During the meeting, the Coast Guard answered questions and invited the public to comment, but they also stressed how the new plan was necessary to help them better protect the Great Lakes region in the war on terrorism. Chris Trapall of the Earth Day Coalition attended the meeting.
Chris Trapall: Because Cleveland is the poorest city in the nation, we also have one of the highest numbers of children with lead poisoning so we don't need an additional 7,000 pounds of lead dumped into the lake every year from weapons.
Despite the 89-page environmental report the Coast Guard commissioned that revealed the bullets would cause no threat to humans or the environment, the proposal has come under fire from environmental advocates and those concerned about boater safety. Congressman Dennis Kucinich announced yesterday he is mounting opposition to the plan, saying the environmental study was not thorough enough. For 90.3, I'm Elaine Falk.