For Immediate Release
Thursday, December 8, 2016

Contact: Dino DiSanto
Dino.DiSanto@mail.house.gov

Joyce Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Amendment Included in Final Conference Report

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce (OH-14) today praised the passage of legislation to protect and preserve one of our country’s most important national treasures and economic assets, the Great Lakes.

Today, the House of Representatives passed the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act in a bipartisan fashion. The WIIN Act is the product of the House and the Senate working together to create a bill that will improve critical infrastructure across America and strengthen our economy. This bill focuses on the needs of America’s harbors, locks, dams, flood protection, and other water resources. Also, an important provision in the measure is language that specifically protects Lake Erie, ensuring potentially dangerous sediment from the Cuyahoga River is disposed properly and that the Cuyahoga River is dredged regularly. Previously, the Army Corp of Engineers wanted to dredge the Cuyahoga County River and place contaminated dredged material into the open lake against the local and state wishes. The local stakeholders sued and eventually won a court order.

Joyce was proud to see his amendment, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, pass the House along with the rest of the WIIN Act. The GLRI addresses some of the most serious issues that threaten the ecological and economic well-being of the entire Great Lakes basin.

“Whether it is shipping, manufacturing, or fishing, the Great Lakes support a wide variety of jobs and industries,” said Joyce. “But the lakes’ importance doesn’t stop there. The Great Lakes don’t just provide jobs; they provide a resource.”

According the recent estimates, if the Great Lakes region were a country, its GDP would be the third largest in the world. The Great Lakes currently generate 1.5 million jobs and $60 billion in wages annually and provide the foundation for a $30 billion tourism economy.

Additionally, the Great Lakes hold six quadrillion gallons of freshwater, containing 95 percent of the surface freshwater in the United States and more than 20 percent of the word’s surface freshwater. In all, the Great Lakes provide drinking water to more than 46 million people.

There are 16 federal agency partners that work together on GLRI priorities that include: cleaning up toxics and areas of concern; combating invasive species; protecting watersheds; and restoring wetlands. The GLRI will provide the funding and resources to protect and preserve these important bodies of water.

“This legislation makes the Great Lakes a long-term priority,” Joyce said. “We can’t let its protection get bogged down in partisan politics.”

The amendment requires the federal government to work together with Great Lakes basin states to create an action plan to determine future funding projects. Previous funding projects have included restoring, protecting, and enhancing 115,000 acres of wetlands and other habitats in the Great Lakes region. Additionally, more than 250 dams and barriers were removed, allowing fish to access more than 3,800 miles of water.

The GLRI amendment includes specific provisions to address current Great Lakes issues – such as algal blooms and the invasion of Asian Carp. The amendment designates a coordinator to address Harmful Algal Blooms in Lakes Erie and funding to prevent Asian Carp from establishing self-sustaining populations in the Great Lakes ecosystem.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative amendment ensures Congress is able to provide the resources needed to keep the Great Lakes safe, protected, and preserved in the years to come.

“Some have recently called me the ‘Great Lakes Guy.’ I’m proud of that,” said Joyce. “I’m proud to stand up for one of our country’s greatest resources and economic powerhouses.”

Rep. Dave Joyce is a Member of the House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee, where he has been a dedicated advocate for the Great Lakes. He has successfully secured appropriations of $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in each of the past two fiscal years.