Now is the time to tell the federal government how to spend a proposed $475 million set-aside for restoring Great Lakes health.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has scheduled a series of eight public hearings across the Great Lakes region.

The Obama administration in May announced the new $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to stop invasive species from entering the lakes, clean up beaches, remove toxic pollution and restore fish and wildlife habitat.

The solutions to these problems have been at hand for years, but the dollars to turn them into reality have routinely fallen short. The restoration plan is a down payment on the promise of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy developed in 2005.

With Congress edging closer to making this funding a reality, now is the time for the public to tell the EPA how to spend this new investment. Some key Great Lakes issues and how to address them:

• The Great Lakes can’t be truly restored until the threat of new invasive species is knocked out once and for all. This means stopping polluted ballast from oceangoing ships and taking long-term action to stop invaders from entering the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River.
• Nearly 90 Great Lakes beaches were closed or under advisory because of pollution for two weeks or more in 2008. The EPA needs to eliminate every source of contamination at beaches, from combined sewer overflows to leaking septic systems and stormwater outfalls.
• The federal government must support classroom education, stewardship, volunteerism and public engagement to ensure the next generation's support for Great Lakes restoration.
• Funding in future years depends on showing progress quickly and accurately. The EPA and its partners should commit now to showing measurable progress on Great Lakes restoration within 12-18 months.