The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition applauds the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for convening today's hearing on restoration efforts in the Great Lakes region.

By cleaning up their most degraded areas, Milwaukee, Detroit, and Buffalo have created thriving lakeshore business districts, helped people reconnect with nature, and laid the groundwork for population growth into the future. Learn more about how they’re contributing to the Great Lakes region’s “blue economy.”

Great Lakes Coalition to urge members of Congress to continue their support for federal investments to protect the drinking water, public health, jobs, and quality of life for the millions of people in the eight-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. 

Materials from Great Lakes Day 2026

The House has passed a three-bill funding package that includes funding for the Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Army Corps of Engineers for Fiscal Year 2026. Great Lakes and clean water programs largely maintained funding levels, with modest increases in several areas.

This morning, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced the American Water Stewardship Act (H.R. 6422), a legislative package that included a 5-year reauthorization of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition applauds this important step in the legislative process.

Materials from Fall Fly-in 2025

The first federal government shutdown since 2018 threatens ongoing work to restore the Great Lakes and safeguard clean drinking water for more than 30 million people across the region and broader country. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is urging federal policymakers to find a path forward that funds restoration efforts and critical clean water monitoring and protection activities.