(GARY, Ind.) – The $1 trillion infrastructure bill awaiting a vote in the House includes $1 billion for the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative began in 2010 and receives about $300 million a year in federal funding. The bill passed last month by the Senate would increase that money for the next five years.
Audubon Great Lakes senior policy director Marnie Urso says more resources for the lakes would carry far-reaching benefits, from reducing flood risk to absorbing carbon from the air.
About a third of the restoration program’s money goes to pollution control. The rest goes toward other health issues, controlling invasive species, rebuilding habitats for native animals and birds, and planning for future projects. Last year, Indiana was part of 80 different Lake Michigan projects funded by the initiative.
