U.S. Reps Urge Funding Boost to $400M for Great Lakes Restoration

Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

U.S. Reps Urge Funding Boost to $400M for Great Lakes Restoration

Coalition supports efforts by 47 U.S. House Republicans and Democrats to boost federal investments in restoration, protection efforts.

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (May 11, 2022)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is supporting a push by 47 bipartisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives to boost federal investments in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to $400 million in the fiscal year 2023 budget. The program funds efforts to clean up toxic pollution, restore fish and wildlife habitat, manage invasive species, and reduce farm and city runoff pollution.

“Support for the Great Lakes and GLRI has long seen strong bipartisan support in Congress,” reads the letter from House members. “Halting or reducing this commitment would reverse years of progress, dramatically reducing the GLRI’s impact, and jeopardize the environmental and economic health of the region for generations to come.”

“Federal investments to restore the Great Lakes are producing results, but serious threats remain,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We thank members of the House of Representatives who continue to make Great Lakes restoration and protection a national priority. The Coalition looks forward to working with bipartisan members of Congress to support urgent actions to restore the Great Lakes, provide clean drinking water to millions of people, and help communities most impacted by pollution and environmental harm. Scaling back federal investments will only allow the problems to get worse and more expensive to solve.”

Signatories to the House letter include: Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), Sean Casten (D-Ill), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Antonio Delgado (D-N.Y.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Michael Doyle (D-Pa.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Jesús García (D-Ill.), Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio), Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Chris Jacobs (R-N.Y.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), John Katko (R-N.Y.) Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), Ron Kind (R-Wis.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), Andy Levin (D-Mich.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Joseph Morelle (D-N.Y.), Frank Mrvan (D-Ind.), Marie Newman (D-Ill.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Bradley Schneider (D-Ill.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Brian Steil (R-Wis.), Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), Michael Turner (R-Ohio), Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), and Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.).

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 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.