Resolution: Great Lakes Ecosystem Restoration Planning
Adopted on October 3, 2003

Whereas, interest in a large scale plan for ecosystem restoration in the Great Lakes basin has heightened significantly in recent years and enjoys broad based support within the community of Great Lakes interests; and

Whereas, the Great Lakes Governors have agreed upon ecosystem restoration priorities and, through the Council of Great Lakes Governors, have forwarded those priorities to Congress; and

Whereas, the Great Lakes Commission has long supported such an initiative through formal policy actions and resolutions, and has advanced this priority since 2000 with its Great Lakes Program to Ensure Environmental and Economic Prosperity; and

Whereas, the Great Lakes Commission has an interest in, and responsibility for, the coordination and conduct of basinwide planning as expressed in the Great Lakes Basin Compact, adopted by the eight Great Lakes states with the consent of Congress; and

Whereas, U.S. federal legislation to advance Great Lakes ecosystem restoration has been introduced in the U.S. Senate (S. 1398) and House (H.R. 2720), prompting elevated attention to plan development and the subsequent allocation of resources to support implementation.

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the Great Lakes Commission applauds the initiative of Congressional sponsors of this legislation and their role in elevating discussion and expediting action on restoration priorities development, planning and implementation; and

Be It Further Resolved, that the Great Lakes Commission recommends that several elements be reflected in the final form of any federal legislation in the interest of maximizing the benefits of an ecosystem restoration initiative. Such legislation should:

• Explicitly recognize the role of the Great Lakes states as stewards of the resource, and provide for a clear leadership role of the Great Lakes Governors in plan formulation and implementation;
• Include a precise definition of the term "restoration" to ensure that planning elements address the range of programs, projects, activities, research, monitoring and related initiatives that support the reinstatement of beneficial uses of the resource in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner;
• Define the roles of government agencies, private sector interests and non-governmental organizations in collaboration with the leadership of the Great Lakes Governors;
• Involve Canadian provincial and federal agencies, as well as tribal authorities and First Nations, as appropriate, in the planning and implementation process,
• Fully utilize the mandate, legislative authorities and restoration planning expertise of the Great Lakes Commission and other public multi-jurisdictional entities in plan formulation, implementation and related decisionmaking capacities;
• Ensure that the appropriation and allocation of funds is conducted in an orderly, efficient and scientifically sound manner by using restoration priorities and ultimately, a restoration plan as guidance;
• Ensure that funding consideration be given to existing federally authorized programs and projects that are unfunded or underfunded, in the interest of realizing their full potential;
• Avoid unneeded bureaucracy by fully exploiting the potential of existing agencies and organizations for advisory purposes;
• Build upon the many existing publicly funded restoration plans, and recognize implementation efforts already undertaken, ranging from the local to binational systemwide levels;
• Ensure an open and inclusive development process that reflects the views and cultivates the support of stakeholder groups;
• Provide for benchmarking and associated monitoring of all goals, tasks and activities- as well as broader ecosystem conditions- to ensure that progress can be measured over time and adjustments made as needed;
• Provide an overarching set of principles that can provide general guidance for, and consistency among, restoration activities of any scale;
• Provide adequate funds to ensure full state participation in the planning process, a favorable cost-share arrangement to maximize state involvement in implementation, and the flexibility to use multijurisdictional agencies (including but not limited to the Great Lakes Commission) as nonfederal sponsors for multijurisdictional programs and projects.

Be It Finally Resolved, that the Great Lakes Commission reaffirms its commitment to support, assist and partner with the Great Lakes Governors, the Great Lakes Congressional Delegation and the larger community of stakeholders in the interest of advancing an ecosystem restoration initiative for the Great Lakes Basin.

Unanimously adopted by the Great Lakes Commission at its 2003 Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois, October 3, 2003.