Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced an updated action plan for federal agencies and their partners under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to restore and protect the Great Lakes over the next five years. The plan was informed by extensive public engagement and consultation with Great Lakes Tribes and states.
Last summer, EPA and its federal partners received more than 3,500 suggestions from the public on priorities for Action Plan IV through five public engagement sessions across the Great Lakes basin and two virtual engagement sessions. In addition, EPA released a draft of the GLRI Action Plan IV for public input earlier this year. Over 40 sets of public input from organizations and individuals were received and incorporated into GLRI Action Plan IV.
Action Plan IV outlines the GLRI’s priorities and goals for 2025 to 2029 in five focus areas:
- Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern;
- Invasive Species;
- Nonpoint Source Pollution;
- Habitat and Species; and
- Foundations for Future Restoration Actions.
The GLRI has been a catalyst for unprecedented federal agency coordination that has accordingly produced unprecedented results. Six U.S. Areas of Concern have been delisted since GLRI’s start and the 24 remaining Areas of Concern have moved dramatically closer to their delisting. This activity reflects a major change from the 25 years before the GLRI, when only one Area of Concern was cleaned up and delisted. GLRI resources have also been used for projects that have prevented over 2.3 million pounds of phosphorus from entering the Great Lakes between 2015 and 2022 and have reduced the phosphorus runoff contribution to harmful algal blooms in western Lake Erie, Saginaw Bay and Green Bay.
The GLRI also produces economic benefits — a 2018 University of Michigan study showed that every dollar of federal spending on GLRI projects between 2010 and 2016 will produce $3.35 in additional economic activity in the Great Lakes region through 2036.
In the coming weeks, a web-version of Action Plan IV will be available.