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
Great Lakes Advocates in D.C. to Protect Lakes, Drinking Water, Public Health
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 8, 2023)—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 working with members of 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 so many communities that are still suffering 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:
Fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $425 million to clean up toxic pollution, restore fish and wildlife habitat, reduce farm and city runoff pollution, and prevent and manage invasive species.
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.
Support clean water protections by supporting the EPA’s Waters of the United States Rule, establishing limits on toxic PFAS in drinking water, and funding the Biden Administration’s campaign to protect families from lead poisoning.
Support a Farm Bill that maintains robust funding for conservation programs that pay farmers to take specific actions to protect soil and water quality, as well as promotes incentives for farmers to establish more sustainable practices that protect water quality.
“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.”
The events in Washington, D.C., come days before President Joe Biden is expected to release his proposed fiscal year 2024 budget on Thursday. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition will be assessing the Biden Budget and will provide comment at that time.
Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 175 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 @HealthyLakes.
