Great Lakes Restoration Project In Jeopardy Under Trump Leadership

MILWAUKEE, WI — The future enjoyment of the Great Lakes for Wisconsin and other states could be in jeopardy due to the plans of President Trump and Republicans to eliminate funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Project and the EPA.

Cutbacks to the Environmental Protection Agency's budget have placed the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) in the crosshairs for defunding. Early reports of Trump's U.S. EPA budgetary plan show that GLRI annual funding could be reduced from $300 million to around $10 million.

This isn't sitting well with many people in Great Lakes states, many of whom supported a Trump presidency. Some have even pointed out that the cost of Trump's pattern of heading to his Mar-a-lago resort on the weekends effectively matches his proposed budget for the Great Lakes Restoration Project.

Last week, the Oregonian reported that the GLRI budget cuts were on deck along with 41 others as part of an overall plan to all but eliminate the EPA — an agency that Trump has previously attacked as a killer of jobs.

The cuts would also have a significant impact on the Puget Sound, the Chesapeake Bay, diesel emissions standards, beach water quality testing and a variety of environmental education programs for children.

Great Lakes scientists predict that the elimination of the GLRI and the EPA could have devastating effects. Dr. Jeff Reutter, special advisor for the Ohio Sea Grant program told GreatLakesNow.com that “If we lose the EPA, we lose Lake Erie”.

Trump's proposed cuts are not etched in stone at this time. Newly appointed EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, who has sued the EPA and publicly voiced skepticism regarding climate change, says that he will most likely make changes of his own to the proposal.

If you'd like to learn more about the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the EPA still has information available on their website.

Photo by Rick Uldricks/Patch