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House panel passes FY18 Interior-EPA funding bill

Late Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee passed a bill funding the Department of the Interior and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for fiscal year 2018. Overall, the funding levels are 3 percent less that the $32.37 billion for the agencies in the current fiscal year, and 16 percent—or $4.3 billion—above what was included in the White House’s budget request.

As reported earlier, the bill contains funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and flat funds other important EPA programs (such as the Sec. 319 program and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund) while cutting some (like the Clean Water State Revolving Fund).

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The House Committee on Appropriations is expected to debate the FY18 funding bill for the Department of the Interior, EPA, and other agencies later on Tuesday.  The bill funds key Great Lakes priorities, including:

• Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: $300 million (same as FY2017 enacted, $300 million more than President’s request)
• Clean Water State Revolving Fund: $1.144 billion ($250 million less than FY2017 enacted, $250 million less than President’s request)
• Drinking Water State Revolving Fund: $863 million (same as FY2017 enacted, same as President’s request)
• $460,000 for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration program
• $10.4 million for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Asian carp prevention work in the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and Great Lakes ($2 million more than FY2017 enacted)

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In case you missed this past week in Great Lakes restoration news:

The Detroit News reports the U.S. House of Representatives released an appropriations bill this week that fully funds the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $300 million. President Trump had proposed eliminating the program from his budget proposal.

The News Herald profiled Dan Egan, author of the recent book “The Death and Life of the Great Lakes.” In it, Egan explains his goal of promoting what he calls Great Lakes literacy.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is holding a public hearing on whether to install new support anchors on Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 oil pipeline, according to mLive. The hearing will take place on July 25th in St. Ignace.

Wisconsin Public Radio reports that the city of Milwaukee has made a bid to sell Lake Michigan water to the city of Waukesha. This would represent the first instance under the 2008 Great Lakes Compact that a community entirely outside the Great Lakes basin would receive access to its water.

The Times Herald reports that the St. Clair River is becoming healthier, thanks to years of concerted cleanup and restoration efforts. Meanwhile, mLive reports on ongoing efforts by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to monitor the St. Clair River’s lake sturgeon population.

The U.S House Appropriations Committee yesterday released the fiscal year 2018 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, which is being considered in subcommittee today. The bill sets funding levels for many core Great Lakes restoration programs.

Todd Ambs, campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said:

“On the one hand, the budget properly rejects many of the cuts contained in the administration’s disastrous budget. Importantly, it restores funding to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to ensure that the federal government can continue to invest in projects that benefit the more than 30 million people who depend on the Great Lakes for their drinking water, jobs, and way of life. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Great Lakes Congressional delegation for fighting to restore funding so that we can continue to implement projects that are good for our environment and economy. More >

Happy 4^th of July! With all the barbecues and fireworks this week, you may have missed these Great Lakes restoration stories:

mLive reports that nearly 4,000 miles of Lake Huron shoreline may lose protection following an executive order signed by President Trump. The aim of the executive order is to explore opportunities for offshore oil and gas drilling, despite the fact that the entire Great Lakes have been off-limits to oil and gas drilling since 2005. The window for public comments on these reviews will be open for the first few weeks of July.

Advocates rallied in support of Great Lakes restoration funding in over 60 cities on Monday, reports Wisconsin Public Radio. The coordinated events were part of the “All Hands On Deck” efforts to support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which President Trump has proposed to eliminate.

mLive summarizes the findings of a report from the state of Michigan on Enbridge Energy’s Line 5. The report examines the safety of the oil pipeline, and explores potential alternatives should the pipeline need to be replaced. Environmental groups have Meanwhile, environmental groups argue that the report underestimates the potential for an oil spill in the Straits of Mackinac, reports the Detroit News.

The Buffalo News reports that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called on President Trump to revamp the U.S.’s involvement in the International Joint Commission, an organization responsible for regulating lake levels. The governor issued this call during a trip to Wilson, N.Y., where he signed legislation providing aid to communities impacted by Lake Ontario’s historically high water levels.

The Ohio Senate has passed a bill that would grant the state EPA more power to regulation dredging in Lake Erie and landfills, according to Cleveland.com. Gov. John Kasich is expected to sign the legislation.