Press Releases

Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition

Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

Great Lakes Coalition: House Proposed Budget Would Be a ‘Disaster for Clean Water’

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (June 27, 2024)—The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations released its proposed fiscal year 2025 Interior and Environment funding bills. The Republican budget being considered would hold Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding at $368 million (level with current funding) but would eviscerate other core clean water programs by cutting the EPA budget by 20 percent. The $1.8 billion cut would set back critical environmental protections, public health, and slash state and Tribal assistance programs that help communities most impacted by pollution and invest in critical water infrastructure projects.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is urging members of Congress to reject the budget.

Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said:

“The proposed budget is a disaster for the millions of people who still grapple with unsafe drinking water due to toxic pollution and lead, contaminated fish due to cancer-causing chemicals, and closed beaches due to sewage contamination. At a time when so many cities and towns are living with unsafe water, we need to be doing more, not less, to protect our drinking water and the health of our communities.”

“While federal investments to restore and protect the Great Lakes are producing results, serious threats remain—which is why cutting funding and scaling back clean water programs is a huge mistake. Cutting funding will only make the problems worse and more expensive to solve. We urge members of the Great Lakes congressional delegation to reject this budget and to work to craft a funding bill is commensurate with the task at hand—a funding bill that supports clean water programs that benefit our environment, economy, and communities that have been most impacted by pollution and environmental harm.”

The bill’s release today begins the House’s legislative process with the House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee expected to consider the bill this Friday before advancing the legislation to a full committee markup, currently scheduled for next month. The Senate is expected to release its own budget proposal in July.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is urging public officials to support robust funding for core clean water programs in a series of letters.

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 180 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on social media @HealthyLakes.

Original Article

Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes

Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes

https://www.healthylakes.org/latest-updates/great-lakes-coalition-house-proposed-budget-would-be-a-disaster-for-clean-water

Lindsey Bacigal

Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition

Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grants Documenting Continued Improvements

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (June 6, 2024)—A recent audit by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General found that Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grants supported the EPA’s program goals for the Great Lakes, overall, but could benefit from improved monitoring and reporting.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition supports continued auditing of federal programs, as they are essential to continue to improve successful programs like the GLRI. Overall, the report found no gross financial mismanagement, rather, recommendations primarily focused on issues with reporting and training structures. These are problems across government programs due to insufficient funding for staff capacity and training, further showcasing the need for continued - and increased - funding for core functions of federal programs like the GLRI. 

The report also emphasized the need for EPA to better track and report how projects help contribute to meeting the GLRI’s environmental justice goals. The Coalition, along with other organizations in the region, has been advocating for a stronger emphasis on environmental injustice within the GLRI Action Plans, most recently within the drafting of Action Plan IV, which is set to come out this fall.

“The report affirms that the EPA is running a successful program. Like with anything, it can do better,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “Over the last several years, the EPA has committed itself to targeting the region’s biggest environmental challenges and prioritizing areas hit hardest by pollution. We are glad to see this reflected in the recently released draft of the Great Lakes Action Plan IV, but we need to do more. We will keep advocating for EPA and the other federal agencies to make a strong program even stronger so that it can help the people and communities most impacted by environmental harm.”

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 180 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads @HealthyLakes.

Original Article

Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes

Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes

https://www.healthylakes.org/latest-updates/great-lakes-restoration-initiative-grants-documenting-continued-improvements

Lindsey Bacigal

Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition

Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

Coalition Applauds EPA Action to Protect People from Toxic PFAS

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (April 10, 2024)—The EPA today announced new clean water protections to prevent toxic PFAS chemicals from contaminating public drinking water supplies and threating the health of people and communities. Clamping down on toxic pollution like PFAS is a top priority for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.

Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said:

“We commend the EPA and Biden Administration for taking strong action to protect the health of people, communities, and the Great Lakes, by putting a stop to health-threatening and cancer-causing toxic PFAS pollution. Today’s action is a powerful reminder that in order to protect the health of the Great Lakes and the waters we all depend on for our drinking water, health, jobs, and quality of life, we need both robust federal investments and strong clean water protections to prevent new threats from harming people and undermining progress.

“The Biden Administration’s actions to clamp down on toxic pollution and to provide resources to water utilities to help protect drinking water supplies are important steps to ensure that people in cities and towns have access to clean, safe, and affordable drinking water. Today’s announcement builds on the federal government’s annual investments to restore and protect the Great Lakes, which have been producing results for communities across the region. But serious threats remain, which is why we need both robust federal investments and strong clean water protections so that problems don’t get worse and more expensive to solve.”

In addition to the new protections to keep toxic PFAS out of drinking water supplies, the Biden Administration is supplying billions of dollars of federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help water utilities prevent toxic PFAS from contaminating drinking water.

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 185 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads @HealthyLakes.

Original Article

Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes

Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes

https://www.healthylakes.org/latest-updates/coalition-applauds-epa-action-to-protect-people-from-toxic-pfas

Lindsey Bacigal

Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition

Biden Budget Maintains Great Lakes, Clean Water Investments

Budget misses opportunity to fully fund programs to address ongoing threats to drinking water, public health.

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (March 13, 2024) – The Biden Administration’s proposed fiscal year 2025 federal budget, released Monday, takes a positive step in strengthening EPA and its core environmental protection mission, while maintaining funding levels for core clean water and Great Lakes investments. The budget does not support full funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and programs that support community drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.

“The Biden Administration’s budget keeps Great Lakes restoration and EPA’s environmental protection efforts on solid footing, although we are disappointed not to see the president support full funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and water infrastructure programs,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “With ongoing water infrastructure failures, flooding, and sewage overflows, we need the approved and increased amounts of funding.  We hope Congress and the Administration work together to fully fund Great Lakes restoration and water infrastructure programs in the coming year to ensure every person has access to safe and affordable drinking water and sanitation services. We have manageable solutions to these problems, and delay will only make these issues worse and more expensive to solve.”

The president’s budget requests $368 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, while Congress has authorized up to $450 million for the program.

The president’s budget requests $1.12 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, while Congress has authorized up to $4.3 billion for the program that helps communities update their drinking water infrastructure.

The president’s budget requests $1.24 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, while Congress has authorized up to $4.8 billion for the program that helps communities update their wastewater infrastructure.

The release of the president’s budget comes amid a ramped-up effort by the Biden Administration to tackle water infrastructure challenges. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which President Biden signed into law in 2021, is providing historic levels of investment to fix the nation’s infrastructure, including $50 billion to upgrade the nation’s drinking water, storm water, and wastewater infrastructure. While those investments have been essential for towns and cities across the region, the nation still faces a staggering backlog of work to meet its clean water goals.

The Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, for example, require more than $225 billion over 20 years to fix, repair and update their drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. That is why the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is pushing for the Biden Administration and Congress to continue full funding of clean water programs in the annual appropriations process.

“The historic investments we have seen over the last few years in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act have been absolute game-changers for communities,” said Rubin. “The Biden Administration and Congress deserve tremendous credit for addressing urgent threats with those investments. At the same time, we still have a tremendous amount of work to do to ensure no community is left behind and that we extend help to the communities most impacted by pollution, environmental harm, and insufficient water infrastructure. Resting on our laurels now would be a mistake, considering the work left to do.”

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 185 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads @HealthyLakes.

Original Article

Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes

Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes

https://www.healthylakes.org/latest-updates/biden-budget-maintains-great-lakes-clean-water-investments

Lindsey Bacigal

Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition

Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 5, 2024)—Great Lakes supporters are in Washington, D.C., this week with the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, to urge members of Congress to continue their support for federal investments to protect the drinking water, public health, jobs, and quality of life for the millions of people in the eight-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. 

“Federal investments to restore and protect the Great Lakes are producing results, but serious threats remain,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, which organizes the two-day event. “We look forward to continuing our bipartisan work with Congress and the Biden Administration to ensure that every person in the region has access to clean, safe and affordable water. We cannot let up now. There are still many communities that are affected by the serious health impacts of pollution and environmental harm. Cutting funding to core clean water programs will only make the problems worse and more expensive to solve.”

Great Lakes advocates are promoting a policy agenda that asks Congress to:

• Support the reauthorization of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to extend the program through 2031 and authorizes the federal government to invest $500 million annually in restoration and protection action.

• Fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at no less than $450 million to clean up toxic pollution, restore fish and wildlife habitat, reduce farm and city runoff pollution, and prevent and manage invasive species.

• Fully fund the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund at $4.6 billion and $4.1 billion, respectively, to support community efforts to upgrade wastewater and drinking water infrastructure, targeting the biggest problems and the communities hardest hit by pollution and environmental harm.

• Support clean water protections by strengthening the Clean Water Act and addressing legacy and emerging contaminants such as toxic PFAS, lead, and plastics.

• Support clean water in the Farm Bill by increasing funding for conservation programs, rejecting cuts to climate smart agriculture efforts, and tying payments and incentives for farmers to clean water outcomes and the implementation of sustainable practices that protect soil and water quality.

The visit to Washington, D.C., for nearly 100 Great Lakes advocates comes as the U.S. Congress tries to hammer out a budget compromise to get through the current fiscal year 2024 budget and in anticipation of President Joe Biden’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is pushing to maintain federal investments in both budget cycles.

“These policies will benefit millions of people in the region,” said Rubin. “Robust investments in clean water coupled with strong clean water protections are essential to protect the health of our communities. The bottom line is: We have solutions, and it’s time to use them, so that we can one day put an end to drinking water restrictions, beach closures, and fish consumption advisories.”

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 185 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads @HealthyLakes.

Original Article

Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes

Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes

https://www.healthylakes.org/latest-updates/2024-great-lakes-advocates-in-dc-to-protect-lakes-drinking-water-public-health

Lindsey Bacigal

Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

Biden Signs Climate Bill into Law, a Historic Win for Great Lakes Restoration, Clean Drinking Water, Public Health

Great Lakes Coalition: ‘This is a monumental day that will hopefully turn the tide in our nation’s fight against climate change.’

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (August 16, 2022)—President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 into law today, a sweeping bill that confronts the climate crisis, supports Great Lakes restoration, and prioritizes assistance to communities most impacted by climate pollution and harm. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition heralded the bill.

Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said:

“This is a monumental day that will hopefully turn the tide in our nation’s fight against climate change. For the millions of people in the region, who have borne the brunt of climate-induced heat waves and flooding that have exacerbated water pollution, threatened drinking water, destroyed homes and businesses, and hurt local economies, this bill is a sign of hope. The historic investments in this bill will help the nation and local communities confront the climate crisis, while supporting Great Lakes restoration, clean drinking water, and healthy communities. This bill is a game-changer, and we hope it sets the stage for continued action, before climate-induced problems get worse and more expensive to solve.”

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.

The post Biden Signs Climate Bill into Law, a Historic Win for Great Lakes Restoration, Clean Drinking Water, Public Health appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/biden-signs-climate-bill-into-law-a-historic-win-for-great-lakes-restoration-clean-drinking-water-public-health/

Lindsey Bacigal

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (July 29, 2022)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is pleased to see climate legislation moving forward by way of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. At a regional level, this legislation would support Great Lakes restoration and protection, as well as help communities in the eight-state region prepare for, and adapt to, the threat of climate impacts, such as increased flooding, excessive heat and cold, and runoff pollution.

“This bill will help ensure an expeditious transition towards a better, more resilient future that protects our environment and our communities,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “Investing in the communities most impacted by pollution and climate change can put people to work, set the stage for economic revitalization in our towns and cities, and ensure the long-term health of our communities and the Great Lakes we all rely on. We encourage the Senate and House to pass this bill without delay.”

The total package size of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is $369 billion. Important line items within this include:

• Climate pieces:
  • $60 billion to boost domestic clean energy manufacturing
  • $30 billion in production tax credits for solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, and critical mineral processing
  • $30 billion for grants and loans for states and utilities to advance the clean energy transition
• $60 billion total in targeted funding for environmental justice communities
• $2.6 billion for Investing in Coastal Communities and Climate Resilience
• $390 million for NOAA Climate, Forecasting, and Oceans Science
• $23 billion for Agricultural Conservation Investments and Technical Assistance
• $3 billion for Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grants
• Over $120 billion to advance a clean energy transition

Comprehensive legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act is essential to confront the climate crisis, advance environmental justice, and bolster resilience and natural infrastructure solutions in coastal restoration, forest management, and soil conservation. Federal investments to restore and protect the Great Lakes have been producing results for over a decade, yet serious threats remain and are being exacerbated by climate change, making them worse and more expensive to solve.

The Great Lakes region – like our nation – faces a web of compounding crises impacting the health of people and communities. The region has seen the direct result of underinvestment in community resilience and a lack of action on climate change, as communities face disastrous impacts from flooding, extreme weather, and heat waves. With climate change pushing our current infrastructure past its limits, the time to act is now.

Investing in climate action not only protects our Great Lakes ecosystem and public health but improves the resiliency of our communities and creates good-paying, local jobs. There are many examples of communities across the region acting to adapt to climate impacts, from the restoration of habitat that absorbs stormwater to prevent flooding to farm conservation actions that prevent animal waste and fertilizer from polluting local drinking waters. Now is the time to support these actions at a much larger scale, commensurate with the climate crisis before us.

The post Coalition Celebrates Climate Legislation and its Support of Great Lakes Restoration appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/coalition-celebrates-climate-legislation-and-its-support-of-great-lakes-restoration/

Lindsey Bacigal

This week, the House Appropriations Committee is looking at various draft budget bills for Fiscal Year 2023, including the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies funding bill, which is proposing robust funding increases for the Department of Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The bill contains $368 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, $20 million above current funding levels. The funding bill also contains $2.88 billion for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, which help communities pay for wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects, respectively. Funding for the two SRF programs represent about an $118 million increase over current budget levels.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is pleased to see increases for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and the State Revolving Funds (SRFs), as these programs are at the heart of cleaning up the Great Lakes region and providing safe, clean drinking water for all.

Though increases are something to celebrate, unfortunately, the GLRI and SRFs were not funded at fully authorized levels: $400 million for the GLRI and $2.75 billion for each SRF program ($5.5 billion total authorization). The failure to budget for the full authorized amount – essentially leaving money on the table – is concerning, as there remains much work to do to tackle serious threats in the region, including toxic pollution, degraded fish and wildlife habitat, invasive species, and farm and city runoff pollution. The longer it takes for these problems to be solved, the worse and more expensive they will get.

The backlog of infrastructure work is well-known. The eight-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin needs more than $188 billion over 20 years to fix, repair, and update its drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. The Coalition heralded last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law as a game-changer not only for the sizeable investment it was making now – but also because the law was dramatically increasing the amount the U.S. Congress could invest every year during the annual appropriations process. The failure to follow through is a missed opportunity.

Of note, full authorization of the GLRI has bipartisan support in the U.S. House of Representatives. Just in late spring, a bipartisan group of 47 members of the House sent a letter to subcommittee chairs advocating for such, recognizing the importance of the program and its positive impact on the environmental and economic health of the region.

Approved by the subcommittee, the draft funding bill is now going to full markup in the House Appropriations Committee, and we hope to see the funding numbers go up to their fully authorized amounts.

The post House Committees to Take Up Spending Bills This Week appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/house-committees-to-take-up-spending-bills-this-week/

Lindsey Bacigal

On Wednesday, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a massive step forward in the fight to combat toxic PFAS pollution and protect clean drinking water.

First, the EPA is publishing four new drinking water lifetime health advisories for certain PFAS, using updated science to lower the accepted standard of PFAS concentration in water and further limiting the usage of PFAS in chemical and product manufacturing. Second, the EPA is making available $1 billion in grant funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to help communities that are on the frontlines of PFAS contamination. This will be the first of $5 billion through the IIJA that can be used to reduce PFAS in drinking water in communities facing disproportionate impacts from the forever chemicals.

“Though many organizations have been advocating for stronger PFAS standards, this progress wouldn’t be happening without the leadership of PFAS affected communities,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We are glad to see that communities that have experienced the greatest harms from these toxic chemicals are being prioritized in terms of funding.”

In the Great Lakes region, local groups like Save Our H2O, the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network, the Huron River Watershed Council, and Need Our Water have been working tirelessly to protect their own communities from further PFAS contamination, and subsequently, brought regional and national attention to this issue. The Coalition thanks them for their continued leadership.

These efforts support the goals of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition’s legislative priorities.

The post Big Win for PFAS Reduction appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/big-win-for-pfas-reduction/

Lindsey Bacigal

Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

U.S. Reps Urge Funding Boost to $400M for Great Lakes Restoration

Coalition supports efforts by 47 U.S. House Republicans and Democrats to boost federal investments in restoration, protection efforts.

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (May 11, 2022)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is supporting a push by 47 bipartisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives to boost federal investments in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to $400 million in the fiscal year 2023 budget. The program funds efforts to clean up toxic pollution, restore fish and wildlife habitat, manage invasive species, and reduce farm and city runoff pollution.

“Support for the Great Lakes and GLRI has long seen strong bipartisan support in Congress,” reads the letter from House members. “Halting or reducing this commitment would reverse years of progress, dramatically reducing the GLRI’s impact, and jeopardize the environmental and economic health of the region for generations to come.”

“Federal investments to restore the Great Lakes are producing results, but serious threats remain,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We thank members of the House of Representatives who continue to make Great Lakes restoration and protection a national priority. The Coalition looks forward to working with bipartisan members of Congress to support urgent actions to restore the Great Lakes, provide clean drinking water to millions of people, and help communities most impacted by pollution and environmental harm. Scaling back federal investments will only allow the problems to get worse and more expensive to solve.”

Signatories to the House letter include: Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), Sean Casten (D-Ill), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Antonio Delgado (D-N.Y.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Michael Doyle (D-Pa.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Jesús García (D-Ill.), Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio), Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Chris Jacobs (R-N.Y.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), John Katko (R-N.Y.) Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), Ron Kind (R-Wis.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), Andy Levin (D-Mich.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Joseph Morelle (D-N.Y.), Frank Mrvan (D-Ind.), Marie Newman (D-Ill.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Bradley Schneider (D-Ill.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Brian Steil (R-Wis.), Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), Michael Turner (R-Ohio), Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), and Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.).

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.

The post U.S. Reps Urge Funding Boost to $400M for Great Lakes Restoration appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/u-s-reps-urge-funding-boost-to-400m-for-great-lakes-restoration/

Lindsey Bacigal

Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

Senate Committee Passes Water Bill with Great Lakes, Invasive Carp Provisions

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (May 4, 2022)—The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today advanced the Water Resources Development Act of 2022, a key step in ensuring Congress passes this critical biennial water infrastructure legislation. The bill contains provisions that support Great Lakes restoration priorities, such as preventing the spread of invasive carp into the lakes and helping communities prepare for and adapt to climate change. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is supporting several provisions in the bill.

“This bill will help local communities restore and protect the Great Lakes—and will be essential as the region tries to adjust to the increasing impacts of climate change,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We support investments in the bill that will help communities prepare for, and adapt to, climate impacts stemming from intense storms and flooding. We also applaud the focus on preventing invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes.”

The Water Resources Development Act, a federal bill that funds water infrastructure projects undertaken by the U.S. Army Crops of Engineers, contains funding to prevent the spread of invasive carp into the Great Lakes, by funding the construction of a lock and dam to halt the advance of the non-native species. The legislation, if passed, would call for the federal government to pay for 90 percent of the cost. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is urging Congress to amend the bill so that the federal government covers the full cost of the project.

You can find the Coalition’s full comments to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in support of these key Great Lakes provisions on our website.

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.

The post Senate Committee Passes Water Bill with Great Lakes, Invasive Carp Provisions appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/senate-committee-passes-water-bill-with-great-lakes-invasive-carp-provisions/

Lindsey Bacigal

Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition

Contact:
Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

Great Lakes Coalition Releases Funding Priorities in Letters to House Appropriations Leaders

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (April 28, 2022)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition and more than 90 of its member organizations released its 2023 fiscal year congressional investment priorities to restore and protect the Great Lakes and provide clean, safe, and affordable drinking water to communities, in letters to U.S. House appropriations leaders.

“Federal investments to restore the Great Lakes and provide clean, safe, and affordable dinking water are producing results in communities around the region,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “Yet serious threats remain. The ongoing presence of drinking water restrictions, fish consumptions advisories, and beach closures – as well as the rising cost of water – underscore that the federal government cannot let up now. Congress needs to keep funding solutions that protect our drinking water and the health of communities. We look forward to working with the Great Lakes delegation to ensure that we are doing all we can to protect the Great Lakes and the millions of people in the region, especially the communities that have been most impacted by pollution and harm.”

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is calling on members of Congress to fund:

• The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $400 million to clean up toxic pollution, restore habitat, and reduce runoff pollution;
• The Clean Water State Revolving Fund at $4.4 billion and Drinking Water State Revolving Funding at $3.9 billion to help communities fix and update drinking water and wastewater infrastructure;
• Programs to research, monitor, and evaluate progress and challenges of clean-up efforts through programs like the Sea Grant and NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab;
• Programs to help communities prepare for, and adapt to, the impacts of climate change, such as flooding;
• Invasive carp action plan to keep the non-native fish out of the Great Lakes; and,
• Farm conservation programs that pay farmers to take specific actions to improve water quality and soil health and to prevent toxic algal blooms.

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.

The post Great Lakes Coalition Releases Funding Priorities in Letters to House Appropriations Leaders appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/great-lakes-coalition-releases-funding-priorities-in-letters-to-house-appropriations-leaders/

Lindsey Bacigal

Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition

Contact:
Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

Five Take-aways From Biden Budget

The Biden Administration released its proposed budget on Monday, March 28. There’s a lot to like in the budget, as well as some things that could be improved (read more in the Coalition’s Biden budget press release). Here are some take-aways from the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.

1. The budget is good for clean water advocates. The budget, by and large, is very robust. It boosts funding to core environmental and clean water programs, and provides the EPA and other agencies with significant funding increases to effectively staff and implement these programs. It also continues to prioritize helping communities most impacted by pollution and environmental harm. And it confronts climate change—which is exacerbating many threats to the Great Lakes and communities in the region, such as polluted runoff and flooding.
2. The budget is not perfect. In fairness, no budget is. The main head-scratcher in the Biden Budget is the cut to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the marquee program to protect and restore the Great Lakes. The program invests in activities like cleaning up toxic pollution, restoring fish and wildlife habitat, and reducing runoff pollution. The $8 million cut (from current funding of $348 million to $340 million) really does not make sense, given the fact that 1) federal investments to restore the Great Lakes have been so effective (just read some of the Coalition’s many Great Lakes restoration success stories), and 2) there is much more work to do to tackle serious threats that contribute tot fish consumption advisories, beach closures, and drinking water restrictions throughout the region.
3. The Biden Administration (and Congress) cannot rest on their laurels. The Biden Administration’s proposed budget comes on the heels of the historic passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law (the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) that will, over the next five years, provide an unprecedented level of federal funding for many clean water priorities. As has been said (by the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition and others), this funding will be a game-changer in helping communities confront water pollution challenges. These investments, however, will not fix all of the problems that plague the Great Lakes and the communities in the eight-state region. That’s why annual federal budgets need to remain robust. It will be counterproductive if federal lawmakers use these supplemental funds to supplant annual funding to essential clean water programs under the assumption that the bipartisan infrastructure law took care of everything.
4. Congress needs to seal the deal. The president kicks off the budget process. Congress has the final say. Now it’s up to the Great Lakes congressional delegation to ensure that regional Great Lakes and clean water priorities are funded in the fiscal year 2023 budget, which begins Oct. 1. The good news is that members of Congress are already circulating a letter urging colleagues to support $400 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
5. The Biden Administration needs to follow through on implementation. Ensuring that federal investments reach the communities most impacted by pollution will be essential. The Biden Administration has emphasized its commitment to doing just that. It will be important that its actions match its words. There are still many communities that have a difficult time accessing federal funds due to insufficient staff capacity or lack of information. We encourage the Biden Administration continue to enhance community outreach and offer technical assistance to communities that have historically not had access to federal funding. This will help ensure that everyone has access to the help they need to, one day, provide clean, safe, and affordable water to everyone.

The post Five Take-aways From Biden Budget appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/five-take-aways-from-biden-budget/

Lindsey Bacigal

Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition

Contact:
Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

President’s Budget FAQ

How do Great Lakes and clean water programs fare in the Biden Administration’s budget?
The Biden Administration’s FY2023 proposed $5.8 trillion budget request provides significant boosts in funding for key environmental, clean water, and Great Lakes programs. Increases to key agencies such as the EPA, United States Geological Survey (USGS), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) serve to build up staff capacity to effectively implement and enhance Great Lakes restoration and protection. However, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) was only funded at $340.1 million–a reduction of $8 million from current funding levels and far short of the $400 million that Congress has authorized for the program.

What’s the major take-away from the budget?
Overall, the Biden Administration’s proposed budget supports clean water priorities, providing a solid foundation on which Congress can start the annual appropriations process. It boosts funding to reduce lead in drinking water, maintains funding for the nation’s primary water infrastructure loan programs, and increases the EPA’s budget to confront climate change and address environmental injustices. However, it comes up short in funding the nation’s principal Great Lakes restoration program–the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. 

The Biden Budget makes a big deal about increasing staffing at agencies like the EPA. Why is this important in terms of efforts to restore the Great Lakes restoration and other clean water priorities?
The EPA is the nation’s environmental watchdog, and it needs to have adequate staffing to do the job–including the administration of programs like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The Biden Administration has proposed an increase in EPA agency staffing by 1,900 employees to more than 16,200 staff. This investment recognizes the need for employees who enforce environmental laws, better consult with local communities in restoration and protection efforts, and expedite the EPA’s work. EPA staffing was drastically cut by the Trump Administration, so this effort to rebuild the Agency’s capacity is sorely needed to address the multitude of environmental issues across the nation.  

How does the Biden budget compare with previous budgets?
The Biden budget includes game changing funding increases that would dramatically expand and strengthen key agencies, though a few questions remain regarding primary Great Lakes and water infrastructure programs coming up short of authorization levels. The Biden budget includes the largest funding level ever for the EPA: $11.9 billion for fiscal year 2023–a $2.6 billion increase from the current fiscal year funding from Congress ($9.56 billion). 

What do you like about the Biden Administration’s proposed budget?
Clearly, the Biden Administration is prioritizing clean water protections and investments that will help the nation address serious pollution challenges. It supports foundational environmental programs and provides support to the federal agencies charged with carrying out the work. It addresses climate change–which is causing all sorts of problems for the environment and economy–and it is prioritizing getting help to the communities most impacted by pollution.

What don’t you like about the Biden Administration’s proposed budget?
The real head-scratcher in the Biden Budget is the cut to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Not only was this marquee program not fully funded, the proposal unintentionally put forth an $8 million cut from the recently enacted FY22 level of $348 million, which passed before the budget was written. Further, the request is far below the GLRI’s authorized funding level of $400 million. This is disappointing, as the federal investments through the program have been producing results for many years. Yet, serious threats remain and more work needs to be done. Many communities are still grappling with health-threatening pollution and lack of access to clean, safe, and affordable water. Now is not the time to cut back on this successful program.

Explain the significance of the Biden Administration’s request versus the amount Congress has authorized. Why is this important?
There is a limit to how much the federal government can spend on programs like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which is referred to as an authorization. Congress has authorized up to $400 million in funding for the GLRI in FY23. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has urged the Biden Administration and the U.S. Congress to fund the GLRI and other clean water programs at their authorized levels (in this case, $400 million) for several reasons. The most important reason is that there is still a glaring need: The region still suffers from toxic pollution, sewage overflows, and harmful algal blooms that close beaches, poison drinking water, and make fish unsafe to eat. These are serious public health threats that need to be addressed. It is also important to address these problems now, because delay will only make the problem worse and more costly to solve.

Why did the Biden Administration propose cutting the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative?
We don’t know! Federal investments to restore the Great Lakes have been producing results in local communities, and we need to keep up the good work to make sure that everyone has access to clean, safe and affordable drinking water. We don’t agree with this decision and will work with Congress to fund the GLRI to FY23 authorized levels..

The bipartisan infrastructure law is going to provide billions of dollars of new funding for clean water priorities over the next five years, including $1 billion for Great Lakes restoration actions. Doesn’t that make up for any cuts in the Biden Administration budget?
The bipartisan infrastructure law is going to be transformational over the next five years–injecting long-overdue federal investment to update our nation’s inadequate drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, as well as bolster Great Lakes restoration investments. That said, it will not fix all of our problems. For instance, the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin have a staggering $188 billion of work needed to update their drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. So while the bipartisan infrastructure law deserves to be celebrated and appreciated–it truly is a game changer–it will be important in future years to not allow these funds to supplant annual federal investments. For instance, the $1 billion in the bipartisan infrastructure law is targeted to cleaning up almost all of the most contaminated sites in the Great Lakes by 2030, but annual appropriations are still needed to address the other four remaining GLRI program areas. 

What comes next?
Presidential budgets kick off the annual budgeting process. Congress controls the purse strings and will have the final say in terms of what programs get funded at what levels in the next federal budget. The proposed budget emphasizes the Biden Administration’s commitment to clean water protection, ecosystem restoration, and addressing environmental injustice. This is a strong starting point for the U.S. House and Senate to begin debate on next year’s funding package. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition looks forward to working with Congress to ensure that Great Lakes and clean water priorities receive the attention they deserve in the final funding package.

Biden budget, by the numbers

Agency Funding

• EPA
  • $11.9 billion budget request for the agency, an increase of $2.3 billion (a nearly 24% increase over fiscal year 2022 (FY22) enacted).
• NOAA
  • $6.9 billion request for the agency, an increase of over $1 billion (a nearly 17% increase over FY22 enacted).
• USGS
  • $2 billion appropriations request for the agency, an increase of over $300 million (a 21% increase over FY22 enacted).
• USFWS
  • $3.7 billion request for the agency, an increase of $350 million (a 21% increase over FY22 enacted).

Water Infrastructure
Overall, the President’s budget includes $4.4 billion for water infrastructure, advancing efforts to upgrade drinking water and wastewater infrastructure which will protect water quality, enhance community resilience, and ensure communities have safe drinking water. 

Funding for specific programs, includes:

• State Revolving Funds (pg. 13-15, 61-64, EPA’s budget breakdown)
  • CWSRF
    • The Clean Water SRF, which helps communities fix and upgrade wastewater infrastructure, was funded at $1.64 billion. Congress funded the program at $1.64 billion in the current fiscal year. 
    • This funding level is lower than the FY23 authorized level, which is $4.38 billion.
  • DWSRF
    • The Drinking Water SRF, which helps communities fix and upgrade drinking water infrastructure, was funded at $1.13 billion. Congress funded the program at $1.13 billion in the current fiscal year.
    • This funding level is lower than the FY23 authorized level, which is $3.87 billion. 
• Other key programs
  • Overall
    • According to the EPA’s budget breakdown, “In FY 2023, a combined $340.7 million is requested to implement programs created by AWIA [America’s Water Infrastructure Act] across four program projects, including: Drinking Water Infrastructure Resilience, Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse grants, Technical Assistance for Wastewater Treatment Work, and Water Infrastructure Workforce Investment” (pg. 60).
      • Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Grants
        • $280 million request for the program, which meets FY23 authorization levels, and is an increase from FY22 enacted at $43 million
      • Water Infrastructure Workforce Development
        • $17.711 million request for the program, a significant increase from the FY22 enacted level of $4 million
    • The Biden Administration’s budget also proposes $560 million to support 20 new grant programs authorized by the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act (pg. 64, EPA’s budget breakdown). A few highlights include:
      • $50 million for the Household Decentralized Wastewater Grant Program
      • $75 million for the Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Grant Programs, which includes $50 million for Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability and $25 million for the Clean Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Program

Climate
The Biden Administration is integrating consideration of climate change impacts across agency decision-making and investing in science, resilience, and public engagement. The following breaks down agency investments in relation to climate change. 

• EPA
  • The President’s budget prioritizes EPA funding for tackling the climate crisis.
  • This includes $100 million in grants to Tribes and states that will support on-the-ground efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resiliency in the nation’s infrastructure. 
• NOAA
  • According to an NOAA press release, the budget proposes $350 million to expand NOAA’s role in climate science with the goal of building critical climate products and services to enhance federal and local responses to climate change and build resiliency across communities. 
  • Also proposed, $491 million to restore marine, estuarine, coastal, and Great Lakes ecosystems. 
• USGS
  • According to a USGS press release, “The 2023 budget funds critical science on climate change as it relates to ecosystems, species and biodiversity—including science on species at-risk of needing protection under the Endangered Species Act.”
  • The same release states, “One key focus in the 2023 budget is understanding the impacts of sea-level rise and extreme storm events on coastal wetland ecosystems. The USGS would expand decision-support tools for conserving biodiversity in the face of climate-related impacts and develop tools and models for predicting the impacts of a changing climate on water availability and ecosystem health.”
• USFWS
  • As per an USFWS press release, “The Service is focusing on climate change across all of its programs. The Service’s Science Applications activity, consisting of Cooperative Landscape Conservation and Science Support programs, works with partners in developing plans to conserve landscapes across the country to address climate change as well as other conservation needs. The Service is requesting a total of $57.5 million for these programs.”
• Army Corps of Engineers
  • The President’s budget includes $600,000 for the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study.
  • Of note, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition requested $3 million for the study. Though lower than requested, a second year of funding to move this study forward is positive progress. 

Environmental injustice
According to an EPA press release, “The Budget invests more than $1.45 billion across the Agency’s programs that will help create good-paying jobs, clean up pollution, advance racial equity, and secure environmental justice for all communities.” In FY23 this will include “$300.8 million and 211.9 FTE in the Environmental Justice program will expand support for community-based organizations, indigenous organizations, Tribes, states, local governments, and territorial governments in pursuit of identifying and addressing environmental justice issues through multi-partner collaborations” (pg. 10, EPA budget breakdown). 

The EPA is also aiming to implement the Biden Administration’s Justice40 Initiative, “with the goal of delivering at least 40 percent of the overall benefits of relevant federal investments to underserved and overburdened communities” (pg. 10, EPA budget breakdown). 

The EPA has requested $295 million for the Environmental Justice program (pg. 4, EPA budget breakdown), which includes:

• $140 million for environmental justice implementation grants (an increase from the FY22 enacted level of $94 million)
• $50 million for competitive grants to reduce the disproportionate health impacts of environmental pollution in environmental justice communities
• $25 million for an Environmental Justice Community Grant Program for grants to nonprofits to reduce the disproportionate health impacts of environmental pollution in environmental justice communities
• $25 million for an Environmental Justice State Grant Program for grants to states to create or support state environmental justice programs
• $25 million for a Tribal Environmental Justice Grant Program for grants to tribes or intertribal consortia to support tribal work to eliminate disproportionately adverse human health or environmental effects on environmental justice communities in Tribal and Indigenous communities
• $15 million for a competitive Community-based Participatory Research Grant Program for grants to institutions of higher education to develop partnerships with community-based organizations to improve the health outcomes of residents and workers in environmental justice communities
• $10 million for an Environmental Justice Training Program for grants to nonprofits for multi-media or single media activities to increase the capacity of residents of underserved communities to identify and address disproportionately adverse human health or environmental effects of pollution. 

Invasive species
Key federal agencies are proposing funding increases for action against invasive species, including invasive carp. Examples include: 

• USGS is requesting $47.9 million for the Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program–an increase of $7.5 million over fiscal year 2022 enacted, with an expanded focus on climate-driven invasive species.
• USFWS is requesting an expansion of the aquatic invasive species program.
• The Army Corps of Engineers is advancing construction on the Brandon Road Lock and Dam by including $47.9 million in the budget request. This is important in the effort to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes. They are also requesting $14.3 million for supporting operations and maintenance of the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal. 

Lead
The President’s budget is requesting $182 million for the Reducing Lead in Drinking Water program, which is an increase of more than $160 million over previously enacted. This includes a request of $80 million for the Safe Water for Small and Disadvantaged Communities Drinking Water grant program, a large increase from the $27 million enacted in FY22; and $36.5 million to continue funding of the Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing grant program. 

PFAS
As per the EPA’s press release, “PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals that threaten the health and safety of communities across the Nation. As part of the President’s commitment to tackling PFAS pollution, the Budget provides approximately $126 million in FY 2023 for EPA to increase its understanding of human health and ecological effects of PFAS, restrict uses to prevent PFAS from entering the air, land, and water, and remediate PFAS that have been released into the environment. EPA will continue to act on the Agency’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap to safeguard communities from PFAS contamination.”

The post President’s Budget FAQ appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/presidents-budget-faq/

Lindsey Bacigal

Contact:
Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

Biden Budget on Clean Water: Boost to Water Infrastructure, Cuts to Great Lakes Restoration

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (March 29, 2022)—The Biden Administration’s proposed budget, released yesterday, cuts the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, boosts funding to reduce lead in drinking water, maintains funding for the nation’s primary water infrastructure loan programs, and increases the EPA’s budget to confront climate change and address environmental injustices.

“The Biden Administration’s proposed budget supports clean water priorities broadly, while coming up short in funding the nation’s marquee Great Lakes restoration program,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “Federal investments to restore the Great Lakes and address pollution have been immensely important over the years. However, serious threats remain, and with many communities still grappling with health-threatening pollution, it’s important that the federal government do all that it can to ensure that every person has access to clean, safe and affordable water.

“The Biden Administration’s proposed budget provides a strong starting point for the U.S. House and Senate to discuss how best the country can meet its clean water goals. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition looks forward to working with members of Congress to make sure Great Lakes and clean water priorities receive the attention they deserve in the federal budget in order to protect our Great Lakes, drinking water, public health, and way of life.”

The Biden Administration’s budget contains:

• $11.9 billion for the U.S. EPA for fiscal year 2023. Congress funded the agency at $9.56 billion in the current fiscal year.
• $340.1 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Congress funded the GLRI at $348 in the current fiscal year.
• $1.64 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, which helps communities fix and upgrade wastewater infrastructure. Congress funded the program at $1.64 billion in the current fiscal year.
• $1.13 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which helps communities fix and upgrade drinking water infrastructure. Congress funded the program at $1.13 billion in the current fiscal year.
• $140 million for grants to communities to confront environmental injustices. Congress funded the program at $94 million in the current fiscal year.
• $182 million for the Reducing Lead in Drinking Water program, which is an increase of more than $160 million over previously enacted.

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at www.HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes

The post Biden Budget on Clean Water: Boost to Water Infrastructure, Cuts to Great Lakes Restoration appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/biden-budget-on-clean-water-boost-to-water-infrastructure-cuts-to-great-lakes-restoration/

Lindsey Bacigal

Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

EPA Targets Historic Water Infrastructure Funding to Communities Most Impacted by Pollution
Coalition: Agency’s focus essential to protect drinking water, clean water, and public health of millions of people.

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (March 8, 2022)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is applauding the EPA’s plan to collaborate with states, tribes and local officials to ensure that historic federal investments to fix drinking water and wastewater infrastructure reach communities most impacted by pollution. The plan, released today, provides guidance on how more than $40 billion in federal funding will be spent as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law, known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“For the millions of people across the country and in the Great Lakes region who still struggle with unsafe drinking water and inadequate sanitation services, this is welcome news,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We wholeheartedly support the EPA’s focus to tackle the biggest problems first in the communities most harmed by pollution as a way to protect the drinking water and public health of people in communities large and small. These investments are good for communities, clean water, and the Great Lakes. We look forward to working with the Biden Administration and the EPA to ensure the strong vision for these investments is realized so that we are helping the people who need it the most.”

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition supported the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which invests almost $50 billion in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and allows the federal government to boost funding for similar investments over the next five years. The law also contains $1 billion for Great Lakes restoration investments through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Read more information on the EPA guidance. 

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.

The post EPA Targets Historic Water Infrastructure Funding to Communities Most Impacted by Pollution appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/epa-targets-historic-water-infrastructure-funding-to-communities-most-impacted-by-pollution/

Lindsey Bacigal

Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

Budget a Mixed Bag on Great Lakes, Clean Water Priorities

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (March 9, 2022)—The federal budget released today for this year is a mixed bag as it pertains to programs to address urgent threats to drinking water and the Great Lakes that impact millions of people in the eight Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

“Context matters, and it is important to consider this budget in relation to the full body of work undertaken by Congress this past year,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “On one hand, the recent bipartisan infrastructure bill has been a shot in the arm to clean water and Great Lakes priorities. It invests $50 billion in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, funds an additional $1 billion in Great Lakes restoration efforts, and boosts the amount of money the federal government is allowed to spend over the next five years to meet clean water goals. The passage of that bill shows that Congress understands the severity of threats to our water resources and the need to do more. On the other hand, today’s budget does not fully fund the programs that will allow us to tackle the urgent problems that threaten our drinking water, public health, and Great Lakes—problems that will only get worse because of climate change. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition believes that at a time when millions of people are still grappling with unsafe water due to toxic pollution, sewage overflows, lead pipes, and other threats, Congress needs to fully fund programs that have been producing results in communities over the last several years.”

The federal budget released today:

• Funds the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $348 million. Congress has authorized the program for up to $375 million.
• Funds the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to help communities upgrade wastewater infrastructure at $1.639 billion. Congress has authorized the program for up to $4 billion.
• Funds the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to help communities upgrade drinking water infrastructure at $1.126 billion. Congress has authorized the program for up to $3.5 billion.

In recent years, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, our members, and partners have pushed for significantly higher federal investments in clean water priorities to address the backlog of work needed to protect people from cancer-causing pollution, sewage overflows, inadequate drinking water systems, and higher water bills. The eight-state Great Lakes region needs at least $188 billion in water infrastructure repairs.

“Federal investments to restore the Great Lakes and to provide drinking water to our communities have been producing results—but serious threats remain,” said Rubin. “The decades-long disinvestment in our nation’s water infrastructure has left an enormous amount of work to do. We are grateful for the work over the past year by Congress to boost funding for important clean water and drinking water programs. It is important to not let up now.”

Congress has yet to complete a budget for the current fiscal year, which runs through Sept. 30, and has passed a series of short-term budgets. The current budget, if it passes, will fund the government through the year.

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.

The post Budget a Mixed Bag on Great Lakes, Clean Water Priorities appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/budget-a-mixed-bag-on-great-lakes-clean-water-priorities/

Lindsey Bacigal

Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition

Contact:
Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

Advocates Urge Congress to Support Great Lakes, Climate Priorities
Coalition meetings with D.C. lawmakers come as Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report underscores need to take aggressive action to confront climate crisis.

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (February 28, 2022)—Restoring the Great Lakes, fixing water infrastructure, and confronting climate change are top priorities for Great Lakes advocates, who will be meeting with members of Congress via dozens of virtual meetings this week as part of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition’s annual Great Lakes Days February 28-March 4.

“Our message to federal officials is simple: We’re making progress, but there’s a lot more work to do,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We cannot let our guard down at a time when many communities are still struggling with polluted water, sewage overflows, toxic contamination, and dangerous flooding. Climate change is making these problems worse. We look forward to working with members of Congress to support solutions to restore our Great Lakes, protect our drinking water, and confront the climate crisis, while helping the communities that have been most impacted by health-threatening pollution.”

The annual week of meetings with members of Congress comes as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is releasing a new report emphasizing the serious damage climate change is causing. The report notes that the large-scale restoration of habitat, wetlands, and floodplains in regions like the Great Lakes can buffer communities from some of the impacts of a warming climate; although these actions must be accompanied by efforts to drive down carbon pollution to prevent the worst impacts. The severe storms and erratic weather are already impacting the Great Lakes and communities (read the Coalition’s climate factsheet for more information), and tackling climate change is a top priority for the Coalition.

“Federal support for restoring the Great Lakes must go hand in hand with national action to curb climate pollution,” said Rubin. “Both are needed if we are to protect our environment, economy, and public health. Unfortunately, the communities most impacted by water pollution also continue to be disproportionately impacted by climate change, from increased flooding to hazardous air pollution. We urge members of Congress who have championed Great Lakes restoration over the years to urgently take steps to confront the climate crisis. Inaction will only make the problems worse and more expensive to solve.”

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is asking members of Congress to:

• Fund efforts to restore and protect the Great Lakes at no less than $400 million in fiscal year 2023 through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
• Fund efforts to help communities prepare for and adopt to climate change through a host of initiatives that support farm conservation programs ($27 billion), replace lead service lines to homes ($9 billion), boost coastal resilience ($6 billion), and reverse environmental injustices ($5 billion) in fiscal year 2023.
• Fund essential water infrastructure programs that support community drinking water infrastructure ($4.4 billion) and wastewater infrastructure ($3.9 billion) in fiscal year 2023, as well as prioritize grants, rather than loans, to take the burden off cash-strapped communities and residents who are seeing skyrocketing water bills.
• Strengthen clean water protections by establishing pollution limits for toxic pollutants such as PFAS and other chemicals that threaten the health of people.

Read the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition’s policy priorities list and the full list of funding priorities for more information.

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.

The post Advocates Urge Congress to Support Great Lakes, Climate Priorities appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/advocates-urge-congress-to-support-great-lakes-climate-priorities/

Lindsey Bacigal

Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

$1B Investment in Toxic Pollution Clean-up a ‘Game-Changer’ for Great Lakes, Communities

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (February 17, 2022)—The Biden Administration’s plan to invest an additional $1 billion to clean up toxic pollution in the Great Lakes region, announced today, will be essential to restore the Great Lakes and to protect the drinking water, public health, and jobs of millions of people in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, New York, and Wisconsin, according to the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.

“This investment will be a game-changer in the effort to clean up pollution that has poisoned local drinking water and threatened the health of communities,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “This investment will benefit millions of people, provide a shot in the arm to Great Lakes restoration efforts, and support local economies. We thank President Biden, his administration, and the members of Congress who supported this funding for recognizing the urgent need to address this serious threat.”

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition pushed for increased Great Lakes investments in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The bill contains an additional $1 billion for Great Lakes restoration actions.

The Environmental Protection Agency is directing that funding to clean up the most polluted sites in the region. These sites – called Areas of Concern – contain high levels of cancer-causing and health-threatening pollution, such as PCB’s, mercury, and other chemicals, that have poisoned the water and led to drinking water restrictions, fish consumption advisories, and beach closures.

“The clean-up of these toxic hot-spots will benefit communities most impacted by pollution, which tend to be low-income, Black, Latino, Asian and Indigenous communities,” said Brenda Coley, co-chair of the Coalition and co-executive director of Milwaukee Water Commons. “We thank EPA Administrator Michael Regan for his leadership in tackling the biggest pollution problems in the region and confronting environmental injustices that continue to plague our communities. As these projects move forward, it will be essential to engage and partner with local communities, as we strive to achieve the common goal of access to clean, safe and affordable drinking water.”

The U.S. and Canadian governments, in the 1980s, identified 43 contaminated sites, which they deemed Areas of Concern. To date, six sites have been remediated on the U.S. side. The Biden Administration anticipates Infrastructure Investment and Job Act funding will clean up 22 additional sites by 2030, including:

• Illinois: Waukegan;
• Indiana: Grand Calumet River;
• Michigan: Clinton River, Detroit River, Manistique River, Muskegon Lake, River Raisin, Rouge River, St. Clair River, St. Marys River, and Torch Lake;
• Minnesota/Wisconsin: St. Louis River;
• Ohio: Black River, Cuyahoga River, and Maumee;
• New York: Buffalo River, Eighteenmile, Rochester Embayment, and Niagara River;
• Wisconsin: Fox River, Milwaukee Estuary, and Sheboygan.

“This funding will accelerate vital restoration efforts,” said Marnie Urso, co-chair of the Coalition and senior policy director for Audubon Great Lakes. “Many of these polluted sites are in communities along the Great Lakes shoreline that contain important habitat for birds. Federal investments to remediate these sites benefit people and wildlife —and these investments have been doing wonders to help recover declining populations of threatened and declining species such as the Piping Plover and Black Tern.  Thanks to this investment in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative their future is brighter.”

The $1 billion in the bipartisan infrastructure bill was directed to support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which has supported the restoration of fish and wildlife habitat, clean-up of toxic pollution, reduction of farm and city runoff, and management of invasive species. Increasingly, restoration investments have been heralded as a way to help communities prepare for and adapt to climate change.

“Investments to restore the habitat, wetlands and natural areas around these toxic hotspots will be vital to restore the Great Lakes and help communities deal with the impacts from a changing climate,” said Mike Shriberg, co-chair of the Coalition and regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Regional Center. “The region is already experiencing more erratic weather and increased rain due to climate change. These investments will help communities combat flooding, sewage overflows, and other problems that are being exacerbated by global warming.”

Federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative investments over the last 12 years have helped clean up long-standing legacy pollutants. The infusion of an additional $1 billion will allow more sites to be remediated more quickly.

“This funding will help close the book on one of the most infamous pollution episodes in our nation’s history,” said Lynn McClure, co-chair of the Coalition and senior regional director of the National Parks Conservation Association. “The EPA’s goal is to use these funds to clean up and restore highly polluted areas, including the Cuyahoga River Area of Concern—the same river that caught fire and sparked a national environmental movement. Cleaning up this corridor, which extends for 100 miles through northern Ohio and Cuyahoga Valley National Park, will be good for the people and wildlife that visit and call this area home.”

The bipartisan infrastructure bill, passed by the Senate and the House in the fall, contains significant federal investments to update the nation’s water infrastructure and address other clean water priorities in the Great Lakes region and across the country. Read more about the EPA’s Area of Concern program.

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.

###

The post $1B Investment in Toxic Pollution Clean-up a ‘Game-Changer’ for Great Lakes, Communities appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/1b-investment-in-toxic-pollution-clean-up-a-game-changer-for-great-lakes-communities/

Lindsey Bacigal

Contact:
Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

Coalition Urges Feds to Fully Fund Invasive Carp Defenses

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (February 8, 2022)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is urging U.S. representatives to fully fund controls to prevent invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes and causing environmental and economic harm. In a letter to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment and the broader House delegation in the eight-state region, the Coalition and 54 members urged the House delegation to fully fund a new lock and dam in Illinois that would deploy state-of-the-art technology to keep the invasive fish from entering Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes.

“Invasive carp pose a clear and present danger to the Great Lakes environment and economy,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “These invasive fish are not the problem or responsibility of only one state. Invasive carp are a national problem. As we have seen over the last decade, invasive carp have wreaked havoc up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers—upending the ecosystem and harming people and local economies along the way. We need the federal government to address this national problem so that we don’t allow the unthinkable—allowing invasive carp to take hold in the Great Lakes.”

Currently the state of Illinois would be responsible for paying 20 percent of the cost of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam and its array of technology to keep invasive carp from getting through. The Coalition and its members argue that due to the national threat posed by the invasive fish and the pressing need to move forward without delay, the federal government should assume the costs of the entire project, which are expected to be upwards of $800 million.

The environmental groups are urging for the cost-share change in the 2022 Water Resources Development Act, a bi-annual funding bill that funds U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water infrastructure projects.

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.

###

The post Coalition Urges Feds to Fully Fund Invasive Carp Defenses appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/coalition-urges-feds-to-fully-fund-invasive-carp-defenses/

Lindsey Bacigal

Contact:
Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589

Coalition Supports Biden Administration Push for Stronger Clean Water Protections

February 7, 2022 (ANN ARBOR, MICH.)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition supports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed rule to strengthen clean water protections essential to the health of communities and the Great Lakes. The agencies are proposing a rule that will determine the level of protections for several classifications of streams and wetlands.

The Coalition and 50 member organizations, in a comment letter submitted today, supported the rule-making, which will replace Trump administration guidance that weakened clean water protections and opened the door for rivers and wetlands to be polluted and destroyed. Read the letter on our website.

“With many of our cities and towns living with unsafe drinking water, we need more – not less – protection for clean water,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We support the Biden Administration’s action, and we encourage them to move quickly to develop and to put in place stronger protections for streams and wetlands that are essential to our drinking water, Great Lakes, public health, recreation, and quality of life.”

More than 117 million people in the United States depend on drinking water sources that are fed in part by streams and wetlands. In the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, more than 30 million people rely on drinking water fed by these waters.

“Preserving and protecting streams and wetlands is also essential to protect the health of communities that are facing the impacts of environmental degradation, pollution, and flooding,” states the letter. “Clean drinking water is a basic need, and we should be doing all we can to ensure that everyone has access to clean, safe, and affordable drinking water. Re-establishing strong clean water protections is essential to achieving the goals of swimmable, fishable, and drinkable waters.”

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.

###

The post Coalition Supports Biden Administration Push for Stronger Clean Water Protections appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/coalition-supports-biden-administration-push-for-stronger-clean-water-protections/

Lindsey Bacigal

On January 14, members of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition alongside many of its partners across the country sent two letters (seen below) to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide input regarding implementation of new State Revolving Fund (SRF) funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. One letter, sent to Radhika Fox, EPA Assistant Administrator for Water, provided principles for equitable implementation of the new SRF funding and the other, delivered to Michael S. Regan, EPA Administrator, gave funding recommendations for actions related to green infrastructure and climate resiliency.

The post Coalition Members Provide Input on SRF Funding Implementation appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/coalition-members-provide-input-on-srf-funding-implementation/

Lindsey Bacigal

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition believes that clean water for all depends on a strong democracy. Last year, after the January 6 siege on the Capitol, the Coalition issued the following statement (below) that underscores our commitment to a strong democracy and opposition to efforts to disenfranchise people and communities in the electoral process. One principle of our democracy is that the people affected by a problem should have a say in its solution. This is especially important in cases where communities have been harmed by pollution. The Coalition supports efforts to increase participation in our democracy and the decision-making process, including efforts to bring people and communities to the table that have historically been excluded.

The post Clean Water for All Depends on a Strong Democracy appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/clean-water-for-all-depends-on-a-strong-democracy/

Lindsey Bacigal