EPAs $6 Million Challenge to Restore Great Lakes and Create Jobs (IL, IN, MI, MN, NY, OH, PA, WI)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No. 11-OPA081
Chicago (August 23, 2011) --The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency today announced that the Great
Lakes Restoration Initiative is setting aside approximately $6
million for federal agencies to sign up unemployed workers to
implement restoration projects in federally-protected areas, on
tribal lands and in Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes basin. EPA
will fund individual projects up to $1 million. To qualify for
funding, each proposed project must provide jobs for at least 20
unemployed people.
“These projects will help to
restore the Great Lakes and put Americans back to work," said EPA
Great Lakes National Program Manager and Regional Administrator
Susan Hedman. "In a sense, we will be using these funds to create a
small-scale 21st century Civilian Conservation Corps."
Funded projects will advance the goals
and objectives of the GLRI Action Plan, developed by EPA with 15
other federal agencies in 2010. Projects must provide immediate,
direct ecological benefits; be located in areas identified as
federal priorities such as national lakeshores or areas of concern;
include a detailed budget, and produce measurable results. EPA will
award funding for selected projects by the end of
September.
The Great Lakes provide some 30 million
Americans with drinking water and support a multi-billion dollar
economy. Since February 2009, President Obama has championed the
GLRI, the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two
decades.
The GLRI Action Plan, which covers FY
2010 through 2014, ensures accountability by including measures of
progress and benchmarks for success over the next three years. It
calls for aggressive efforts to address five urgent priority
“Focus Areas”:
• Cleaning up toxics and toxic hot
spot areas of concern.
• Combating invasive
species.
• Promoting near-shore health by
protecting watersheds from polluted run-off.
• Restoring wetlands and other
habitats.
• Tracking progress, education and
working with strategic partners.
In addition to EPA, the Great Lakes
Inter-Agency Task Force that coordinates federal and binational
restoration efforts includes:
• White House Council on
Environmental Quality
• U.S. Department of
Agriculture
• U.S. Department of
Commerce
• U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services
• U.S. Department of Homeland
Security
• U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development
• U.S. Department of
State
• U.S. Department of the
Army
• U.S. Department of
Interior
• U.S. Department of
Transportation
More information on the GLRI and the
Action Plan is available at the multi-agency website at https://www.glri.us/.