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For more than 20 years, this PCB chemical contamination of Lake Michigan has resulted in lakewide fish consumption advisories for sport fish and outright bans on the commercial harvest and sale of certain important fish species.   The PCB contamination is impacting all four states surrounding Lake Michigan  (Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana.) 
 

In the northern end of Lake Michigan, twenty five years ago, more than 300 commercial fishermen supported their families.  Numerous fish processing businesses prospered.  Now, only a handful survive.

They've been replaced by a large sport-fishing industry, particularly for salmon, but even that has been damaged many times by PCB health warnings for fish consumers.  Charter boat captains on Lake Michigan routinely complain about the warnings, because of the business impact.   Tourism promoters often neglect to mention the advisories.

Wisconsin state officials and local officials of the Fox River Valley often say they want more "local control" over the Fox River cleanup issue.  They resent federal government "interference" in their "local issue."   They worry about Wisconsin jobs in the paper industry, because the corporations threaten to close their paper mills and leave the Fox River Valley if they are forced to clean up the PCBs.  (The corporations can afford the cleanup, but they are obviously using the job threat as leverage to reduce their cleanup costs.)

It's time for these officials to understand the REGIONAL nature of the PCB damage, and to acknowledge the REGIONAL economic costs and job losses which have been caused by Fox Valley PCBs. (see Economic Damage)  They also need to acknowledge the public health risks being imposed on the Lake Michigan Region, because of the corporations' willful carelessness over the past 50 years.

The people of the Fox River Valley have a moral and ethical obligation to support a strong PCB cleanup effort.   There's more at stake than just our local (unfounded) fears. Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, whose combined waters contain 20% of the world's fresh surface water.   It's too valuable a public resource to leave it contaminated.

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