More federal dollars are already flowing to this region as a result of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. And bipartisan legislation introduced this March in the U.S. Congress would further this commitment to restoring and protecting the ecosystem, while also giving states a formal advisory role in the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision-making process.
Supporters of the bill are calling it the Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act.
In part, the legislation builds on the newly established Restoration Initiative and follows through on recommendations made in 2005 by the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration. If passed by the U.S. Congress, the act would authorize $475 million annually over the next four years for the Restoration Initiative: the new federal investment in the Great Lakes that addresses various risks to the ecosystem, ranging from invasive species and toxic substances to contaminated beaches and nonpoint source pollution.
The initiative received $475 million in fiscal year 2010; President Obama has proposed a $300 million funding level for FY 2011.
More than 1,000 proposals were submitted by states and others (conservation groups, universities, local governments, etc.) for the first round of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding. The state of Michigan, for example, has applied for a total of $33.5 million for 53 different projects: about $10 million each for habitat/wildlife protection and restoration; nonpoint source pollution and beach health; and the removal of toxic substances. The state also is seeking $1 million to develop a “rapid response program” to better control the spread of invasive species.
The Ecosystem Protection Act seeks to ensure that federal funding for these types of proposals continues beyond FY 2010.
In addition, the federal legislation would authorize $150 million a year for the Great Lakes Legacy Act, an 8-year-old law that aims to remove toxic substances from the Great Lakes by cleaning up designated “Areas of Concern.” That amount was the funding level recommended by the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration — and is much more than current levels. The original 2002 bill authorized $270 million in funding over five years and was then reauthorized in 2008 at an amount of $54 million a year.
The Ecosystem Protection Act would also change how funding decisions are made. For example, governors in the basin would be part of a newly formed “leadership council” that would advise the EPA on how to invest federal dollars in Great Lakes restoration and protection efforts.