Today, the bipartisan House Great Lakes Task Force Co-Chairs, Representatives Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), and David Joyce (R-OH) along with Jack Bergman (R-MI) and Bill Foster (D-IL), led a group of 32 Members of Congress in sending a bipartisan letter to Office of Budget and Management (OMB) Acting Director Shalanda Young and Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jaime A. Pinkham outlining the Task Force’s budget priorities for the Great Lakes region in FY2022. These priorities include: Funding for Brandon Road to stop Asian carp, funding for a coastal resiliency study to help mitigate erosion damage, funding to restore and modernize the Soo Locks, and funding to support fishery and habitat restoration efforts.
“There is no shortage of bipartisan support for the Great Lakes in this Congress,” said the Members in a joint statement. “This letter represents a strong bipartisan and regionally diverse consensus held among Democratic and Republican Members of Congress from across the Great Lakes region that the Great Lakes deserve robust investment and attention in FY 2022. Together, we call on the Administration to allocate sufficient funding to combat Asian Carp, make necessary improvements to the Soo Locks, and successfully carry out both the Great Lakes Resiliency Study and the Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration program. Every dollar spent on these projects will have a profoundly positive impact on our region. We look forward to working closely with the Administration on a bipartisan basis to improve the Great Lakes eco-system and infrastructure as a means to improve the lives of millions in our region who depend on the Great Lakes every day.”
Cosigners include: Jack Bergman, Bill Foster, Tim Ryan, Gwen Moore, Anthony Gonzalez, Haley Stevens, Mike Quigley, Andy Levin, Fred Upton, Lisa McClain, Chris Jacobs, Joseph Morelle, Frank J. Mrvan, Robin L. Kelly, Pete Stauber, Rashida Tlaib, Bobby L. Rush, Elise Stefanik, Mike Gallagher, Bradley S. Schneider, Mike Kelly, Sean Casten, Elissa Slotkin, John Moolenaar, Daniel T. Kildee, Peter Meijer, Jackie Walorski, and John Katko.
Original source can be found here.
