Suggests funding increase for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to $475 million per year
LANSING — State Rep. Joe Tate (D-Detroit) has introduced a resolution requesting an increase in funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). House Resolution 157 requests that the President and Congress of the United States increase funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to $475 million per year. The resolution was adopted by the House on Wednesday.
“The GLRI has played a key role over the past decade in the protection and economic prosperity of our Great Lakes and surrounding regions,” said Tate. “By increasing federal funding we are not only preserving our precious resources, but we are also allowing for more support for the millions of employees who rely on wages generated by these waterways. Our Great Lakes are part of what makes Michigan such an incredible home, and we must do everything in our power to improve, maintain and protect these waters for generations to come.”
In recent years the health and stability of the Great Lakes has been deeply impacted by ecological problems such as invasive species, contamination from manmade pollutants and harmful runoff. The Great Lakes account for 90 percent of the nation’s surface freshwater, directly support 1.5 million U.S. jobs and generate $62 billion in wages each year.
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