Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
BESSEMER — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution supporting continued funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the board received an update this week from U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet.
Bergman said he signed a bipartisan letter to President Donald Trump calling for $300 million for the program in fiscal year 2016.
On May 5, Trump signed legislation to fund the government through Sept. 30 and that kept full funding for the GLRI intact, according to Bergman.
As Congress considers the 2018 budget, Bergman said he will continue to work with the Trump administration to ensure that the GLRI is “properly funded.”
Bergman said a recent study shows for every $1 spent on Great Lakes restoration, it creates $2 in economic benefits.
The GLRI was launched in 2010 to reduce and clean up pollution, enhance shoreline health, combat invasive species and protect fish and wildlife in the Great Lakes region.
Bergman noted the initiative requires appropriations from Congress annually.
“As a member of the Great Lakes Task Force, I believe it is our duty to implement strong safeguards rooted in responsible spending and results-driven conservation so that we never compromise the health and safety of the Lakes,” he wrote in a letter to the county board, responding to the board’s resolution.
Bergman will visit Gogebic Community College next Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Lindquist Center for a meeting with the public. He said a broad range of topics will be discussed at the session.
