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Great Lakes Commission releases 2026 agenda for the Great Lakes basin
Ann Arbor, Michigan — The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) today released its 2026 agenda for the Great Lakes. The binational government agency calls for continued strategic investment in the lakes, which hold 95% of America’s fresh surface water and provide drinking water for more than 47 million people in the U.S. and Canada.
“Protecting the Great Lakes safeguards public health while supporting an $81 billion regional recreation economy, an agricultural economy valued at more than $24 billion in the U.S., and a $51 billion maritime transportation system,” said GLC Chair Tim Bruno, Great Lakes Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. “The Great Lakes Commission calls on our federal partners to maintain strong support for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and other programs critical for our region.”
In 2026, the GLC urges Congress and the administration to: reauthorize and fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; invest in the Great Lakes Navigation System; fund the GLC to fulfill its unique role in the region; provide clean and safe drinking water; pass a Farm Bill; reduce the impacts of harmful algal blooms; prevent damage from aquatic invasive species; and contribute to a resilient Great Lakes basin.
The agenda is being shared in advance of Thursday’s Great Lakes Day, an annual event organized by the GLC and the Northeast Midwest Institute. More than 15 members of Congress who play a critical role in shaping Great Lakes policies are scheduled to speak at the Great Lakes Congressional Breakfast Reception, which will be held March 5 in Washington, D.C. The 2026 Great Lakes Commission Semiannual Meeting will also be held earlier in the week in D.C.
For more information on the GLC and its work, visit www.glc.org.
The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Timothy Bruno, Great Lakes Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.