The protection and restoration of our Great Lakes is one of Congressman Huizenga's top priorities in Congress.
In West Michigan, the Great Lakes are directly linked to our way of life. As the Republican co-chair of the Congressional Great Lakes Task Force, Congressman Huizenga has been on the forefront of the efforts to enhance the environmental health of the Great Lakes while also ensuring the full economic potential of the Great Lakes region is realized.
The Great Lakes account for approximately 90% of the nation’s fresh surface water, serve as the primary source of drinking water for 48 million people, and create the foundation for $6 trillion in economic in activity here in the United States and Canada.
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is a bipartisan program that works to protect and strengthen the ecology and the economy of the Great Lakes. Here in Michigan, the GLRI has played a vital role in combating the spread of invasive species, accelerating the cleanup of legacy pollution, limiting harmful algal blooms, and restoring wetlands and habitats.
Here in West Michigan we have seen the success of the GLRI in the restoration of the areas surrounding Lake Macatawa in Ottawa County, the delisting of White Lake as an environmental area of concern in Muskegon County, and the clean up of legacy pollution that has contaminated Muskegon Lake in Muskegon County.
Congressman Huizenga has continued to lead the bipartisan effort to fully fund the GLRI and make the preservation and protection of the Great Lakes a national priority. For a more complete list of restoration, prevention, and rehabilitation projects supported by the GLRI click here.
Invasive Species and Asian Carp
The introduction of non-native species to the Great Lakes is currently one of the greatest economic and environmental threats to the region. In building a better defense for the Great Lakes against new invasive species, we must vigorously employ the most effective tools available, while anticipating improved techniques derived from additional research and application.
Today, we remain particularly vulnerable to the migration of Asian carp, which are a non-indigenous, invasive species that have the potential to severely impact the Great Lakes.
Preventing Asian Carp and other invasive species from infiltrating the Great Lakes ecosystem and devastating our lakes, rivers, and streams is one of Congressman Huizenga's highest priorities. The threat Asian carp pose to the Great Lakes both ecologically and economically is clear and any threat to the Great Lakes must be met with every tool and tactic we can employ. That is why Congressman Huizenga is working with his Great Lakes colleagues in a bipartisan manner to ensure the preservation of this invaluable ecosystem.
