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December 9, 2022
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)
The Great Lakes ecosystem, the largest system of fresh
Figure 1. Great Lakes Drainage Basin
surface water in the world, is an international resource
altered by human activities and climate variability. Some
alterations have degraded water quality, diminished habitat,
led to smaller native fish and wildlife populations,
increased invasive (i.e., non-native) species populations,
and changed the ecosystem. In response, the federal
governments of the United States and Canada, eight U.S.
states, and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin
are implementing multiple restoration efforts. Activities
under these efforts range from mitigating harmful effects of
toxic substances in lake waters to restoring fish habitat.
While efforts to address environmental degradation in the
Great Lakes have been underway for decades, in the early
2000s some stakeholders expressed interest in a shared
strategy to improve their effectiveness. In 2004, President
George W. Bush’s Executive Order 13340 created the Great
Lakes Interagency Task Force (Task Force) to coordinate
Source: International Joint Commission.
restoration efforts. In 2005, federal and nonfederal
stakeholders created the Great Lakes Regional
Governance and Implementation
Collaboration Strategy to outline a framework for
When Congress codified GLRI, it directed the
restoration. Building upon these efforts, the Obama
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lead federal
Administration proposed the Great Lakes Restoration
agency implementation and administration of GLRI,
Initiative (GLRI) as part of its FY2010 Budget Request,
including the development of a strategy to guide
including additional federal funding to accelerate efforts to
restoration, referred to as the Action Plan. The EPA
protect and restore the Great Lakes. Congress first
Administrator and Task Force are required to update the
appropriated funds for GLRI in FY2010 and the
Action Plan at least every five years. The first two Action
Administration released its first action plan to guide the
Plans were released in 2010 and 2014. Action Plan III was
initiative that year. This In Focus provides background on
released in 2019 and covers planned activities for FY2020
GLRI, including its purpose, governance and
through FY2024. The action plans provide objectives,
implementation, funding, and potential issues for Congress.
commitments, measures of progress, and annual targets for
Purpose of GLRI
each GLRI focus area.
In 2015, Congress codified GLRI in statute through
Funding
amendments to the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C.
Congress authorized annual appropriations of $300 million
§1268(c)(7)) to “carry out programs and projects for Great
for GLRI from FY2016 to FY2021. Congress reauthorized
Lakes protection and restoration.” GLRI aims to restore and
appropriations for the program in 2021, increasing the
maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of
appropriations level to $375 million in FY2022, with
the Great Lakes basin ecosystem by supporting activities to
subsequent increases of $25 million each year to a
address specific focus areas. GLRI priority focus areas
maximum of $475 million in FY2026. When Congress
include toxic substances and areas of concern; invasive
codified GLRI in statute, Congress authorized EPA to
species; nonpoint source pollution impacts on nearshore
distribute appropriated funds to other federal agencies for
health; habitats and species; and accountability, monitoring,
them to undertake GLRI restoration activities and projects
evaluation, communication, and partnership activities.
under the existing authorities of those agencies.
Notable GLRI provisions include a prohibition against
using funds for any water infrastructure activity other than
Congress appropriated a total of approximately $4.17
“green infrastructure” that improves the habitat and
billion to EPA for GLRI from FY2010 to FY2022 (Table
ecosystem of the Great Lakes and a requirement that federal
1). In 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
agencies maintain their base level of funding for Great
(IIJA; P.L. 117-58) provided supplemental appropriations
Lakes activities without regard to GLRI funding. Most
of $200 million per year to EPA for GLRI for FY2022
GLRI projects take place within the Great Lakes Drainage
through FY2026.
Basin (Figure 1).
https://crsreports.congress.gov
link to page 2 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)
Table 1. GLRI Annual Discretionary Appropriations
# of
Funding
Fiscal Year
Appropriations ($ in millions)
Agency
Projects
FY2010
$475.0
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1,691
$489.8
FY2011
$300.0
U.S. Forest Service
407
$112.1
FY2012
$299.5
U.S. Geological Survey
359
$231.6
FY2013
$299.5
Source: GLRI, “Projects,” at https://glri.us/projects. Amounts are not
adjusted for inflation.
FY2014
$300.0
Potential Issues for Congress
FY2015
$300.0
While Congress has generally supported Great Lakes
FY2016
$300.0
ecosystem restoration, the 118th Congress may consider
FY2017
$300.0
questions regarding how much funding should be
appropriated to GLRI, oversight of those funds, and
FY2018
$300.0
restoration progress to date.
FY2019
$300.0
Funding
FY2020
$320.0
Stakeholders have different views about the use of federal
FY2021
$330.0
funds for GLRI. For example, the Trump Administration
proposed to eliminate or reduce GLRI funding for certain
FY2022
$548.0
fiscal years, stating that the change would have returned
“
Sources: FY2010-FY2022 appropriations bil s and explanatory
responsibility for local government efforts to state and
statements. Amounts are not adjusted for inflation. FY2022
local entities.” Other stakeholders have been concerned
appropriations include $200.0 mil ion from IIJA.
with such efforts to reduce federal funding for GLRI. Some
stakeholders, such as state officials, have argued that “cost
The Task Force, through its regional working group,
sharing allows big-ticket projects to be accomplished that
coordinates work under GLRI Action Plans and selects the
would be simply too expensive for any one entity to pay for
programs, projects, and activities that will best achieve
alone.” To this end, some observe that one of the strengths
GLRI goals. Semiannually, federal agencies in the working
of GLRI and similar place-based restoration programs is
group identify the projects they have funded under GLRI.
their ability to leverage nonfederal funds.
As of March 2022, federal agencies had allocated $3.37
billion to 6,851 GLRI projects (Table 2).
Restoration Progress to Date
GLRI’s Action Plans have not estimated how long it may
Table 2. GLRI Projects and Funding by Agency
take to achieve the long-term goals for restoring the Great
($ in millions, as of March 2022)
Lakes. They acknowledge that it will take many years to
realize and document the ecological and human health
# of
Funding
benefits from restoration of an ecosystem as large and
Agency
Projects
complex as the Great Lakes. GLRI tracks its progress in
Agency for Toxic Substances and
11
$13.8
meeting Action Plan targets and the results of GLRI
Disease Registry
projects through annual reports to Congress. GLRI reports
that federal agencies met or exceeded 72% and 90% of the
Animal and Plant Health
89
$16.5
targets established under Action Plans I and II, respectively.
Inspection Service
Oversight
Bureau of Indian Affairs
717
$95.0
Congress has shown interest in overseeing GLRI and other
Centers for Disease Control and
6
$4.0
place-based restoration programs, including the use of
Prevention
funds and the progress of restoration efforts. Congress
requires the Office of Management and Budget to submit an
Environmental Protection Agency
1,455
$1,312.4
annual GLRI financial report, which includes an
Federal Highway Administration
12
$6.7
interagency budget crosscut report and a list of all projects
(and their budgets) to be undertaken in the upcoming fiscal
Maritime Administration
15
$32.4
year. Congress also has requested oversight reviews for
National Oceanic and
433
$282.0
GLRI and other place-based programs and may oversee
Atmospheric Administration
their use of supplementary funds, such as those from IIJA.
In particular, Congress may oversee whether these funds
National Park Service
187
$52.5
maintain or accelerate basin restoration.
Natural Resources
376
$220.6
Conservation Service
Laura Gatz, Analyst in Environmental Policy
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
1,034
$475.9
Eva Lipiec, Analyst in Natural Resources Policy
U.S. Coast Guard
59
$19.9
IF12280
https://crsreports.congress.gov
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)
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