SCHUMER SUCCESSFULLY LEAD EFFORT TO BLOCK SENATE BILL THAT COULD HAVE POLLUTED NEW YORK’S GREAT LAKES

Senator Vows to Fight Any Future Threat

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, the Senate minority leader, today announced that an attempt in the Senate that would have paved the way for invasive species to spread like wild fire in upstate New York’s Great Lakes was successfully stopped. Schumer, who lead the effort to kill the legislation in the Senate, said the proposed Coast Guard bill included a provision called the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA), which would have allowed ships to dump their toxic waste in bodies of water like the Great Lakes and spread invasive species without the oversight of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and prevent New York State from taking any action.

“We need to do everything possible to bolster and protect our Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River from invasive species. When I caught wind of an attempt to move to include language in a relatively non-controversial Coast Guard Reauthorization bill, which would threaten the health of our great lakes, I immediately got to work. I made it crystal clear to my colleagues in the Senate that any proposal that would harm the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River is a non-starter . Our Great lakes are source of drinking water, tourism and source of pride for many Upstate communities and I would ferociously fight attempt to harm our environment or our water tourism industry. This is exactly what I did today,” said U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer.

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