One week after the Erie County Legislature unanimously passed a resolution in support of restoring federal funding to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, President Trump announced plans to fully restore the funding. The resolution was introduced by Legislators Dixon, Rath, Mills, and Lorigo.

Great Lakes Restoration funding helps cleanup efforts on each of the Great Lakes, including Lake Erie. The initial federal budget proposal would have reduced funding from $300 million to $30 million. Local business groups, including the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, lobbied officials in Washington to restore the funding.

Legislator Dixon said, “Lake Erie, as one of the five Great Lakes, would have been largely impacted by the drastic proposed cuts. This money directly aids cleanup and wildlife restoration efforts on Lake Erie and surrounding waters, including the Buffalo River. I am pleased to hear it is expected to be restored, and I thank the Buffalo Niagara Partnership for their efforts to advocate on behalf of our region.”

Legislator Mills said, “Protecting our ecosystem is important. Not only does this funding impact Lake Erie, but it aids the Army Corps of Engineers who are largely responsible for maintaining our waterways. I applaud the decision to put this money back in the federal budget.”

Legislator Lorigo said, “The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative leads the way in protecting and restoring the Great Lakes, as well as surrounding bodies of water. This is a public-private partnership that has directly supported projects and cleanup efforts in our region. Thank you to the Buffalo Niagara Partnership for being vocal advocates to have this important piece of funding restored.”

Legislator Rath said, “Thank you to all who have advocated on behalf of having Great Lakes Restoration funding returned to the federal budget. This is a critical source of funding for maintaining our waterways and supporting wildlife restoration efforts.”

A copy of the resolution can be found here.