Emily Bacha, Vice President of Public Affairs, December 21, 2020
Columbus, OH — Yesterday, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act (H.R. 4031) passed out of the U.S. Senate, led by Rob Portman (R-OH). This bipartisan legislation would expand the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding from $300 million annually to $475 million annually by fiscal year 2026. The bill passed without amendment by unanimous consent and it now heads to the President.
In response, the following quote can be attributed in full or part to Pete Bucher, Managing Director of Water Policy for the Ohio Environmental Council:
“Ohio has benefited from cleaner and safer water as a result of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). GLRI investments have helped protect our drinking water at the source and restored places to fish, hike and reconnect with friends and families.
“We still have a lot of work left to do to fully restore and protect Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes, including reducing agricultural runoff, delisting Ohio’s remaining areas of concern and restoring vital habitat to protect millions of Ohioans’ drinking water. We look forward to working with Ohio’s Congressional members and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ensure these GLRI funds are dispersed equitably while protecting and restoring water quality in the Lake Erie watershed, where millions of Ohioans fish, boat, swim and source their drinking water.
“We thank Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Rep. Joyce (OH-14), Rep. Kaptur (OH-9), Rep. Ryan (OH-13), Rep. Gonzalez (OH-16), Rep. Stivers (OH-15), Rep. Fudge (OH-11), Rep. Gibbs (OH-7), Rep. Turner (OH-10), and Rep. Johnson (OH-6) for their strong support of this legislation.”
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