People working for Great Lakes restoration with the Alliance for the Great Lakes say the election of Barack Obama as president will usher in a favorable era for protecting the lakes from toxic pollution, invasive species, and water diversion. The Alliance hosted a conference call on the topic November 6 from its Chicago headquarters, pointing out Mr. Obama's support of Great Lakes protection measures as a senator and his pre-election pledge to provide federal funding of $5 billion to restoration efforts, among other proposals.

The conference call featured Alliance CEO and President Cameron Davis, who also served as a senior advisor to the Obama- Biden campaign in his personal capacity, and Michael E. Kraft, professor of public and environmental affairs and political science chairman at the University of Wisconsin- Green Bay.

"We are very excited at the Alliance because of the doors that I think have opened," said Mr. Davis, who was speaking on behalf of the nonpartisan agency, but not on behalf of his campaign work. About 130 supporters of Great Lakes issues from various environmental agencies, the public, elected officials, and the media took part in the discussion.

Moments before the call Thursday, it was announced that Rahm Emanuel would be the Obama administration's chief of staff, which Mr. Davis and Mr. Kraft considered more good news for the Great Lakes.

"I've always considered Rahm Emanuel to be the godfather of Great Lakes legislation," said Mr. Davis, pointing out that Congressman Emanuel was the first to introduce a bill to consider the Great Lakes "in a holistic way....It is a very hopeful sign for us in so many ways."

Mr. Davis, who first met Mr. Obama 10 years ago at a Lake Michigan beach clean-up in Chicago, said the president-elect "has at every turn been supportive of Great Lakes causes."

Five measures listed in the Obama-Biden administration's commitment are the following: pledging $5 billion in new federal funds for restoration; coming up with a "zero toxics" plan for the Great Lakes to measure pollution, identify its sources, and reduce toxic deposits; appointing a Great Lakes coordinator within the Environmental Protection Agency to oversee efforts; taking a zero tolerance approach toward invasive species, which will include stopping the discharge of the species in ballast water of ships and federally funding efforts to prevent Asian carp invasion; avoiding further diversions of water, through the Great Lakes Compact, which Mr. Obama co-sponsored.

Earlier this year, the other potential presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and John McCain, also were asked to make pre-election commitments to Great Lakes issues, and did so.

As the new president comes in, three things that will be important to watch will be presidential appointments to key environmental posts, new policy initiatives, and limits imposed by the federal budget, Mr. Kraft said.

In presidential appointments, the public may see a "striking difference" between the approach of the Obama administration and the Bush administration, Mr. Kraft said, pointing out that the current administration heavily favored putting people from industry and commerce in top posts, with "very few" appointments from the scientific fields, while the incoming administration may favor more appointments from science, environmental, and research fields.

The federal budget, particularly in the face of the recent financial upheaval, will be a constraint, he cautioned.

"The new president will be severely constrained, unfortunately, particularly to go above what Congress has approved."

In policy issues, Mr. Kraft foresees perhaps a more favorable U.S./Canadian relationship regard- ing the lakes, "while the current administration has shown a reluctance to work with other countries on international issues," and a move away from the idea that environmental protection issues are in conflict with economic ones.

During this year's presidential election campaign, both Mr. Kraft and Mr. Davis said, even in the face of issues like war and the country's economic crisis, environmental concerns were in the forefront, "even though the environmental issue was couched in different terms than we're used to, for example 'green jobs,'" Mr. Davis said. "The environmental issues and the economy are at a point where they're starting to dovetail at last."

Mr. Kraft agreed. "Energy development, in particular offshore drilling and green jobs, and investing in renewable energy for the long term" were the environmental issues on the table, and were more of a focus in this year's election than in other years, he pointed out. He later also specifically mentioned energy initiatives in the Great Lakes region for windpower, possibly including offshore windpower, and ethanol production using biofuels other than corn. Tapping into these two energy sources is being explored here in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, as The St. Ignace News has recently reported.

The speakers were also positive about the shift toward the Democratic party in the legislature, and pointed out that a lot of the Republican senators seated are moderates.

"The 111th Congress will be more likely to favor support for environmental issues," said Mr. Kraft.

As decisions are made about the new administration, it is important for people to keep up their efforts toward pushing for Great Lakes reform, Mr. Davis suggested.

"It is important for us in civic organizations or public interest organizations to not rest," he said, and not assume that public policy matters will be taken care of by a friendly administration.

To avoid overwhelming an administration already facing strong budget constraints, he said whenever possible, people and groups should try to figure out ways to pay for projects they want to advance, in addition to asking for federal help.

"It's important to also think about creative funding solutions for the kinds of public policy we want to see," Mr. Davis said.

The Alliance for the Great Lakes began in 1970 as the volunteer Lake Michigan Federation and works to conserve and restore the world's largest freshwater resource through policy, education, and local preservation efforts. It has offices in Chicago and in Grand Haven.