Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

David Obey Cracks Door Shedding Some Light on an Increase in GLRI Funds

When Appropriations Chair David Obey (D-Wisc.) caught wind of a “dear colleague” letter addressed to him and asking him to up the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative from the President’s proposed $300 million back to last year’s $475 million he fired off a harsh response. The letter obviously hit a partisan sore spot that HOW isn’t interested in digging into, but we are encouraged that Obey’s reaction appears to leave the door to increased funding cracked and not shut.

After acknowledging that the GLRI is one of Obey’s “highest priorities” he writes, “The Administration notes that because a large amount of Read More » »

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Funding Still In President’s Budget

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in 2011 maintained a line in the President’s new budget released this a.m. but it was cut from $475 million to $300 million. Last year, President Barack Obama used his first budget to provide money for the Great Lakes to use toward restoration efforts. As the first US President to do this, Obama was following through on a campaign pledge he made to our eight states. In a year when there is a budget freeze for many discretionary programs and also lots of cuts, the Great Lakes remained important enough for the White House to Read More » »

Ticking Clock for Comments on GLRI Plan

Time is running out for any and all who want to comment on the EPA’s multiyear plan for restoring the Great Lakes with the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding. The draft plan discusses how the government will use the funds to address basin wide issues such as invasive species as well as more specific local issues. The final plan will be released with the US President’s budget in February and the deadline for our comments is January 8, 2010. That is just a few days away! The coalition is working on a letter that we hope to have finished by Read More » »

Some Interesting Holiday Reading Coming Your Way: GLRI All The Way

After all those public meetings and after reading through all our public comments, the EPA has just released the final draft of their plan for implementing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative from 2010 to 2014. They are asking for comments through January 8, 2010.

The Plan provides information about how the government plans to use the GLRI to address specific basin wide issues such as invasive species as well as local issues. The final plan will be released in February with the President’s new budget.

As invasive species, Asian Carp were always going get some fiscal attention from the Read More » »

Rumors of Abuse of GLRI Funds Already Circulating

The Great Lakes haven’t seen one dollar of the $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative money approved by Congress this Fall, but already rumors are flying around the region that the money will be used to shore up state and local budgets.
The Mudpuppy reports that some in the environmental community are concerned that the GLRI will help states fill in budget gaps instead of pay for much needed restoration projects, but we hope that Healing Our Waters Co-Chair, Andy Buchsbaum put those fears to rest.

“I think that there is such a national focus on the spending of this Read More » »

EPA Hears from HOW on GLRI

Last week, the HOW coalition submitted its comments on the $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to the Environmental Protection Agency website. The comment period closed after a set of summer meetings held throughout the region during the EPA’s listening tour.

“The EPA’s action plan will serve as a strong foundation for advancing Great Lakes restoration and economic recovery,” said Jeff Skelding, campaign director for HOW. “Our comments have one goal: To make a good plan better, so that we can restore the Great Lakes now before the problems get worse and more costly.”

We were happy to see that the draft Read More » »

NY Senators Schumer and Gillibrand Should Vote Yes for GLRI

The Editorial page of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle urges Empire State Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to vote in favor of the $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. They describe the problems with Lake Ontario, sewage in particular, and explain that this new money can be used to start fixing some of the problems that inhibit not just recreation on the lake, but also the state’s economic productivity.

Great Lakes Land on DC Radar

It truly is a great time to be a Great Lake because, as Great Lakes Watcher Dave Dempsey points out – instead of debating whether to fund restoration, the federal government is debating how much money to dedicate to restoration. Great Lakes restoration is no longer considered fodder for the great Piggy Book (read pork barrel) instead it is a legitimate budget line, and that didn’t happen without a lot of your blood, sweat and tears.

Dempsey goes on to caution us not to fall into the same pattern Read More » »