Coalition and Others to Appropriators Regarding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiatives

To: The Honorable Mike Simpson
Chairperson
Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
B-308 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable James Moran
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
1016 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

From: The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
And the undersigned environmental non-governmental organizations

Dear Chairperson Simpson and Ranking Member Moran:

We, the members of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, ask that you provide $475 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) in Fiscal Year 2012. The GLRI – and you – have provided the Great Lakes region with much needed support, and we are seeing on-the-ground results. However, while pressures on Congress to balance the U.S. budget will not diminish, neither will the problems facing the Great Lakes. If we wait and allow restoration efforts to slow, these serious problems will only get worse and the price we pay will be much higher…