U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, led a hearing on Apr. 15 to examine restoration efforts in the Great Lakes region and discuss the future of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI).
The hearing addressed the importance of protecting the Great Lakes for environmental, public health, and economic reasons. The committee is considering S. 528, a bill introduced by Senators Jon Husted and Gary Peters to reauthorize GLRI before its expiration in September.
In her opening statement, Capito said: “We’re going to discuss a priority of Senator Husted: the value of federal efforts to restore the Great Lakes. And I mentioned, I don’t have the Great Lakes in my state, but we have a lot of great lakes.” She emphasized that “the health of the Great Lakes is important for achieving our nation’s environmental, public health and economic goals. Together, the five lakes make up the largest system of fresh surface water in the world and are a critical habitat for countless species. They also provide clean drinking water to millions of people in the United States and Canada.”
Capito highlighted that “restoration efforts are implemented through various federal, state, local and private organizations,” with GLRI as one key program since its creation by Congress in 2015 as a nonregulatory initiative supporting ecosystem restoration projects.
She noted that “the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) leads implementation…and chairs the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force,” which includes sixteen federal agencies working closely with states, tribes, local governments, universities and private partners.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee maintains its administrative base in the Senate Dirksen Office Building to support hearings such as this one according to its official website. The committee oversees federal programs related to environmental quality as well as infrastructure nationwide according to official information, handling legislation with broad effects on these issues across America as reported by their website.
As Capito concluded: “Today’s witnesses can provide insights on opportunities to improve [GLRI]…I look forward to learning about how federal government partners with state and local governments who best understand how to prioritize…needs in their own backyards.”
The committee continues collaborating through subcommittees on topics including clean air standards and transportation infrastructure according to official sources, shaping national policy on conservation priorities.
