III 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 187 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 26, 2007 

Received and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the dumping 

of industrial waste into the Great Lakes. 

Whereas the Great Lakes are the largest surface freshwater 

system on the planet; 

Whereas the Great Lakes account for 95 percent of the 

United States’ surface fresh water and about 21 percent 

of the world’s supply; 

Whereas the Great Lakes provide drinking water for more 

than 30 million Americans; 


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HCON 187 RFS 

Whereas, on May 18, 2004, President George W. Bush said 

‘‘the Great Lakes are a national treasure’’; 

Whereas Congress has expressed its commitment to protecting the Great Lakes from pollutants and contaminants through the Clean Water Act and subsequent legislation; 

Whereas the United States Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) and Environment Canada joined together in promulgating the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy to 

eliminate the presence of persistent toxic substances in 

the Great Lakes basin; 

Whereas the ‘‘mixing zones’’ that dilute toxic chemicals discharged into the Great Lakes system have been controversial as a possible threat to humans, fish and wildlife; 

Whereas the Great Lakes are plagued by pollutants such as 

mercury, PCBs, ammonia, DDT, alkylated lead, 

hexachlorobenzene, TCDD, toxaphene, and others; 

Whereas high amounts of ammonia can cause algae blooms 

that threaten fish and water quality; 

Whereas the Indiana Department of Environmental Management recently issued a permit to BP PLC to allow their 

facility in Whiting, IN, to release 54 percent more ammonia and 35 percent more total suspended solids into Lake 

Michigan each day; 

Whereas the BP Whiting facility will now be allowed to dump 

an average of 1,584 pounds of ammonia and 4,925 

pounds of total suspended solids daily into Lake Michigan; 

Whereas the Great Lakes already face myriad challenges 

from chemicals and pollutants, including a steep increase 


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in fish consumption warnings and record numbers of 

beach closures; and 

Whereas Congress has a clear role in protecting the Great 

Lakes as an entity that spans across State and international boundaries: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 

3 (1) Congress expresses its disapproval of the 

4 Indiana Department of Environmental Manage5 ment’s issuance of a permit allowing BP to increase 

6 their daily dumping of ammonia and total suspended 

7 solids into Lake Michigan; 

8 (2) Congress urges the State of Indiana to re9 consider issuance of a permit allowing BP to in10 crease their daily dumping of ammonia and total 

11 suspended solids into Lake Michigan; 

12 (3) Congress should take action to protect and 

13 restore the Great Lakes; 

14 (4) the United States Environmental Protection 

15 Agency’s actions in the Great Lakes basin should be 

16 consistent with the goal of preserving and restoring 

17 the Great Lakes; and 


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1 (5) the United States Environmental Protection 

2 Agency should not allow increased dumping of 

3 chemicals and pollutants into the Great Lakes. 

Passed the House of Representatives July 25, 2007. 

Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, 

Clerk. 


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