Coast Guard Holds Cleveland Hearing on Training Plan

According to reports, Coast Guard wants to hear from people in the Cleveland area this evening on its plan to create 34 weapons training zones in the Great Lakes. Coast Guard officials have said that the live-fire training is needed to protect the region from terrorism and other illegal activities. But environmental groups and the Canadian government worry about possible lead poisoning of the lakes from the tens of thousands of bullets that would be fired each year in the training zones. Public safety is another area of concern because many of the proposed firing ranges are in areas used by fishing boats, sailboats and ferry boats. The Coast Guard is holding another public hearing next Monday in Rochester.