WASHINGTON - Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., today announced that they would serve as the co-chairs of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force for the 112thCongress.

"I am pleased that Senator Kirk will serve as co-chair of the task force, and I'm excited about our prospects to protect and enhance our Great Lakes," said Levin. "The task force has led the way to passage for legislation to clean up contaminated sediments, fight invasive species and prevent the diversion of precious fresh water from the Great Lakes basin. I look forward to working with Senator Kirk and I am confident that he will help add to that important legacy."

"It is my honor to serve as co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force with Senator Levin," Senator Kirk said. "This bipartisan, bicameral Task Force will work to protect our Great Lakes--the crown jewel of the Midwest's ecosystem. Recently, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and I have worked to crack down on raw sewage dumping into the lakes and my hope is to continue this momentum in the Great Lakes Task Force to develop bipartisan solutions and protect drinking water for 30 million Americans and for generations to come."

The Great Lakes Task Force is a bipartisan, bicameral group that works to enhance the economic and environmental health of the Great Lakes. Members of the task force have worked to pass many key programs supporting the lakes, including the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, invasive species prevention and control, contaminated sediment cleanup, authorizing and funding the Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control, and creating a Great Lakes restoration initiative.

Levin has served as the Democratic co-chair of the task force since 1999. Kirk will take over the Republican co-chair spot, which was held by Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, until his retirement in January.

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