Full funding announced for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

WASHINGTON - Action at both the state and federal level on Thursday are likely to have an impact on the continued efforts to combat harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. 

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a program that funds thousands of projects aimed at restoring the health of the Great Lakes, is expected to maintain its full funding this year.

Ohio’s U.S. Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown announced Thursday that funding for the GLRI would be kept this fiscal year at its existing level of $300 million based on the government funding measure expected to pass this week.

“I am pleased that the final bipartisan funding agreement fully funds this critical program,” Portman said. “I will continue to work with Senator Brown to protect and preserve Lake Erie and all the Great Lakes.”

Similar to last year, President Donald Trump’s most recent budget proposal would have cut funding for the GLRI by 90 percent, which lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said would effectively gut the program.

“Efforts to slash funding for GLRI were met again with fierce opposition from all the Ohioans who rely on Lake Erie for a job, a source of water or a place to be outside with their families,” Brown said.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, launched in 2010 and has provided funding to nearly 4,000 projects totaling over $2 billion in federal dollars toward efforts to protect and restore the Great Lakes.

Many of those projects have been focused on combating Lake Erie’s significant problem of harmful algal blooms.

Also announced Thursday was the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to declare western Lake Erie impaired due to harmful algae.

The agency is proposing to designate the open waters of Lake Erie’s western basin — from the Michigan-Ohio state line to the Marblehead Lighthouse — as impaired for recreation and drinking water due to the harmful blue-green algae, which creates toxic microcystin.

“While designating the open waters of the western basin as impaired does not provide, as some suggest, a magic bullet to improve the lake, the state remains committed to our obligations under the Clean Water Act and to examine emerging science and practices that we can put in place to help improve it,” said Craig Butler, director of the Ohio EPA.

The decision comes amid a federal lawsuit over whether part of the shallowest section of the Great Lakes should be declared impaired.

Several environmental groups have been pushing for the designation that they hope will pave the way for increased pollution regulations.

U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, praised the decision.

“As I have said many times, anyone can look out at the now annual progression of green slime and tell you that the water is ‘impaired,’” Kaptur said. “The big question now is, how quickly the state will move to meet the reduction goals? I hope to see strong and swift action to reduce nutrient runoff and other contributors to this ecological challenge.”

Butler said he doesn’t expect the federal government to order any new rules because the state already has an approved plan in place to combat the algae.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

jstinchcom@gannett.com

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