WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) applauded the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative’s (GLRI) action plan released this week that outlines specific steps to help restore and preserve Lake Erie. The four-year framework outlines a holistic strategy toward protecting Lake Erie while outlining concrete steps to address key Ohio priorities.

“Lake Erie is so important to Ohio – providing drinking water, jobs, and recreation for millions of Ohioans,” Brown said. “That’s why it’s critical that we ensure Lake Erie thrives. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is working toward that goal. This action plan delivers a clear, comprehensive, and targeted roadmap toward preserving Lake Erie and addressing threats to Ohio waterways. I’ll continue working with GLRI – and local, state, and federal leaders – to ensure that we keep Lake Erie safe for generations to come.”

Specifically, the GLRI Action Plan will address three priorities for Ohio:

  • Clean up Great Lakes Areas of Concern: Outlining steps to remediate, restore, delist “Areas of Concern” – including the Ashtabula River, Black River, Cuyahoga River, and Maumee River.
  • Prevent and control Asian Carp: Committing to conduct early detection monitoring and block pathways to Lake Erie to prevent the spread of Asian Carp.
  • Reduce nutrient runoff that contributes to harmful algal blooms: Doubling the land area eligible for agricultural conservation programs and funding infrastructure projects in urban areas to reduce runoff, which contribute to harmful algal blooms.

GLRI is an interagency effort to protect the Great Lakes and is tasked with cleaning up toxic areas, combating invasive species, protecting watersheds from polluted runoff, restoring wetlands and other habitats, and tracking progress and working with strategic partners. According to the State of Ohio, more than $10 billion of the state’s nearly $40 billion tourism industry is derived from counties along the Lake Erie shoreline. Restoration efforts in the region are essential to maintaining a strong economy along the Ohio coast. 

Brown is the cosponsor of the Great Lakes Ecological and Economic Protection Act (GLEEPA), which would protect the Great Lakes—and the millions of jobs they support—from a variety of ecological threats and invasive species like harmful algal blooms by fully funding the GLRI.

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