Great Lakes Advocates in D.C. to Protect Lakes, Drinking Water, Public Health
Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 5, 2024)—Great Lakes supporters are in Washington, D.C., this week with the Healing Our Waters-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.
“Federal investments to restore and protect the Great Lakes are producing results, but serious threats remain,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, which organizes the two-day event. “We look forward to continuing our bipartisan work with Congress and the Biden Administration to ensure that every person in the region has access to clean, safe and affordable water. We cannot let up now. There are still many communities that are affected by the serious health impacts of pollution and environmental harm. Cutting funding to core clean water programs will only make the problems worse and more expensive to solve.”
Great Lakes advocates are promoting a policy agenda that asks Congress to:
Support the reauthorization of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to extend the program through 2031 and authorizes the federal government to invest $500 million annually in restoration and protection action.
Fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at no less than $450 million to clean up toxic pollution, restore fish and wildlife habitat, reduce farm and city runoff pollution, and prevent and manage invasive species.
Fully fund the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund at $4.6 billion and $4.1 billion, respectively, to support community efforts to upgrade wastewater and drinking water infrastructure, targeting the biggest problems and the communities hardest hit by pollution and environmental harm.
Support clean water protections by strengthening the Clean Water Act and addressing legacy and emerging contaminants such as toxic PFAS, lead, and plastics.
Support clean water in the Farm Bill by increasing funding for conservation programs, rejecting cuts to climate smart agriculture efforts, and tying payments and incentives for farmers to clean water outcomes and the implementation of sustainable practices that protect soil and water quality.
The visit to Washington, D.C., for nearly 100 Great Lakes advocates comes as the U.S. Congress tries to hammer out a budget compromise to get through the current fiscal year 2024 budget and in anticipation of President Joe Biden’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is pushing to maintain federal investments in both budget cycles.
“These policies will benefit millions of people in the region,” said Rubin. “Robust investments in clean water coupled with strong clean water protections are essential to protect the health of our communities. The bottom line is: We have solutions, and it’s time to use them, so that we can one day put an end to drinking water restrictions, beach closures, and fish consumption advisories.”
Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 185 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads @HealthyLakes.
