Dr. Benishek Praises Reauthorization of Great Lakes Funding

Press Release

Dr. Dan Benishek (MI-01) praised the passage of H.R.5764, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Act of 2014, which would formally authorize the GLRI at $300 million annually from 2015 to 2019. Dr. Benishek is an original cosponsor and has continually fought to fund initiatives to restore the Great Lakes.

"The Great Lakes are vital to our way of life up here in Northern Michigan, with many aspects of the economy depending on the viability of our waterways. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has funded several valuable projects here in Northern Michigan, from the Grand Traverse Bay Watershed Protection Project to the Beaver Island Archipelago Invasive Species Initiative. Fully funding GLRI will give local communities across our district the ability to effectively combat invasive species, clean up local beaches, and restore local watersheds," said Dr. Benishek, the only member of the Michigan delegation on the House Natural Resources Committee.

More than 1.5 million U.S. jobs are directly connected to the Great Lakes, and they generate over $62 billion in wages each year [1]. The GLRI will continue to address invasive species and pollution, restore and clean up toxic hot spots along the shores, and preserve natural wildlife habitats.

"I will continue to work with my colleagues in the House of Representatives to ensure that the GLRI funds important projects throughout Northern Michigan - from Traverse City to the Western UP - so we can keep our Great Lakes clean and healthy," added Dr. Benishek.

Dr. Benishek serves a co-chair and founder of the House Invasive Species Caucus, and is a Member of the Great Lakes Task Force. Since being elected to Congress in 2010, Dr. Benishek has made the health and infrastructure of the Great Lakes a top priority. Michigan's First Congressional District has over 1,600 miles of shoreline--the most in the continental United States and is the only District with shoreline on three of the five Great Lakes [2].

[1] Michigan Sea Grant at the University of Michigan, http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/8280

[2] Harvard Institute of Politics, http://www.ioportal.org/

Source