Port Huron Times-Herald: Peters proposes $300 million in erosion control funding

U.S. Senator Gary Peters is proposing an erosion mitigation program that could distribute up to $300 million in low-interest loans over three years to help local communities deal with erosion. 

The Great Lakes are expected to see record-high water levels this year, and currently sit above their long-term monthly average, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. Levels are starting off high, left over from the past year, and some communities have already seen widespread damage from the high water. 

"Coastal communities in Michigan are facing a crisis that has already destroyed homes and beaches and has even forced some residents to relocate," Peters said on a conference call with reporters Thursday. "These are serious challenges that threaten the economic security and well being of our communities across our state."

The bill passed out of the committee on Wednesday and will go to the full senate for consideration, Peters said. The goal is for the program to provide more flexibility than current federal mitigation efforts, he said.

The first round of funds would become available in fiscal year 2021 if the bill is passed. Peters said he was working in a bipartisan way, including senators from the Great Lakes caucus, to make more immediate aid available. 

The loans would be available to public entities rather than private landowners, however the kind of maintenance conducted by those entities may assist private landowners, Peters said. 

"Depending on how the project is, and if it's generally a public project to limit erosion along the shoreline, you could certainly see that people who live along the shoreline or have businesses along that shoreline would benefit from these municipal projects," Peters said.