Final Government Funding Bill Includes Peters Effort to Increase Great Lakes Restoration Funding
Measure in Final Government Funding Bill Increases Funding to $320 Million; Based on Peters’ Bipartisan Measure that Passed Senate in October
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today announced that the final government funding bill includes the provision he led to provide the first increase in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Funding since the program was established nearly a decade ago. The additional $19 million for the GLRI for Fiscal Year 2020 was an increase from the proposed level of $301 million. The provision Peters secured in this end-of-year legislation builds on his bipartisan measure that passed the Senate in October. Following that successful effort, Peters continued pressing for additional GLRI funding.
“The Great Lakes are simply part of who we are as Michiganders, an economic engine for our state and one of our nation’s most precious resources,” said Senator Peters. “After pushing hard, I’m proud to have secured increased funding to protect our Great Lakes for future generations. I look forward to this funding soon becoming law, which will allow for more resources to restore habitats, combat invasive species and clean up our waterways.”
“The Great Lakes are an invaluable resource to Ohio, and GLRI has been a successful public-private partnership that helps protect both our environment and our economy,” said Senator Portman. “The Great Lakes are critical to Ohio’s fishing industry, provide drinking water for 40 million people, contribute billions in tourism each year, and support hundreds of thousands of jobs across the region. I have long championed this program, thus I’m grateful that this bipartisan funding agreement includes $320 million for this important program. I will continue to help lead efforts in the U.S. Senate to protect funding for this critical bipartisan initiative.”
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Since its inception in 2010, the GLRI has provided more than $762 million for 880 projects across Michigan. According to one recent study from the University of Michigan, every GLRI dollar spent from 2010 to 2016 will produce $3.35 in additional economic activity in the Great Lakes through 2036. It also found that every federal dollar will additionally generate $1.62 in economic activity in tourism-related industries through 2036.
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