The Senate unanimously passed legislation championed by U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin to protect the Great Lakes and vital waterways across Michigan. The legislation would extend the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), authorizing $475 million in annual funding for the program through 2030. The GLRI combines federal and nonfederal efforts to stop the spread of invasive species, restore coastline and habitats connecting our streams and rivers, clean up environmentally damaged Areas of Concern, and prevent future contamination.
“The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is the most significant investment ever made to restore and protect our Great Lakes from things like invasive species, pollution, and shoreline erosion,” said Senator Peters. “Now more than ever, we need to ensure this vital program has the funding it needs to continue supporting projects that will keep these treasured bodies of water healthy and vibrant for years to come. I’ll keep working in a bipartisan way to get this commonsense bill signed into law.”
“Millions of Michiganders rely on the Great Lakes for their livelihood and protecting it is existential for Michigan,” said Senator Slotkin. “The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will help protect the lakes, our economy and our way of life – from vital programs that work to mitigate coastal erosion to protecting against harmful invasive species like Asian Carp. I will always fight for our Great Lakes and will continue to work with people in both parties to do just that.”
Since its inception, the GLRI has spurred tremendous progress in Michigan and throughout the Great Lakes region, including nearly half of a million acres of habitat protected, restored, or enhanced, a five-fold increase in the successful cleanup and delisting of Areas of Concern, a ten-fold increase in the remediation of environmental and public health impairments, and reducing the threat of harmful algal blooms. The GLRI’s efforts have also resulted in economic returns of more than 3 to 1 across the region.
The senators’ legislation is supported by the League of Conservation Voters, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association, Council of Great Lakes Governors, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, American Great Lakes Ports Association, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, American Rivers, American Sportfishing Association, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, National Audubon Society – Great Lakes, Environmental Law & Policy Center, and other key stakeholders in Great Lakes protection.
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