GAO faults Great Lakes cleanup plan

EPA needs to tighten its initiative aimed at eliminating toxic pollutants in the Great Lakes if it is going to be effective, according to a report from congressional investigators. The Government Accountability Office says EPA has not made sure that states bordering the lakes are consistent in implementing the agency's 1995 Great Lakes Initiative. Water pollution permits for mercury discharges vary from state to state, GAO found. Its Aug. 26 report recommends that EPA issue a strategy that Great Lakes states must follow when issuing discharge permits for mercury. It also says EPA must resolve disagreements with Wisconsin, which has not fully adopted the Great Lakes Initiative. In addition, GAO says the EPA initiative "has limited potential to improve overall water quality in the Great Lakes" because it focuses on industrial discharges while air deposition, agricultural runoff, and other sources bring greater amounts of pollution into these water bodies. The report is available at www.gao.gov/new.items/d05829.pdf.