U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Secures Funding for Wisconsin’s Great Lakes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Appropriations Committee today released the Fiscal Year 2018 Interior and Environment funding bill, which includes $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) that Senator Baldwin secured as a member of the committee.

“The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is critical for the health of our region, our communities, and our clean water resources. It helps us clean up polluted sites, restore water quality and combat invasive species,” said Senator Baldwin. “Preserving the Great Lakes is not just an environmental goal - it is an economic necessity, and I’m glad to see the Senate Appropriations Committee has taken this positive step to fully fund this important initiative.”

In May, Senator Baldwin championed a bipartisan agreement to fully fund the GLRI in omnibus funding legislation. The GLRI is a critical program for the Great Lakes region that helps protect our clean water resources. President Trump proposed eliminating federal funding for this program, suggesting that instead we could rely on the State of Wisconsin and local governments to provide this critical funding. Senator Baldwin has championed the GLRI and protecting our Great Lakes throughout her time in the Senate. Last year, Senator Baldwin successfully fought to reauthorize the GLRI for five more years in bipartisan legislation signed into law by President Obama.

The text of the Draft FY2018 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill is available here.