Login | October 14, 2024
Lawmakers seek renewal of federal funding for Lake Erie projects
KEITH ARNOLD
Special to the Legal News
Published: May 1, 2024
A pair of Cuyahoga County lawmakers recently advanced a resolution to prompt members of Congress to renew a federal program to protect Lake Erie and increase funding by $25 million.
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2024 would reauthorize the eponymous initiative for another five years, from 2027 to 2031, according to the text of House Concurrent Resolution 14.
Current legislation is set to expire in 2026, according to Rep. Michael Skindell, D-Lakewood, a sponsor of the measure.
“The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative supports projects that help clean up toxic hotspots, reduce harmful algal blooms, prevent the establishment and spread of invasive species and restore habitats for fish and wildlife,” he said during a Government Oversight Committee hearing at the Ohio House of Representatives.
First launched in 2010, the initiative has funded more than 7,000 restoration projects through investments in excess of $3 billion from federal, state and local governments and other organizations, the resolution detailed.
Rep. Tom Patton, R-Strongsville, HCR 14’s other sponsor, noted that the Great Lakes hold 21 percent of the world’s surface fresh water and 84 percent of that of the United States.
“As Ohioans, we must protect our own Great Lake and single largest natural resource: Lake Erie,” he said. “Not only is Lake Erie a source of much-needed fresh water for Ohioans, but it brings economic activity to our state in the form of tourism, fishing, shipping and agriculture.”
Skindell cited the Great Lakes Commission, which reported that the lakes cumulatively support more than 1.5 million jobs and $60 billion in wages annually.
“Lake Erie alone drives millions of dollars in tourism, fishing, shipping and agriculture,” he added.
According to HCR 14, the initiative has made a significant difference and represents a sound investment in both the environment and the economies of the Great Lakes region.
“A 2018 study calculated that for every federal dollar invested in Great Lakes restoration there is an additional $3.35 created in economic activity,” the resolution provided.
HCR14 noted that there remains work to be done, with toxic algal blooms and hotspots contaminating Lake Erie water supplies, invasive species threatening native species and Ohio industry and contaminated sediments restricting recreational opportunities
All of those issues pose substantial limitations and threats to habitats for fish and wildlife and the use of the Great Lakes, the resolution continued.
“In order to meet these goals, the (initiative) needs a renewal of federal funding, which the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act would provide,” Patton said. “As a Cleveland native, I know what a powerful asset Lake Erie is for our state.”
Skindell seconded Patton, calling the initiative essential to protecting the bodies of water.
Passage of the resolution would result in copies being transmitted to the president pro tempore and secretary of the U.S. Senate, the speaker and clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives and each member of the state congressional delegation.
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