WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Brown (D-OH) announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $15,095,000 to the City of Lorain through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), an interagency effort to protect the Great Lakes.

“In Ohio, we’ve seen the impact that threats to Lake Erie have on our economy, water supply, and wildlife populations,” said Brown. “The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is critical to our efforts to improve the health of our Great Lakes. This funding will allow Lorain to improve the quality of the Black River and protect Lake Erie.”

This grant will help address habitat-related beneficial use impairments (BUIs) in the Black River Area of Concern (AOC), including loss of fish and wildlife populations, degradation of fish and wildlife habitat, and degradation of benthos. By removing and remediating 24 acres of impacted material within the floodplain and creating in-stream habitat, the project will address these BUIs and advance the delisting of the Black River AOC. In addition, over 500,000 cubic yards of steel mill by-product material will be removed from the floodplain. This project also proposes two years of post-construction biological monitoring to assess the biological conditions for AOC delisting.

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 recognizes the importance of preserving our Great Lakes. Brown cosponsored the Great Lakes Ecological and Economic Protection Act (GLEEPA), bipartisan legislation that would protect the Great Lakes by formally authorizing the GLRI. Last year, Brown helped secure more than $300 million in bipartisan Omnibus Bill funds for the GLRI. After the release of President Obama’s budget proposal which recommends a reduction in GLRI funding from $300 million to $250 million, Brown again highlighted the importance of the program.

 

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