U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow has announced new legislation to renew and increase funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The announcement came in Grand Rapids Friday , as the Initiative expires in 2020. Stabenow, says however, much work is left to be done, and renewing the initiative is critical to cleaning up the Great Lakes, beaches, and fighting invasive species like Asian Carp.
“Well as the original author of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, I felt that over the years we not only have seen so many positive results, we have a long list of things we have not been able to accomplish just because of the resources,” Stabenow said. “And so I felt we were really at a point where we needed to take the next step.”
According to the Senator’s office, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2019 will help fund the cleanup effort for another five years, increasing the current level from $300 million to $375 million, and tacking on an additional $25 million per year until it reaches $475 million in Fiscal year 2026.
While the legislation does have bipartisan support, there is a chance that the legislation could be up against members of Congress towing party lines, specifically in an election year, though Stabenow a Democrat, says, she is remaining confident.
“Whether it is an election year or not, I am hoping that we can make the case, because we have tangible results,” Stabenow said. “This isn’t something that we are talking about in theory, we can go to every single community in the state and I can show you a lake, a stream, something that has been positively affected and made our water cleaner.”
Republican support so far includes US Senators Rob Portman of Ohio, and Todd Young of Indiana.