Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Congressional Support for GLRI: Three Steps Forward, One Step Back

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Despite a huge push by Great Lakes Members of the House of Representative to keep restoration funding at last year’s level, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and the Environment chose the President’s budget request for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative – $300 million – over ours – $475 million that was appropriated last year. That represents a cut of nearly 40 percent. Times are tough, but every dollar we invest in Great Lakes restoration sustains and creates jobs Read More » »

EPA Names Finalists for $160 Million to Advance Great Lakes Restoration, Economic Recovery

Coalition urges U.S. Congress to continue to fund program at $475 million to
create jobs, restore Lakes, and lay foundation for long-term prosperity

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (June 1, 2010)—The EPA today announced preliminary grant awards to restore the Great Lakes as part of a federal $475 million program to restore the Lakes—the largest fresh-water resource in the world.

The agency has identified 270 projects totaling more than $160 million that will be eligible for funding as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a federal program to restore fish and wildlife habitat, clean up toxic pollution, reduce Read More » »

Great Lakes Chambers Go to Bat for Great Lakes Restoration

Last week, a coalition of Great Lakes Chambers of Commerce met with Congress members from across the Great Lakes region and asked each and every one to fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The group of 30 metro Chambers of Commerce from 12 states in the Great Lakes Region formed in 2008. They made their third trip to Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers on shared issues such as Great Lakes restoration.

They asked lawmakers to restore the $475 million GLRI to the FY2011 budget (the President’s budget lowered the amount recommended to $300 million), as well as create a national Read More » »

Implementation Program Offers Hope to Great Lakes Region

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is going to help local groups in the Great Lakes region obtain and use funds from the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative with a new Implementation Program. The effort will ensure local groups are equipped to manage and complete effective programs with GLRI funds and by so doing, will help ensure sustained support from the federal government to clean up, restore and heal the Great Lakes.

The Implementation Program has chosen five of the most degraded areas in the Great Lakes to focus our efforts with the 2010 round of GLRI funding ($475 million). Read More » »

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 » »

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.