Congress passes spending bill that includes critical Great Lakes funding

The U.S. House and Senate passed a 2016 federal omnibus budget today that includes important Great Lakes priorities to protect clean water, prevent new invasive species and help keep Great Lakes beaches and rivers healthy and safe for people and wildlife.

“People of our region love the Great Lakes and our nation’s leaders have clearly heard the unifying call to protect them,” says Joel Brammeier, Alliance president and CEO. “The public demands clean water, safe beaches and a halt to new invasions by species such as Asian carp. We are pleased the Great Lakes congressional delegation worked to include critical provisions to protect and restore the Great Lakes in the FY2016 budget.”

The 2016 budget provides $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to clean up the Great Lakes. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Reps. David Joyce (R-OH) and Sander Levin (D-MI) were instrumental in securing authorization and funding for the initiative. The Great Lakes congressional delegation has shown tremendous bipartisan support for the initiative and ensured it remains a national priority.

Read the rest of the article and view the press release at the link below: