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Hi. I'm State Representative Terry Brown. Welcome to my weekly update, "Talking With Terry."

It's the time of year when people start putting the boats away and reminiscing about summer. This tends to make me think of how much we take Lake Huron for granted. In fact, when I think of all the threats to our Great Lakes, the most dangerous one is apathy. As winter approaches, we can't allow ourselves – or each other – to let our fight to restore the Great Lakes go dormant. Now is the time to push forward.

We have the momentum of the Michigan House and Senate working together to pass the landmark "Great Waters, Great Michigan" package, which I was proud to sponsor part of. This monumental agreement will protect thousands of jobs and help preserve our way of life in the Great Lakes State. The centerpiece of the plan effectively bans the diversion of water outside the Great Lakes Basin by ratifying the Great Lakes Basin Water Resources Compact. Congress has now passed this Compact, and the President signed it last week.

The state, nonprofit groups, universities and cities and towns in Michigan are pooling their intellectual and financial resources to do all we can to save the Great Lakes. When the new administration takes office, Michigan needs to be front and center, pushing for the $20 billion in federal funds that we have been promised to restore the Great Lakes. This money will pay for many projects to achieve goals that experts agree are urgent. Even in these tough economic times, this is an investment worth making, because the return will be phenomenal.

Chief among these projects, and most essential for the Thumb, are those that fight the overgrowth of algae that is creating our long-term muck problem. These include stopping combined sewer overflows and polluted runoff, and regulating leaky and failed septic systems. The thousands of jobs that will be saved by these projects – not to mention the ones that will be created – make this federal investment essential for Michigan, our region and our nation. The Great Lakes, after all, power Michigan's three largest industries – agriculture, manufacturing and tourism. We can set a new standard for state-federal partnerships, where federal dollars fuel effective action under local control. Now is not the time to hibernate; it is the time to wake up and fight for the resources we need to invest in our most important natural and economic resource.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns about the Great Lakes or any other issues. You can call me, toll-free, at (888) 254-5284. Or, you can e-mail me at terrybrown@house.mi.gov. I am here to serve you and your family. Thank you for listening to "Talking with Terry."

Make it a great day!