Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Bipartisan legislation from Great Lakes congressional leaders sets stage for accelerated progress to protect drinking water, public health, and Great Lakes.
ANN ARBOR, MICH. (February 6, 2024)—New bipartisan federal legislation would reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, allowing the federal government to continue to accelerate its investment to restore and protect the Great Lakes – the source of drinking water for more that 42 million people – and to tackle serious threats, including toxic pollution, runoff, habitat loss, and invasive species. The bill would provide a critical increase in investment up to $500 million annually; in comparison, Congress has invested $368 million in the current year for restoration actions.
The bill, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Act of 2024, was introduced today in the Senate by Great Lakes Taskforce co-chairs, U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), and in the House by Great Lakes Taskforce co-chairs, U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), David Joyce (R-Ohio), and Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), alongside broad bipartisan support from the delegation.
Passage of the bill is a top priority for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.
“This bill is a winner for millions of people in the region,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We thank the Great Lakes Senators and Representatives who introduced and co-sponsored this bill for their bipartisan leadership and commitment to tackle the serious threats to the region’s drinking water, public health, jobs, and quality of life. Federal investments to restore the lakes have been producing results in communities across the region, but serious threats remain. This bill addresses the reality that if we scale back investments now, problems will only get worse and more expensive to solve. This bill sets the stage to accelerate progress in addressing challenges to our vital water resources. We look forward to working with the Great Lakes congressional delegation to pass this bipartisan bill that supports commonsense solutions to protect our drinking water, public health, jobs, and quality of life.”
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2024 reauthorizes the successful federal program for five more years, from fiscal years 2027 through 2031, to invest up to $500 million annually to restore and protect the Great Lakes and the streams, rivers and wetlands that feed them, by restoring habitat, cleaning up toxic pollution, reducing urban and farm runoff, and managing invasive species.
The Senate bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Bob Casey (D-Penn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Penn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.).
The House bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), David Joyce (R-Ohio), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), John James (R-Mich.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), Max Miller (R-Ohio), John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Brian Steil (R-Wis.), Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), and Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.).
Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 185 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, Facebook, Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads @HealthyLakes.
Sincerely,
Celia Haven
Field Director
Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition
