Uneven burden: Great Lakes get billions in local funds | Battle Creek Enquirer - www.battlecreekenquirer.com - Battle Creek, Mich.

Uneven burden: Great Lakes get billions in local funds Battle Creek Enquirer - www.battlecreekenquirer.com - Battle Creek, Mich.: "There seems to be widespread agreement that our Great Lakes need to be cleaned up, restored and protected. They are, after all, a natural treasure that provide huge economic, environmental and recreational benefits not only for the region but for the entire nation.

A report released last week, however, indicates that financial support to help the lakes is coming mainly from local governments, despite President Bush's call in 2004 for a federal strategy to protect and restore the lakes. The following year, a coalition of government agencies, Indian tribes and other groups produced a wide-ranging plan to do just that - at an estimated cost of $20 billion"