News
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding slashed?
The Trump Administration’s budget proposal could include 97 percent cuts to EPA funding of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Various media outlets are reporting the fund could be cut from $300 million to $10 million. Great Lakes funding could see the greatest reductions in the 25 percent cuts to the EPA budget proposed by the administration.
In response to leaked reports, U.S. Senate Ag Committee Ranking member and Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Task Force Debbie Stabenow released a statement saying the move is outrageous and comes just days after the administration delayed a critical plan to stop Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes.
She says the initiative has been critical to cleaning up the Great Lakes and waterways, restoring fish and wildlife habitats, and fighting invasive species.
More than 3,000 projects in the 8-state Great Lakes Region, including Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, have been completed since it was established in 2010.
The Trump administration is expected to release a budget proposal in the next few weeks.
Is there a way to continue without federal funding?