Alcona County Review: U.S. Senator tours Harrisville Harbor during motorcycle tour through Michigan last week

Harrisville was the second stop in the first day of U.S. Senator Gary Peters’ motorcycle tour through 26 counties last week. He made a total of 12 stops over five days meeting with officials, business owners and community leaders to discuss his work on behalf of Michigan while serving in the U.S. Senate.

His first stop was at the Alcona Health Center clinic in Oscoda to talk about the Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act. In Harrisville he met with City of Harrisville Mayor John Dobis and Harrisville Harbormaster Jim Ferguson to tour the Harrisville Harbor of Refuge to discuss the importance of Great Lakes conservation and research efforts to support Michigan’s commercial fishing and tourism industries on Monday, Aug 29. They talked about legislation he introduced to support the $7 billion Great Lakes sport and fishery industry. As one of Lake Huron’s harbors of refuge, it supports fishing, tourism and recreation.

“The Great Lakes are an ecological and economic treasure for our state and our country, and facilities like the Harrisville Harbor of Refuge are critical to driving commerce and tourism” Peters said. “As a member of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, I am committed to protecting the diverse Great Lakes ecosystem and ensuring federal policies take into account the unique importance of the world’s largest freshwater system.”

“Our mission statement is ‘Providing Lake Huron mariners with safe haven, uncompromising amenities, and the contentment of the north.’ I hope during his visit that Senator Peters found us to be living up to that commitment,” Harbormaster Jim Ferguson said. “On behalf of the mayor, the harbor commission, and the city of Harrisville, I’d like to thank Senator Peters for touring today and for his ongoing efforts to protect the Great Lakes, so they can continue to serve as a great resource for all Michiganders as well as for our state’s growing tourism industry and economy.”

During an interview with the Review later in the afternoon, Peters talked about several issues that he is working on:  Design and construction of a new Great Lakes icebreaker, pipeline safety for the Great Lakes, and the need for reliable coverage of rural broadband – which goes hand-in-hand with the Telehealth and Improvement Act.

Rural Broadband Gap

According to Connect Michigan, nearly one-half of working-age Michigan adults (44 percent) rely on the Internet to seek or apply for jobs, while nearly one-quarter (22 percent) go online to further their education by taking online classes. According to the FCC, 87 percent of rural Americans (52.2 million) lack access to mobile broadband with minimum advertised speeds of 10 Mbps/1 Mbps, compared to 45 percent of those living in urban areas.

In July Peters joined a bipartisan group of 26 Senators, urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to update the Universal Service Fund’s (USF) Mobility Fund, which is aimed at providing broadband service to rural and underserved areas. These senators sent a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler calling for the agency to prioritize new mobile broadband deployment in these areas as well as preserve and upgrade mobile broadband where it is currently available.

“It is absolutely essential that we close the rural broadband gap and improve digital literacy to ensure that all Americans, including those in the most remote areas, have the tools and resources they need to thrive in their community and help our economy grow,” Peters said. “As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, I will continue to work with the FCC to address the challenges that coverage gaps create for businesses, employees, students, and everyone else without this vital utility.”

Telehealth Services

In addition to business growth and educational and employment opportunities, broadband access can improve health care for rural residents. “In many ways residents in rural areas are more dependent on broadband access (because of limited health care services),” he said. “The Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act, which I introduced, is a cost effective way for rural residents to have ‘round the clock care and access to health care providers… this is about life and death. It’s about making sure new technologies are available to everyone no matter who you are or where you live.”

At Alcona Health Center’s Oscoda Clinic, Peters received a demonstration of the new psychiatric telehealth services, which connects mental health patients with health care professionals for psychiatric evaluation and medication management. Last year, Peters introduced bipartisan legislation that would expand access to health care in rural areas by paving the way for Medicare to cover additional telehealth services.

“Residents in northern Michigan and other rural communities are often forced to travel great distances to receive health care or face difficulty finding a physician to treat their condition,” Peters said. “Telemedicine has the potential to revolutionize the way health care services are delivered, and I appreciate the opportunity to see how the Alcona Health Center is using this innovative technology to help support mental health patients. I will continue working to expand telehealth services, which could improve patient outcomes, save money and ensure access to care for all people regardless of their ZIP code.” 

Last year, Senator Peters introduced the bipartisan Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act that would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to allow eligible hospitals to test telehealth services through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). Additionally, it directs CMMI to review and independently evaluate telehealth models for cost, effectiveness, and improvement in quality of care without increasing the cost of delivery. If the telehealth model meets this criteria, then the model will be covered through the greater Medicare program.

Pipeline Safety

This summer the  Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act became law. Peters, who is a member of the Great Lakes Task Force, introduced the Senate version of the bipartisan legislation with Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Steve Daines (R-MT) to improve pipeline safety and oversight.

“The Great Lakes play a central role in our state’s economy, environment, and way of life,” Peters said. “We must ensure that the proper safety and oversight is in place to keep our people safe and our natural resources protected.”

“Line Five (of the underwater pipeline) goes through the Straits of Mackinac… the amount of water going through the straits is 10 times that of Niagara Falls, according to a study by Michigan State University. That is the absolute worst place to have a spill… 40 million people drink water out of the Great Lakes. We have to continue to strengthen protective measures and keep it under the highest level of scrutiny,” Peters said.

The PIPES Act includes several provisions and elements authored by Peters that will help ensure the Great Lakes and other water resources in Michigan and across the country are protected from the threat of pipeline spills:

• Great Lakes are designated as a high consequence area. The PIPES Act designates the Great Lakes as an Unusually Sensitive Area, making pipelines in the Great Lakes subject to higher standards for operating safely. The bill also adds coastal beaches and marine coastal waters as areas that should be considered when making an “Unusually Sensitive” determination.

• Improves oil spill response plans to address ice cover. The bill requires PHMSA and pipeline operators to prepare response plans that address cleanup of an oil spill affecting waters or shorelines partially or entirely covered by ice. In recent winters, maximum ice coverage in the Great Lakes has been well above normal levels. The Coast Guard has stated it does not have the technology or capacity for worst-case discharge cleanup under solid ice, and that its response activities are not adequate in ice-choked waters.

•  Requires critical reviews of pipeline age and integrity. The legislation requires Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports on pipeline integrity management of natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines, and a review of the risks posed by age, condition, materials and construction of a pipeline. These reports will help state and federal regulators conduct better oversight of pipelines and recommend changes to ensure that pipelines are operating safely and securely.

The legislation, which was approved by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee in December, reauthorizes Pipeline Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) through 2019 and increases the authorized funding levels by two percent annually to support critical safety and oversight activities. The bill also establishes emergency order authority so that PHMSA can take action to ensure safety when pipelines pose an imminent threat.

The legislation includes additional measures to improve the storage of hazardous materials, including directing the Department of Transportation to issue minimum safety standards for the operation and integrity management of underground natural gas storage facilities and a provision to promote mapping technology to help prevent accidental pipeline damage during underground excavations. It also includes a research and development section that encourages collaboration on research, development and technology between federal agencies, public stakeholders and industry leaders.

Senator Peters has been a strong supporter of enhancing pipeline safety to protect the Great Lakes. This year, Congress passed and the president signed into law the Coast Guard Authorization Act, which contained a provision from Senator Peters that would require the U.S. Coast Guard to work with partner agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct an assessment on the effectiveness of oil spill response activities in the Great Lakes.

New Ice Breaker

In that vein, Peters is supportive of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 which authorizes the design and construction of a new Coast Guard heavy icebreaker vessel to enhance icebreaking capability on the Great Lakes.

“The Great Lakes are a natural shipping corridor for Michigan’s many natural resources, agricultural products and manufacturing, and heavy ice can restrict the ability to move goods, costing our state jobs and revenue,” Peters said. “This new heavy icebreaker is a much-needed addition to the Coast Guard’s Great Lakes fleet, and will help ensure that Michigan businesses can continue to rely on shipping to move their goods year-round.”

The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 also includes a Peters provision requiring the Coast Guard and other federal agencies to conduct an assessment of oil spill response activities for cleanup in fresh water, especially under heavy ice cover. The Coast Guard has stated that it does not have the technology or capacity for worst-case discharge cleanup under solid ice, and that its response activities are not adequate in ice-choked waters.

“The consequences of an oil spill on the Great Lakes would be devastating to Michigan’s environment and economy, and could take months or even years to clean up under the best of conditions,” said Peters. “In recent winters, the Great Lakes have seen above average levels of ice cover, and we must have contingency plans in place to quickly and safely clean up a spill under the ice. This provision will ensure that the Coast Guard will be able to assess challenges and develop a plan to clean up spills in icy waters.”

According to Peters, clean up of oil spills in salt water are very different from oil spills in fresh water. “Not many know how to clean up (a spill) in fresh water… there is still a lot we don’t know, so increased funding is necessary for research so we can look into this,” he said.

As a member of the Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, Peters said he is focused on “ensuring the Coast Guard has the resources it needs to continue maintaining shipping lanes and conducting its law enforcement, port security and safety duties, and the many other vital services that Michigan business rely on.”