The Great Lakes, have a long history of being off limits to partisan squawking. Because people, regardless of political orientation, need clean water for drinking and clean beaches to take their families, political squabbling has been\u2014thankfully\u2014limited.<\/p>\n
The GLRI is no exception. \u201cGreat Lakes program inspires rare bipartisanship<\/a>,\u201d declared one AP article from 2013 that made national news for its seemingly surreal yet-still-more-than-welcome observation.<\/p>\n The same is true today. Congress has blessed the program with ever-increasing levels of funding because both sides win by being a friend of the Great Lakes. That\u2019s likely to continue; however, some warning signs are appearing on the horizon like a big wave headed toward the shore.<\/p>\n For example, this summer, U.S. House Republicans identified their spending cuts as part of the \u201c302(b)\u201d spending allocation process. The spending bill, passed 33 to 27 mostly along party lines, would cut the U.S. EPA\u2019s budget by 39% from last year\u2019s levels<\/a>. While it\u2019s too early to say what that cut would mean to geographic programs like the GLRI, because the GLRI is housed within U.S. EPA\u2019s budget, it\u2019s hard to imagine a scenario where the GLRI could dodge a decrease. That said, the measure still would need approval by the full U.S. House. And even if the full House backs drastic cuts, the U.S. Senate is not likely to agree to the degree of cuts, if any, once it takes up its spending bills. After all, next year is a significant election year, and neither side wants to lose Great Lakes swing states. Then, there\u2019s always the prospect of a presidential veto if cuts are too drastic. The bottom line: GLRI funds will continue to be available for good work, even if funding shrinks a little. And that\u2019s a big \u201cif.\u201d<\/p>\n What will \u201cgood work\u201d look like in 2024 and beyond? Under law, the federal agencies must update their GLRI Action Plan every five years, with the next one due to cover federal fiscal years 2025 to 2030 (the federal fiscal year starts October 1 every year).<\/p>\n Though the five focus areas (see Part 2 for a short overview) aren\u2019t likely to change in upcoming Action Plan IV, we\u2019ll see some adjustments, some of them overdue. For example, we\u2019re likely to see a greater emphasis on environmental justice and Great Lakes contributions to combatting climate change. We\u2019re also likely to see an emphasis on coastal resilience given the monthly record-high lake levels and battering that Great Lakes coasts took in 2020 (some waves reached as high as 23 feet, wiping out beaches that will not be replaced).<\/p>\n Even with all the potential funding cuts and adjustments to focus areas, the nucleus of the GLRI will remain available for funding important projects. But the prospects of project funding depends on individual projects. Interested in knowing more or navigating what this means for you? I\u2019d like to hear from you<\/a>.<\/p>\n And, even if GLRI funding levels decreased in the coming months, hope is on the rise in Canada for Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River project funding. That topic is up next.<\/p>\n This is article four<\/a> of a five-part series on the Great Lakes originally published by GEI Consultants and is re-published here with permission. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Author: Cam Davis<\/a> \u2013 Vice President, GEI<\/strong><\/p>\n CGLR\u2019s business and sustainability network programming is supported by the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation<\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
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