Mike DeWine -- Protecting the Great Lakes and Ohio’s

Environment and Natural Resources

Keeping our environment safe is an integral part of Mike DeWine’s
mission to protect Ohio families

Lake Erie is one of Ohio’s greatest natural resources. Throughout his career, Mike DeWine has
been a strong advocate for preserving and protecting Lake Erie and the Great Lakes. As a U.S.
Senator, Mike DeWine served as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Great Lakes Task Force and
sponsored legislation and helped secure millions of dollars to help protect and clean up the Great
Lakes. As Attorney General, he has continued to advocate for their preservation.

A Record of Action in the U.S. Senate

EXPANDING PUBLIC ACCESS TO THE LAKES

In the U.S. Senate, Mike DeWine secured over $43 million for the Great Lakes states to expand
public access to the Lakes. In particular, he secured more than $13 million for Ohio to purchase
critical wetlands, parks, and beaches around Lake Erie, including the land surrounding the
Marblehead Lighthouse.

From 2002 to 2004, then-Senator Mike DeWine secured $5 million for Ohio to help with the
purchase North Bass Island. In 2004, he obtained another $5 million to purchase lands around
the Lake Erie Shoreline/Canal Basin. He secured $2 million to purchase critical wetlands in East
Sandusky Bay and $1 million to acquire vital lands around the Grand River. And, in 1999, Mike
DeWine helped provide $500,000 in federal funding to expand the Ottawa National Wildlife
Refuge on the shores of Lake Erie.

LONG-TERM GREAT LAKES RESTORATION AND PROTECTION

When he was in the U.S. Senate, Mike DeWine was the lead Republican sponsor of the Great
Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 2006 -- a long-term restoration and protection
initiative for the Great Lakes, which would provide grants to make improvements in the Great
Lakes watershed. The President signed this bill into law in October 2006. In response to
mounting evidence that additional data is needed, then-Senator DeWine also sponsored
legislation that would direct the EPA to develop indicators of water quality and related
environmental factors in the Lakes.

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PROTECTING THE GREAT LAKES FORM INVASIVE SPECIES

Senator DeWine sponsored a bill to establish and make permanent the National Invasive Species
Council to ensure that the federal government has a coordinated and comprehensive strategy for
dealing with invasive species. He also co-sponsored The National Aquatic Invasive Species Act
to increase efforts to prevent the introduction of invasive species and to ensure a rapid response
when potentially damaging species invasions occur.

IMPROVING GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY

In 2002, President Bush signed Senator DeWine’s Great Lakes Legacy Act into law. This law
authorized up to $50 million per year for the cleanup of the most polluted rivers that flow into
the Great Lakes.

KEEPING THE GREAT LAKES WATER IN THE LAKES

Mike DeWine has always opposed bulk exports of water from the Great Lakes to outside our
region. In the U.S. Senate, he worked with the U.S. Trade Representative and the Great Lakes
states to ensure that a conservation-based water management process was established that will
protect the Lakes.

IMPROVING LAKE ERIE RESEARCH

In 2001, then-Senator DeWine obtained $350,000 for Stone Laboratory, a Great Lakes research
facility used by The Ohio State University. This funding was used to purchase equipment and
improve the research facilities so that OSU could research issues, such as invasive species,
wetlands, and fishery habitats. In 2004, then-Senator DeWine also secured $400,000 to purchase
lands surrounding Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve where they worked
on developing an increased understanding of the freshwater estuarine system and its role in the
Great Lakes ecosystem.

A Record of Action in the Ohio Attorney General’s Office

INVASIVE SPECIES

Asian carp are an aggressive, invasive species of fish that could cause extensive damage if they
establish themselves in the Great Lakes. The negative financial impact could be in the billions --
and that’s according to conservative estimates. As Attorney General, Mike DeWine testified
about the risks of Asian carp before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and ligated with a
collation of other state Attorneys General to advocate for hydrological separation to prevent
Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes.

In December 2017, Attorney General DeWine urged the Corps to close a lock in waters in
Illinois to prevent the fish from reaching the Great Lakes. He filed comments with the Corps on
its plan for preventing the nuisance species from moving from the Mississippi River Basin into
the Great Lakes. The Corps’ plan involves electrical fences, noise, and water jets to keep out

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invasive species, but Attorney General DeWine believes that it doesn’t go far enough. He
advised that the Corps to immediately close the lock at Brandon Road, near Joliet, while also
developing plans for complete hydrologic separation of the Mississippi River and Great Lakes
basins to block the spread of the fish.

PREVENTING TOXIC DUMPING

After Attorney General DeWine filed multiple lawsuits, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
announced they would properly dispose of the toxic waste. The Corps had threatened to dump
toxic waste dredged from the Cleveland Harbor back into the deep waters of Lake Erie unless the
state paid for onshore containment of the waste. The court ruled that the Corps was required to
dredge the harbor to maintain navigability, and it could not dump the dredged water back into the
lake.

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