Great Lakes program to get big funding boost

SANDUSKY — A big boost in spending seems to be on the way for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a program that has helped Lake Erie communities such as Sandusky. U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, announced that the new bipartisan capital improvements bill he helped negotiate, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, includes $1 billion in new funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. A vote on the measure was expected as soon as Saturday. The $1 billion is in addition to the annual appropriations for the program, which also have been growing in recent years, Portman said in a news release issued by his office. While provisions of the bill remain in flux until final approval, the announcement seems to make it likely that the popular program will get a big funding hike. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, created during the presidency of Barack Obama, has been the federal government's signature program for the Great Lakes for years. It has paid for a number of projects in Sandusky, including $4 million the city received in late 2020 for a planned wetlands project on the west side of the Cedar Point Causeway. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding also paid for renovations to Lions Park in west Sandusky and for rebuilding the Jackson Street parking lot in Sandusky. The parking lot was rebuilt with permeable pavement, reducing runoff that goes into Lake Erie. The program received $300 million a year for most of Donald Trump's presidency. But in January this year, shortly before leaving office, Trump signed a bill that continues the program for another five years, hiking the funding authorization to $375 million in fiscal year 2022 and by $25 million annually until it reaches $475 million in fiscal year 2026. Befitting the program's bipartisan support, the announcement of the new funding came from a joint news release from Portman and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan. "I'm pleased that new funding for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. For our communities along Lake Erie, healthy water and ecosystems are the bedrock of a more resilient economy and more durable infrastructure," Portman said. "As co-chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, I will continue to lead the fight to protect our Great Lakes. Lake Erie is an Ohio treasure that provides drinking water for millions of Ohioans, supports hundreds of thousands of jobs and draws millions of visitors each year," he said. "This is the single largest investment we've made in the Great Lakes, and it's great news," Stabenow said.