FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Don Carr, Media Director, Alliance for the Great Lakes dcarr@greatlakes.org
WASHINGTON DC (January 9, 2025) – Today, representative David Joyce (R-OH), along with Rep. Debbie Dingle (D-MI), Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), and Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives the bipartisan Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Act of 2025, a bill intended to reauthorize the GLRI program for a five-year period at $500 million per year. GLRI funding assists states, tribes and local communities in implementing crucial on-the-ground projects, including habitat restoration, helping farmers do more to combat non-point source agrichemical run-off, cleaning up legacy pollution and toxic sediments, and preventing the establishment or spread of destructive invasive species. It is a well-established program that helps protect 22% of the world’s source of freshwater.
“The Alliance would like to thank Representatives Joyce, Dingell, Huizenga and Kaptur for their leadership of the Great Lakes Task Force in the House and in sponsoring this bipartisan legislation to continue this important program that directly benefits the tens of millions of Americans living in the Great Lakes region,” said Don Jodrey, Alliance for the Great Lakes Director of Federal Government Relations.
“As co-chairs of the Greak Lakes Task Force in the House of Representatives, these members have tirelessly advocated for the GLRI and the Alliance thanks them for their great work on this issue,” said Jodrey.
To date, the GLRI program has funded more than 7,563 individual projects totaling $3.7 billion, greatly improving the quality of life throughout the region. The GLRI also provides major economic benefits, as it is estimated that for every dollar spent, an additional three dollars of value is added to the regional economy.
House cosponsors of the bill are Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Pete Stauber (R-MN), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Brad Schneider (D-IL), John James (R-MI), Bryan Steil (R-WI), Emilia Sykes (D-OH), Tim Walberg (R-MI), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Bill Foster (D-IL), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Joseph Morelle (D-IL), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Sean Casten (D-IL), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Hillary Scholten (D-MI), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Frank Mrvan (D-IN), Mike Kelly (R-PA).
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