Senate passes Peters and Slotkin legislation to extend federal funding and protections for the Great Lakes
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WASHINGTON - The Senate unanimously passed legislation championed by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Elissa Slotkin (MI) to protect the Great Lakes and vital waterways across Michigan, a press release from Peters' office stated. The legislation would extend the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), authorizing $475 million in annual funding for the program through 2030. The GLRI combines federal and nonfederal efforts to stop the spread of invasive species, restore coastline and habitats connecting our streams and rivers, clean up environmentally damaged Areas of Concern, and prevent future contamination.
"The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is the most significant investment ever made to restore and protect our Great Lakes from things like invasive species, pollution, and shoreline erosion," Peters said in the release. "Now more than ever, we need to ensure this vital program has the funding it needs to continue supporting projects that will keep these treasured bodies of water healthy and vibrant for years to come. I'll keep working in a bipartisan way to get this commonsense bill signed into law."
"Millions of Michiganders rely on the Great Lakes for their livelihood and protecting it is existential for Michigan," Slotkin said in the release. "The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will help protect the lakes, our economy and our way of life - from vital programs that work to mitigate coastal erosion to protecting against harmful invasive species like Asian Carp. I will always fight for our Great Lakes and will continue to work with people in both parties to do just that."
"The Great Lakes Commission applauds the Senate for advancing bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a proven program that is delivering environmental and economic results for communities across the Great Lakes basin," Erika Jensen, executive director of the Great Lakes Commission, said in the release. "Continued federal investment in the GLRI is essential to restoring degraded areas, protecting water quality, combating invasive species, and strengthening communities across the basin. We thank Senators Peters and Slotkin and their colleagues for their leadership and urge the House to move quickly to pass this critically important legislation.”
"The GLRI is integral to the health of the Great Lakes and the 30 million people who depend on them for drinking water," Laura Rubin, director of Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said in the release. "Reauthorizing the GLRI is essential to maintaining the momentum we have built in restoring one of the nation's most treasured natural resources, and we are grateful for the leadership of the Great Lakes delegation for advancing this legislation, preventing interruption to the GLRI's vital work."
According to the release, GLRI has supported nearly half of a million acres of habitat protected, restored, or enhanced, a five-fold increase in the successful cleanup and delisting of Areas of Concern, an increase in the remediation of environmental and public health impairments, and reducing the threat of harmful algal blooms. The GLRI's efforts have also resulted in economic returns across the region.
The senators' legislation is supported by the League of Conservation Voters, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association, Council of Great Lakes Governors, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, American Great Lakes Ports Association, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, American Rivers, American Sportfishing Association, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, National Audubon Society – Great Lakes, Environmental Law & Policy Center, and other key stakeholders in Great Lakes protection.
"Peters and Slotkin have been steadfast supporters of the Great Lakes, including by enacting the single-largest-ever investment in the GLRI through the bipartisan infrastructure law to accelerate the restoration of nine high-priority areas in Michigan whose lakes, rivers and watersheds flow into the Great Lakes," the release stated.