Commission urges Congress to enact near-term Great Lakes priorities

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Speaking as part of a unified regional voice, the Great Lakes Commission today released its annual list of federal legislation needed to address the challenges facing the world’s greatest freshwater resource, the Great Lakes.

Taking as its cue the recommendations of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration, the list echoes the near-term priorities for implementing the most immediate needs of the Collaboration’s Great Lakes Strategy. The most urgent near-term priorities, set forth by the Council of Great Lakes Governors and the mayors of the Great Lakes Cities Initiative, have been endorsed by the Great Lakes Commission and many other regional partners.

“The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration’s strategy represents the shared consensus of our region, as developed over the past year by more than 1,500 people representing the broad spectrum of Great Lakes interests and expertise,” said Tom Huntley, chair of the Great Lakes Commission. “It is only fitting that the legislative priorities we send to Congress reflect the shared thinking of our region.”

On behalf of its member states, the Commission produces an annual list of federal legislative and appropriations priorities for each session of Congress. This year’s list emphasizes more than a dozen specific pieces of legislation addressing the most critical needs of those identified by the Regional Collaboration, including measures to address invasive species, Areas of Concern, toxic pollution, coastal wetlands and habitat, nonpoint source pollution and more.

The list also includes a lesser number of additional priority actions reflecting ongoing concerns of the Commission’s member states.

The full document is available online at www.glc.org/restore or by contacting the Great Lakes Commission. Contact: Jon MacDonagh-Dumler, jonmacd@glc.org.

The Great Lakes Commission, chaired by Lt. Gov. John Cherry (Mich.), is an interstate compact agency established under state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region and its residents. The Commission consists of governors' appointees, state legislators, and agency officials from its eight member states. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a "Declaration of Partnership." The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.