Great Lakes Legislative Update
On March 4th, the Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection Act was introduced in both the House and the Senate by Great Lakes champions. The bill, S. 3073, was introduced in the Senate by Carl Levin along with co-sponsors George Voinovich (R-OH), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Amy klobuchar (D-MN), Al Franken (D-MN) and Richard Durbin (D-IL). The House bill, H.R. 4755, was introduced by Representative Vern Ehlers with co-sponsors John Dingell (D-MI), Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Mark Kirk (R-IL). The House sponsors are also circulating a dear colleague letter to elicit support for this bill from other members.
The legislation permanently authorizes the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative under EPA at $475 million a year, ensuring it stays focused on science-based, on the ground restoration activities. It also requires EPA to lead and coordinate federal Great Lakes restoration efforts through a new federal Great Lakes Interagency Task Force. Additionally, it enhances transparency by establishing a leadership board and multi-stakeholder management committee to ensure continued, broad collaboration and partnerships, increases federal accountability and re-authorizes the Great Lakes Legacy Act at $150 million a year. For more information on this important piece of legislation, please review this fact sheet. We also have co-sponsorship request letters for your use in outreach to House and Senate office.
In other Great Lakes news, Representative Sander Levin, a liberal Michigan Democrat and Great Lakes Champion, will replace Representative Charles Rangel as the chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee.
