. But it would generate at least $50 billion in long-term economic benefits for the region, according to an analysis released last year by the Brookings Institution.
Read the complete story here.
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