Bill Text: MI HCR0005 | 2017-2018 | 99th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: A concurrent resolution to memorialize the Congress of the United States to continue full funding of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-03-23 - Referred To Committee On Natural Resources [HCR0005 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2017-HCR0005-Introduced.html
Rep. Wittenberg offered the following resolution:
House Concurrent Resolution No. 5.
A concurrent resolution to memorialize the Congress of the United States to continue full funding of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Whereas, The Great Lakes are a critical resource for our nation, supporting the economy and a way of life in Michigan and the other seven states within the Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes hold 20 percent of the world's surface freshwater and 90 percent of the United States' surface freshwater. This globally significant freshwater resource provides drinking water for more than 30 million people and directly supports 1.5 million jobs, generating $62 billion in wages; and
Whereas, The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) provides essential funding to restore and protect the Great Lakes. This funding has supported long overdue efforts to clean up toxic pollution, reduce runoff from cities and farms, combat invasive species like the Asian carp, and restore fish and wildlife habitat. Since 2010, the federal government has partnered with public and private entities and invested more than $2 billion in over 2,900 projects throughout the region. Over its first six years, the GLRI has provided more than $425 million for more than 500 projects in Michigan alone; and
Whereas, GLRI projects are making a significant difference. They have restored more than 150,000 acres of fish and wildlife habitat; opened up fish access to more than 3,400 miles of rivers; helped implement conservation programs on more than 1 million acres of farmland; and accelerated the cleanup of toxic hotspots. In Michigan, GLRI funding has been instrumental in removing contaminated sediments from Muskegon Lake, the River Raisin, and the St. Mary's River; in restoring habitat along the St. Clair River, Cass River, Boardman River, and the Keweenaw Peninsula; and in the delisting of White Lake in Muskegon County and Deer Lake in the Upper Peninsula as areas of concern. The Brookings Institution estimates that every dollar invested in the Great Lakes produces two dollars in long-term economic benefits; and
Whereas, While a significant investment, past GLRI funding represents only a small portion of the amount needed to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Toxic algal blooms, beach closings, fish consumption advisories, and the presence of contaminated sediments continue to limit the recreational and commercial use of the Great Lakes. The 2014 shutdown of the city of Toledo's drinking water system due to a toxic algal bloom, forcing more than a half million people to find another source for drinking water, is just one example of how much still needs to be done; and
Whereas, President Donald Trump's 2018 federal budget proposes to eliminate funding for the GLRI. This proposed $300 million cut would end the federal partnership with the Great Lakes states, ignoring the national significance of our country's largest reserve of drinkable, surface freshwater and jeopardizing the momentum from more than a decade of unprecedented regional cooperation. It is a short-sighted, short-term cost-saving measure with long-term implications. Restoration efforts will only become more expensive and more difficult if they are not addressed in the coming years; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That we memorialize the Congress of the United States to continue full funding of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.
