FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 11-OPA 101 EPA provides…
No. 11-OPA 101
EPA provides nearly $2 million for
beach monitoring and Gary park project.
(Gary, Indiana - October 7, 2011) The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced funding for
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative projects at beaches and a Gary
park totaling nearly $2 million that will put people back to work,
using a conservation corps model to hire unemployed workers to
improve habitat and shoreline.
The projects were selected from 44
proposals totaling almost $25 million, which were submitted in
response to a $6 million challenge that EPA issued in August to
encourage 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. To
qualify for funding, each project is required to provide jobs for
at least 20 unemployed people. This week, EPA announced a total of
eight restoration projects worth $6.6 million as part of this
challenge.
"These investments will help fulfill
our commitment for a new Great Lakes standard of care: our work is
no longer about limiting damage and minimizing harm to the
ecosystem. It is about proactively working to make the Great Lakes
healthier for the next generation," said Cameron Davis, EPA's
Senior Advisor on the Great Lakes, today in Gary. "Each project
we're announcing will produce immediate, direct ecological benefits
and will help to put unemployed people back to work."
EPA's $1 million project at Marquette
Park will expand the ecological restoration and job training
underway there.
"I applaud the EPA for recognizing the
work of the City of Gary and the Regional Development Authority at
Marquette Park, and making this investment to help complete the
project," said Congressman Pete Visclosky. "The work being done at
Marquette Park and across the Great Lakes is putting people back to
work while protecting a vital natural resource and building a
better future for our region."
"This additional investment in the $28
million dollar Marquette Park project will enable us to get to our
objectives more rapidly and continue to create job opportunities
for Northwest Indiana," said Bill Hanna, Executive Director of the
Regional Development Authority. "We appreciate the support and
recognition of value in these projects by U.S. EPA and First
District Congressman Pete Visclosky. You really have to see what's
happening to believe it. It is truly
transformational."
The U.S. Geological Service will
receive $994,350 for a project to expand fish and bird monitoring
at beaches on the Great Lakes.
"This funding will provide a great
opportunity for us to keep Great Lakes beaches clean and healthy
for the public, and increase our understanding of threats to fish
and wildlife such as such as botulism and bacterial contamination."
said Dr. Leon Carl, Regional Executive for the U.S. Geological
Survey's Midwest Area. "We are also pleased that we will create
jobs for over 20 unemployed workers who will help accomplish this
effort."
Selected projects will advance the
goals and objectives of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
Action Plan, developed by EPA with 15 other federal agencies in
2010. The 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 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.
More information on selected projects is available at https://www.glri.us/