Our goal is to push the City of Buffalo to consider giving some rights to Lake Erie. These rights will allow lawyers to sue polluters, both present and past, for compensation to help restore the lake and to stop any further degradation of our beloved lake.

The lake has had a troubled history with pollution and toxic waste. The factories and mills in cities such as Buffalo, Chicago, and Detroit destroyed the lake’s integrity during the rapid industrialization of the United States. Farms have also long used pesticides and insecticides that runoff into the rivers and tributaries, all of which eventually lead into Lake Erie.

Due to these practices, The ecosystem has long been dead and bleak. Algae blooms that can be seen from space are commonplace during the summer; some blooms have been so bad, cities have had to temporarily stop sourcing their water from the Lake for certain periods. In addition, the fish from Lake Erie are unsafe to eat and the fish population has had a steady decline. In general, the biodiversity as a whole has decreased significantly during the past several decades.

Restoring Lake Erie to its former glory should be a main priority of the Rust Belt cities that inhabit it, such as Buffalo. Our health and safety should not be infringed due to corporate interests; with your help we can hold these companies and farms accountable for their actions. Thank You for your signature!