GLIN==> President's Fiscal 2010 budget promises major advances in Great Lakes restoration

Submitted by Marc Gaden <marc at glfc.org>

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PRESIDENT'S FISCAL 2010 BUDGET PROMISES MAJOR ADVANCES IN

GREAT LAKES RESTORATION

Congress Urged to Fund President Obama's "Great Lakes Restoration 
 Initiative"

http://www.glfc.org/pressrel/pr090514.pdf



ANN ARBOR, MI-The Great Lakes Fishery Commission today joined conservation 
groups, government

agencies, industry, and non-governmental organizations in praising President 
Barak Obama's Great Lakes

Restoration Initiative, a major proposal to better address some of the Great 
Lakes basin's most pressing

needs. The initiative, included in the president's fiscal 2010 budget, will 
direct badly needed funds toward

areas such as invasive species, habitat restoration, water quality 
improvement, and native species recovery.

The funds, if appropriated by Congress, would support many restoration 
proposals put forward by the Great

Lakes Regional Collaboration initiative and are designed to be the "down 
payment" in achieving measurable

improvements in the Great Lakes ecosystem.



"Thousands of citizens and governmental officials participated in the 
development of a

comprehensive recovery plan for the Great Lakes," said David Ullrich, 
Executive Director of the Great Lakes

and Saint Lawrence Cities Initiative, and U.S. Section Chair of the Great 
Lakes Fishery Commission. "We

are gratified that President Obama is truly interested in fulfilling his 
promise to protect and restore the Great

Lakes, a national treasure that provides millions of the basin's citizens 
with income, recreation, drinking

water, and aesthetic beauty."



Ullrich continued: "President Obama's proposal will direct funds toward 
carefully considered

recommendations to address such problems as invasive species, non-point 
source pollution, native species

restoration, and toxic contamination. The president's proposal-which 
consists of $475 million for Great

Lakes recovery-will allow us to tackle some of the most pressing problems 
the region faces."

Ullrich continued: "Investments in the Great Lakes make sense economically 
and environmentally.



Studies have shown that every dollar invested in recovery will result in at 
least two dollars in economic

return. Moreover, the ecological benefits of restoration are immeasurable. 
The president's budget

acknowledges that Great Lakes restoration is a crucial component of the 
effort to protect and improve the

nation's natural resources. Ecological recovery means economic recovery and 
such actions greatly improve

the quality of life in the region."



The president's proposal requires approval by Congress. Ullrich concluded: 
"The Great Lakes

Fishery Commission is extremely pleased with the president's proposal and 
looks forward to working with

other agencies and private organizations in fulfilling the many 
high-priority recommendations developed

through the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration's planning process. The 
commission hopes Congress will

act swiftly on the president's proposal so that the revitalized process of 
restoring the Great Lakes can begin

immediately."



The Great Lakes Fishery Commission is an international organization 
established by the United States and

Canada through the 1954 Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries. The commission 
has the responsibility to

support fisheries research, control the invasive sea lamprey, and facilitate 
implementation of A Joint

Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries, a provincial, state, 
and tribal fisheries management

agreement. For more information about the commission, visit www.glfc.int