GLIN==> Great Lakes Commission calls on OMB to safeguard Great Lakes programs in FY 2012 budget

Great Lakes Commission calls on OMB and Great Lakes Interagency Task Force 
to safeguard base programs for the Great Lakes in the President's FY 2012
budget proposal

The Great Lakes Commission has called on the Obama Administration to
maintain a strong foundation for ongoing management and conservation of the
Great Lakes in its FY 2012 budget proposal. In correspondence sent today to
the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Commission
Chair James Tierney emphasized that both the Administration and Congress
have stated clearly that special funding provided under the Great Lakes
Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is intended to supplement, not supplant, base
funding for regional and national programs that support continued management
of the Great Lakes.

The Commission continues to strongly support the GLRI, which is implementing
a comprehensive restoration plan built on the priorities of the region's
governors and broadly endorsed by local governments, tribes, business and
industry, and conservation groups. The Initiative addresses specific
restoration priorities, however, and does not take the place of, or lessen
the need for, base federal programs that ensure the effective use and
conservation of the Great Lakes.

When Congress approved FY 2010 appropriations it directed U.S. EPA to "work
with the other Federal agencies to ensure [GLRI] funds supplement and
expand, not supplant, base Great Lakes programs when compared to fiscal year
2009 levels." Similarly, the GLRI Action Plan, adopted by the Great Lakes
Interagency Task Force in February 2010, states that "agencies must assure
that they continue to support their existing base program activities in the
Great Lakes and that added Initiative support will not be used to supplant
their existing base funding." 

The Commission's letter asks that OMB and the Great Lakes Interagency Task
Force honor the clear intent of Congress and the Administration that funding
for base Great Lakes programs be maintained at 2009 levels as the GLRI moves
forward. (The complete letter is attached.) The President's FY 2012 budget
proposal is being prepared by OMB and will be submitted to Congress in
February 2011.

In its federal priorities for the current fiscal year the Great Lakes
Commission called for level or increased funding for the GLRI; funding to
protect water quality; strong protections against aquatic invasive species;
and strengthened regional coordination and federal-state collaboration. More
information on the Commission's regional advocacy program for the Great
Lakes is available at http://www.glc.org/advocacy/.

Contact: Matt Doss, Policy Director, Great Lakes Commission, 734-971-9135,
mdoss at glc.org

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/glin-announce/attachments/20101112/703f67c5/attachment.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: GLC ltr to OMB_Nov 2010_FINAL.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 52946 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/glin-announce/attachments/20101112/703f67c5/attachment.pdf