Coalition and others to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Regarding Great Lakes Issues

To: The Honorable Jane Lubchenco
Under Secretary and Administrator
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
Washington, DC 20230

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

Dear Under Secretary Lubchenco:

As a member of the Federal Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, we write to ask that you assure the President’s fiscal year 2014 budget proposal provides at least $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The GLRI – and you – have provided the Great Lakes region with much-needed support, and we are seeing on-the-ground results in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. However, while pressures to balance the U.S. budget will not diminish, neither will the urgent problems facing the Great Lakes. If we cut restoration funds, these serious problems will only get worse and the price we pay will be much higher…