EXCERPT:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Tuesday reversed an Obama-era policy that ordered for the protection of oceans and the Great Lakes.
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) sent a letter to the President on Wednesday to remind him that there is a permanent federal ban on gas and oil drilling in the Great Lakes.
“The economic and environmental significance of the Great Lakes cannot be overstated,” Stabenow wrote. “Our Great Lakes are the largest surface freshwater system on Earth, supply drinking water to over 40 million people, and sustain a $6 trillion economy and over 50 million jobs. Given the existing ban on drilling and the importance of the Great Lakes, I call on you to reverse course and oppose any efforts to open our waters to oil and gas drilling as a result of your recent Executive Order.”
