Michigan U.S. Senator Gary Peters recently proposed $500 million to address Great Lakes challenges. This initiative has received bipartisan support for the last 15 years, but environmental regulation looks uncertain under the new administration.
Researchers and government organizations recently addressed the federal Great Lakes Task Force, urging congressional members to support funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Mike Shriberg is with the University of Michigan's, School for Environment and Sustainability. He said he believes the Great Lakes are in their most "vulnerable" position.
"The Trump administration appears determined to move us back to a time when there isn't significant federal investment, particularly in environmentally based infrastructure," Shriberg said. "And so the pendulum has swung pretty wildly just in in the few short weeks here."
Shriberg said he feels confident the restoration initiative will pass, as it did during the previous Trump administration.
But he worries loosening federal environmental laws like the Clean Water Act and cutting agencies that enforce regulations like the Environmental Protection Agency — will hurt the Great Lakes.
"You can't do a restoration effort if you're actively degrading the resources that you're trying to restore," Shriberg said.
Shriberg said drinking water quality from the Great Lakes has improved, but they face emerging challenges like invasive species and climate-related harmful algal blooms.
