Responses to Public Input Themes | Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

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Focus Area	Theme	Theme Summary	Response
All Focus Areas	Environmental Justice	Prioritize Environmental Justice and focus on meaningfully engaging and supporting underserved communities. Concerns about capacity of underserved communities and barriers to connecting to opportunities through GLRI. Representative engagement and community health should serve as measures of success.	New long-term goals have been added to the draft plan including: Equitable access to restored areas and Underserved communities benefit from over 40% of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds. Environmental Justice will be a new Operating Principle to guide planning and implementation. GLRI agencies will advance Environmental Justice so that all underserved communities can equitably benefit from the GLRI. The draft plan has added an entire page in the front section that provides definitions and approaches to advancing Environmental Justice. Many of the commitments in the draft plan include Environmental Justice considerations.
All Focus Areas	Climate resilience	Prioritize climate resiliency and invest in nature-based tools like wetland and habitat restoration. Concerns about increased pressures due to climate migration and the effects of climate change on native species. Focus on mitigation in addition to adaptation.	The draft plan has placed a much higher emphasis on climate change and resiliency as compared to Action Plan III. A new long-term goal has been added to the draft plan: A more resilient ecosystem to a changing climate and other stressors. Climate resilient projects continues to be an Operating Principle in the draft plan. The draft plan has added an entire page in the front section that provides definitions and approaches to encourage project plans and designs that are resilient to climate change and other stressors so that GLRI investments are sustained for the foreseeable future. Future GLRI investments will follow the national guidance described in the National Climate Resilience Framework to 1) embed climate into planning/management and 2) protect and sustainably manage lands and water that provide benefits to our communities. Many of the commitments in the draft plan include climate resilience considerations.
All Focus Areas	Threats from pipelines and mining	Concerns about Line 5, other pipelines, and mining operations that may endanger the waters of the Great Lakes.	The GLRI is a non-regulatory program and as such has no regulatory authority relating to permitting of mining, pipelines or related activities. Because of this, the new Action Plan cannot incorporate steps to address Line 5 or specific mining operations directly. However, EPA have shared the public concerns raised during the 2023 Action Plan public engagement period with appropriate agencies that have a more direct role.
All Focus Areas	Community engagement and outreach	Need for more structured, intentional, and early community engagement and relationship building. Suggestions for expanding public outreach efforts to increase awareness of the GLRI.	Engagement and Communication and Outreach are operating principles that will guide planning and implementation under the draft plan. The GLRI agencies will prioritize meaningful outreach and engagement with and involvement from all communities, especially underserved communities, as part of project planning and implementation. The draft plan defines "meaningful engagement" is the new Environmental Justice page in the front section. New commitments have been added to Focus Area 1 in draft plan related to community engagement and involvement.
All Focus Areas	APIV focus areas and language	Request for more plain language and consistent terminology in APIV. Some requests for Environmental Justice to be integrated into existing focus areas, and some requests for Environmental Justice to be an independent focus area.	Additional sections have been added to the front of the plan to provide consistent language across all sections of the plan related to Environmental Justice and climate resiliency. As noted in our response to Environmental Justice theme, Environmental Justice has been integrated throughout the draft plan.
All Focus Areas	Public access	Prioritize public access and accessibility and require early community engagement to identify locally important public access improvement needs.	A new long-term goals have been added to the draft plan including: Equitable access to restored areas. Engagement is an operating principle that will guide planning and implementation under the draft plan. The GLRI agencies will prioritize meaningful outreach and engagement with and involvement from all communities, especially underserved communities, as part of project planning and implementation. The draft plan defines "meaningful engagement" is the new Environmental Justice page in the front section. A new commitment has have been added to Focus Area 1 in draft plan related to community engagement and access. A new commitment has been added to Focus Area 4 in draft plan related to maintaining cultural uses and/or providing benefits to people (e.g., access). The following sentence has also been added to Focus Area 4: "Recently completed and new projects will consider incorporating increased access and use of project sites by local residents, Tribes and underserved communities..."
All Focus Areas	Land acquisition and protection	Prioritize land acquisition and land conservation efforts to preserve public open space and water quality. Concerns about land development.	The GLRI has and continues to support strategic land protection efforts that provide and increase critical habitats for sensitive wildlife species and increase recreational and cultural uses.
All Focus Areas	Tribal partnerships	Call for intentional collaboration with sovereign Tribal governments, including land-back management tactics and Indigenous Knowledge.	With a trust responsibility for Tribal and Indian Nations, federal agencies work directly with Tribes on a government-to-government basis. Since 2020, GLRI agencies have used the Distinct Tribal Program (DTP) as the primary means to collaborate with Tribal governments by supporting the development and implementation of holistic programs to pursue Tribal priorities under the Action Plan. The DTP has been a significant source of funding for Tribes to implement projects that advance Great Lakes restoration and bolster the protection and restoration of culturally important relatives that support Tribal lifeways and underlie treaty-reserved rights. In doing so, the DTP has provided concrete opportunities for Tribal governments to implement protection and restoration efforts that are driven by Indigenous Knowledge. The draft APIV describes this program in more detail.
All Focus Areas	Thanks and good will comments	Expressions of gratitude, often from past recipients of GLRI-funds.	Thank you!
Areas of Concern and Contaminants	Community engagement and Tribal partners in AOCs	More representative PACs/CACs and stipends for participation. More indigenous involvement in AOCs and the incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge. Need community engagement across the lifespan of remediation and restoration projects.	As noted in the response for community engagement and outreach in all focus areas, the draft plan includes new commitments in Focus Area 1 related to community engagement and involvement. The draft plan includes a new section on the GLRI Distinct Tribal Program in the front of the document. This section highlights the importance of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and includes a link to guidance document on IK. This document includes a case study on integrating IK into AOC priority setting in the St. Lawrence River AOC.
Areas of Concern and Contaminants	Work outside AOC boundaries	Request to prioritize watershed practices that directly impact the BUIs downstream, even if they are outside AOC boundaries. Call to expand the Milwaukee AOC boundary to include the upper portions of the Kinnickinnic River.	Expanding the boundaries of AOCs is outside the scope of the Action Plan. However, there is a process to consider AOC boundary expansions and requests should be shared with the appropriate State and EPA AOC contacts (see https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-aocs/list-great-lakes-aocs for contacts).
Areas of Concern and Contaminants	AOCs after delisting	Request to fund long-term, post-restoration monitoring of restored habitats in AOCs. Request to provide funding support to PACs/CACs to continue work beyond the limited AOC goals.	The draft plan includes ambitious goals for cleaning up AOCs. There is a lot of work to be done in AOCs both during and after this Action Plan. For example, the draft plan includes a new measure focused on delisting AOCs. The draft plan also continues to focus on removing BUIs (measure). Monitoring is an important component of determining when a BUI can be removed.
Areas of Concern and Contaminants	Fish consumption advisories	More outreach to subsistence fishers and the public on fish consumption advisories. Concern about the effects of climate change on fish consumption advisories.	The draft plan retains the objective related to fish consumption advisories. There will be continued focus on enhancing outreach material targeting vulnerable and underserved communities, which includes making consumption advice available in languages spoken in subsistence fisher communities. As noted in the response for climate resilience in all focus areas, the draft plan has placed a much higher emphasis on climate change and resiliency as compared to Action Plan III.
Areas of Concern and Contaminants	PFAS	Concerns about PFAS in waterways. Need to expand efforts to address PFAS contamination.	The draft plan retains the objective related to monitoring of priority contaminants, including PFAS. The draft plan notes that under the previous Action Plan GLRI federal agencies and partners have assessed pathways of PFAS introduction into the Great Lakes and advanced the understanding of how PFAS accumulates in the aquatic food web.
Areas of Concern and Contaminants	Plastic	Concerns about microplastics and the impact of plastic pollution on water quality.	The draft plan retains the objective related to monitoring of priority contaminants, which could include microplastics. The objective in Focus Area 5 to conduct targeted science to inform and assess Great Lakes restoration is also an area that could include microplastics. Under the draft plan in Focus Area 5, interdisciplinary science projects will be implemented to support priorities identified in the Lakewide Action and Management Plan and the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative.
Areas of Concern and Contaminants	Other contaminants	Concerns about other contaminants such as neonicotinoids, mercury, chlorides, and detergents.	The draft plan retains the objective related to monitoring of priority contaminants, which could include these other contaminants.
Invasive Species	Control (general)	Support for the control of existing invasive species, especially phragmites and hybrid/narrowleaf cattail. Concerns that phragmites control may be ineffective unless at a massive scale. Suggestions for other focal species. Consider the end use of harvested invasive species.	In the draft plan, Focus Area 2 (Invasive Species) has been re-organized as compared to Action Plan III. The control objective is now the third objective. Under the draft plan, GLRI federal agencies, States, Tribes and their partners will prioritize maintaining the benefits of previously completed aquatic and terrestrial invasive species control projects so that infestations do not reappear. The draft plan also notes the need to pilot and test new control methods for high-impact invasive species - which could include other focal species.
Invasive Species	Terrestrial invasive species	Support for the control of terrestrial as well as aquatic invasive species, especially forest pests like hemlock woolly adelgid.	In the draft plan, Focus Area 2 (Invasive Species) has been re-organized as compared to Action Plan III. The control objective is now the third objective. Under the draft plan, GLRI federal agencies, States, Tribes and their partners will prioritize maintaining the benefits of previously completed aquatic and terrestrial invasive species control projects so that infestations do not reappear.
Invasive Species	Prevention (general)	Greater investment in invasive species prevention, with attention to inland pathways. More eDNA early detection efforts.	The draft plan continues to stress prevention as a critical component of invasive species activities under GLRI. The draft plan includes a more focused measure of progress related to addressing regional introduction pathways through comprehensive approaches. The draft plan notes that early detection and surveillance activities, including new technologies, are important activities to address regional pathways.
Invasive Species	Ballast water	Concerns about the introduction of new invasive species via ballast water.	Support of research and development of promising technologies that will reduce or stop interlake transfer of non-native species through ballast water transfer is underway and is expected to continue under Action Plan IV.
Invasive Species	Invasive carp	Stop bighead and silver carp from entering the Great Lakes. Concern that the commercial harvesting of invasive carp is increasing their population density.	A combination of prevention, surveillance, population suppression, and technology deployment to prevent bighead, silver, and black carp establishment in the Great Lakes continues to be supported by GLRI through a portfolio of projects reviewed and recommended by experts on the Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee.
Invasive Species	Partnerships	More support for cross-state collaboration and Tribal-state coordination on this work. More support to new and existing local aquatic invasive species programs.	The draft plan highlights the importance of coordination and planning among many partners - including the Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species, Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas, and Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management. The draft plan notes that these front-line organizations will continue to serve as the “eyes” in the water and on land to help resource agencies understand regional impacts of non-native species and deploy the latest control technologies and approaches.