Ann Arbor, Mich. – In advance of this week’s annual Great Lakes Day in Washington, D.C., a broad coalition representing business, maritime, labor and environmental groups, regional agencies, state legislators, cities and tribes released a set of shared priorities for restoring the Great Lakes, supporting a thriving economy, and sustaining a healthy environment in the eight-state, two-province region. The coalition presented a shared agenda for the Great Lakes, which serve as the source of drinking water for more than 48 million people in the U.S. and Canada, host the world’s third largest regional economy at $6 trillion, and directly generate more than 1.5 million jobs.

“Restoring and protecting the Great Lakes is an enduring, bipartisan priority for the people of the Great Lakes region,” the statement reads. “Our organizations support these priorities to sustain progress and maintain the Great Lakes as an economic engine and environmental treasure.”

The shared agenda urges members of Congress and the administration to fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; support agricultural conservation programs; invest in drinking and wastewater infrastructure; protect the lakes from Asian carp and other harmful aquatic invasive species; maintain federal agency capacity to effectively protect and manage the lakes; and strengthen the Great Lakes navigation system.

The 2019 Great Lakes priorities were endorsed by the Great Lakes Commission, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority, Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition, American Great Lakes Ports Association, Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus and BlueGreen Alliance. The priorities are being released in advance of Great Lakes Day, an annual event that brings hundreds of people and organizations to Washington, D.C. to educate elected officials about the importance of the Great Lakes.

To learn more or register for the Great Lakes Day Congressional Breakfast on Thursday, March 7, contact Beth Wanamaker at the Great Lakes Commission.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair John Linc Stine, former commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 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 office is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more at www.glc.org.