Kaptur pushes Great Lakes bills

SANDUSKY — U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, recently introduced a bill, with a frequent Republican ally, requiring the federal government to promote cultural and historic attractions in the Great Lakes. Separately, Kaptur also is pressing to increase funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which pays for environmental projects across the Great Lakes region, including Lake Erie projects that have been carried out in Sandusky. Gateway Act Kaptur and U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Russell Township, introduced the Great Lakes Gateways Network Act. Joyce, who represents the 14th House district along the Lake Erie shore east of Cleveland, has been a frequent Kaptur ally in legislation dealing with the Great Lakes. The new proposal would provide $6 million a year for conservation and education projects in the Great Lakes region. Explaining the measure in a recent interview with the Register, Kaptur said the measure would require the Department of the Interior to focus more attention on Great Lakes history and culture. "We have Perry Memorial, the international peace memorial (on Put-in-Bay). We have federal wildlife refuges, the only ones in Ohio, in the western basin. We have Underground Railroad sites in Ohio, including our area of Ohio," she said. There are lots of other attractions in the area, including Cleveland's cultural gardens and the site of the Battle of Fallen Timbers near Toledo, Kaptur said. "Our region is not interpreted as a whole. Do you know who has helped us a lot? Viking shipping lines by coming in with the cruises now," she said. All of the Great Lakes assets should be connected, highlighting the area for tourists, Kaptur said. Restoration Initiative Meanwhile, funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is another issue. The program was created during the Obama administration. In Sandusky, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funds have helped pay for a new wetlands project on the Cedar Point Causeway, work on Lions Park and rebuilding the Jackson Street parking lot in downtown. The parking lot rebuild installed permeable pavement that reduced the runoff going into Lake Erie. Early during his first administration, President Donald Trump attempted to wipe out most of the funding for the program but later reversed himself and backed it. The second Trump administration's attitude toward the program isn't known yet, Kaptur told the Register. "We are waiting to see what the administration puts in the budget," she said. Earlier this month, Kaptur, Joyce and two Michigan lawmakers wrote a letter to Trump administration officials asking for the administration to support $475 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in the 2026 federal budget. The new letter highlights Trump's previous support for the program. "The Great Lakes are a true national treasure that we must continue to prioritize and protect each year," they also wrote. "These waters — Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Superior — comprise the largest surface freshwater system in the world, holding nearly 21 percent of the world's fresh water supply and 90% of the U.S.' fresh water supply."