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Senate Great Lakes Task Force Sends Bipartisan Letter Expressing Concerns with Potential Cuts to GLRI
The bipartisan Senate Great Lakes Task Force, led by Co-Chairs Debbie Stabenow (MI) and Rob Portman (OH), sent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Scott Pruitt, a letter last Friday expressing concerns about a reported 97 percent reduction to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) in the President's upcoming FY 2018 budget request. Over the last seven years, the GLRI has provided more than $1.6 billion to fund 3,068 projects in the Great Lakes to prevent the spread of invasive species, combat the growth harmful algal blooms and restore fish and wildlife habitats. News reports have indicated that the Administration's budget proposal would only fund the GLRI at $10 million, which would be 97 percent less than the $300 million that was appropriated in FY 2016.
Other Senators
signing onto the letter include:
Great Lakes Task Force Vice Chair Amy Klobuchar (MN) and Task Force members Dick Durbin (IL), Sherrod Brown (OH), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Al Franken (MN), Joe Donnelly (IN), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Bob Casey (PA), Gary Peters (MI), and Tammy Duckworth (IL). The full text of the letter can be viewed at the Senate Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chairs' websites here and here.
For more information, contact
Matthew McKenna
,
Director of the Great Lakes Washington Program
at the Northeast-Midwest Institute
.
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