This coverage is possible through partnerships Grist, Interroshen Public Radio in Northern Michigan, and wbeza public radio station that serves large urban areas of Chicago.
Last year, Vice President JD Vance, then Ohio Senator, was part of the Bipartisan coalition We are calling for more funds to Great Lakes Restoration Initiativeor Glri – one of the nation’s largest investments aimed at protecting and restoring the Great Lakes.
“The Great Lakes Repair Initiative provides the tools needed to combat invasive species, algae flowers, pollution, and other threats to ecosystems,” said the Senate’s Great Lakes Task when the re-approval bill was announced. Vance, who was co-chaired by the Force, said. . He voted for expansion Increase your funds For projects until 2031.
“It’s a common sense, bipartisan effort that encourages all of our colleagues to support,” Vance said.
Supporters hope he hasn’t changed his mind.
The five Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario) are the world’s largest freshwater ecosystems and are the drinking water sources of about 10% of the country’s population. Since 2010, the massive Glri spending package has provided everything from Microplastics Research to Algal Bloom Elimination. Climate-sensitive coastline. Just this week, Michigan Democrat Sen. Gary Peters and Indiana Sen. Todd Young. The bill has been introduced This will reapprove $500 million in annual funds over the next five years. Politicians often point to initiatives as evidence that they can agree on conservation and environmental issues.
But its future could be at risk. When Trump last took office, his administration tried to cut or eliminate Gri’s funds several times. Now, Trump is aiming to spend environmentally, including funding environmental justice and climate change-related programs. Vance has it Changed changed As he has on environmental issues It’s rising Political ranks, including his support for coal, electric vehicles, and even what he said about climate change with a focus on humans. He also invested and sat down board Appharvest of a tragic indoor farming operation. Supporters hope that Vance might save Guri despite the hostile political environment.
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Already, the Trump administration has frozen billions of dollars from two major initiatives passed under former President Joe Biden: the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. Amid escalating uncertainty over federal support, Illinois Gov. JB Pretzker preemptively halted construction on a $1 billion megaproject earlier this week. Spread of invading fish At the Great Lakes. But by blocking the federal fund block for climate and DEI initiatives, Trump could face conflict with years of bipartisan support for great lakes, including Vance.
“We know [Vance] “We’re advocacy organization for Michigan’s federal environmental policy,” said Laura Rubin, director of Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “He’s the champion of it and I hope it leads to his role as vice president.”
The Vice President’s office did not respond to Grist’s request for comment.
Ice out? Research on the Great Lakes goes on in funding chaos.
Glri began as a bipartisan response to the growing environmental issues of the early 2000s: Rampant Industry and Agriculture pollution, Reduction Increased threats to fish stocks and invasive species.
Recently retired Michigan Sen. Debbie Stavenow helped launch the initiative during the Obama administration 15 years ago. “We need a fund with broad jurisdiction that can be quickly revitalized in times of crisis,” she said at a policy meeting in January.
Before Glri a Presidential Order of 2004 Creating a regional task force from former President George W. Bush – Attempts to improve coordination between federal agencies, states and tribes are attempts to repair freshwater ecosystems.
Since its inception, Glri has funded more than 8,000 projects, and the federal government has spent about $5 billion over the past 14 years, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“that [funding] We’ll go to cleaning up some of the most polluted properties of our ports and cities,” Rubin said. “We’re going to improve habitat and remove invasive species. It’s going to reduce phosphorus and nutrient runoff, which will lead to education and outreach.”
Many lawmakers support Guri for its economic benefits, including tourism, job creation and increased commercial development. Economic Analysis for 2018 We have discovered from the Great Lakes Committee and the Great Lakes Industry Council that all federal dollars spent through the Landmarks program provided an additional benefit of about $3.
Michigan Republican leader Bill Huizenga co-hosted the latest push to re-approve Gri. He recently I posted a video From the local environmental summit, we will explain Gri as “how to protect our relationship with JD Vance and those familiar with us,” and plan how to explain what this investment means ecologically and economically. I encourage it. Huizenga’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Jerry Holt / Star Tribune via Getty Images
But the funds cannot protect the Great Lakes without anyone overseeing them.
As part of a broader campaign, the Trump administration has begun a proactive push for Gatt’s federal agency, including the EPA, which oversees Gri. Last week, EPA workers were notified that more than 1,000 positions could be terminated at any time within the previous year. Soon, a total of 168 employees working on environmental justice projects were placed on paid administrative leave.
Both have hit the EPA offices that regulate the Midwest and many of the Great Lakes, according to Nicole Cantello, union president representing local EPA workers. She estimated that the Trump administration’s cuts could cost around 200 employees in the office. This is one-fifth of the total workforce.
Cantellos said it’s bad news for offices like EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office, which leads the implementation of Glri. “I don’t know how strong this program will become after all this resignation and firing,” she said.
The program has relied on funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law to clean up some of the most environmentally harmed regions of the Great Lakes region, but compared to many others, The proportion of mandatory funds is much lower. This means there may be a high risk of clawback. As of January 6th, less than half of the $597 million allocated was mandatory. EPA Report.
Last year, when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives was cutting overall spending levels, it didn’t touch Gri, says Don Jodeley, director of federal relations for the Great Lakes Nonprofit Alliance.
Joderie said it would be fair for the new administration to consider federal funding and agency staffing. “But some of these programs are really, very important,” he said.
