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U.S. GOVERNMENT
INFORMATION
GPO
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRON-
MENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPRO-
PRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023
U.S. SENATE,
SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS,
Washington, DC.
NONDEPARTMENTAL WITNESSES
[CLERK'S NOTE.-The subcommittee was unable to hold hearings
on nondepartmental witnesses. The statements and letters of those
submitting written testimony are as follows:]
PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE ALLIANCE FOR THE GREAT LAKES
The Alliance for the Great Lakes is a nonpartisan nonprofit working across the
Great Lakes region to protect and restore the Great Lakes. Founded in 1970, we
have worked for 50 years on programs to ensure public access to clean, safe and
affordable drinking water; protect water quality; stop the establishment and spread
of harmful invasive aquatic species, including invasive carp; reduce plastic pollution;
and advocate for increased drinking and wastewater infrastructure funding and pro-
grams to ensure that water remains affordable for all Americans. Our membership
and supporters are located throughout the eight States in the Great Lakes region
and each year we mobilize more than 15,000 volunteers to take action to ensure
that our shorelines and beaches are healthy, safe and clean.
The Great Lakes are not only a national treasure but are a globally significant
resource containing 20 percent of the world's available freshwater supply. The Lakes
provide some 30 million Americans with drinking water and are vital to commu-
nities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and
Wisconsin. The Great Lakes not only provide water, but they also support jobs, com-
merce, agriculture, transportation, and tourism for millions of Americans. Protecting
the health of the Great Lakes is integral to the environmental and economic health
of the region.
But the Great Lakes face continued threats from the harmful legacy of decades
of pollution that threaten our communities with cancer-causing contaminants,
drinking water restrictions, and fish consumption advisories. Action is needed at all
levels of government to address these threats, as well as emerging issues associated
with climate change. The fiscal Year 2023 Interior, Environment and Related Agen-
cies Appropriations bill under this subcommittee's jurisdiction funds an array of pro-
grams and projects in the Environmental Protection Agency that are critical to the
restoration and protection of the Great Lakes. This written testimony highlights just
three of the programs under your consideration: the Great Lakes Restoration Initia-
tive and water infrastructure funding for the Clean Water and Drinking Water
State Revolving Funds. Although all of these programs received significant invest-
ment in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, continued funding at
increased and authorized levels is necessary to deal with the significant challenges
each program faces and additional detail is provided below.
GREAT LAKES RESTORATION INITIATIVE
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is an Environmental Protection
Agency funded grant program that supports State, Federal, Tribal and local efforts
to protect and restore the Great Lakes. GLRI funding is allocated by a 16-member
Federal interagency task force and regional working group to address water quality
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