John,

At the end of August, I announced the introduction of bipartisan legislation, the GLRI Act of 2019 (S. 2295) to renew and expand funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

This initiative has been a major success story with proven results. I authored this program in 2010 and it is set to expire next year. Renewing and expanding funding should be a no-brainer.

The proof is in the incredible Great Lakes Restoration projects I recently saw first-hand while traveling across Michigan, and in the citizens and volunteers who have stepped up across our state to implement these projects. These projects have helped stop the spread of Asian carp and other invasive species, restored fisheries and wildlife habitats, cleaned up our beaches, and prevented future contamination.

The Great Lakes and its watersheds continue to be stressed by contamination and threats to water quality, and are under increasing pressure from new invasive species, extremes in water levels, erosion, and habitat destruction. Our Great Lakes are part of our Michigan way of life and this bill is an important part of protecting them for generations to come.

Click here to learn more about the importance of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative from this WDIV Channel 4 report.

Sincerely,

Debbie

Debbie Stabenow
United States Senator