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Trump’s budget proposal eliminates Great Lakes funding

The Ranking member of the Senate Ag Committee says the Trump administration’s budget proposal is much worse than originally thought for the Great Lakes.

Michigan Senator and co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force Debbie Stabenow says the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has been absolutely critical for cleaning up the Great Lakes and other waterways.  “We’ve got to make sure that this does not pass Congress, which is the bottom line.”

Ohio Senator and co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force Rob Portman says funding must be maintained to help farmers adopt conservation practices in the Western Lake Erie Basin.  “We’ve has some great successes particularly in the Maumee basin going into Lake Erie and so we’ve got to be sure that we continue to provide that funding. It’s working, it’s a partnership between the state and the federal government and the private sector”

Executive Director of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs Dan Eichinger says the money is profoundly important for achieving conservation objectives in the state.  “This is not just a State of Michigan priority, it’s a regional priority and by virtue of it being a regional priority, it needs to be a national priority.”

The president has proposed eliminating the $300 million fund in his 2018 budget and 31 percent cuts to EPA’s total budget.

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 the fund was established in 2010.

AUDIO: Senator Stabenow Press Call