As leaders of the Senate’s Great Lakes Task Force, the senators introduced the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act to provide critical resources to conserve and restore fish and wildlife populations in the Great Lakes

Bipartisan bill would reauthorize efforts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to partner with other federal agencies, states, and tribes to develop and implement proposals for the restoration and management of Great Lakes fish and wildlife resources

The Act plays an important role in implementing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and would encourage continued cooperative efforts to address impacts associated with invasive species throughout the Great Lakes Basin

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rob Portman (R-OH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Mark Kirk (R-IL), today introduced a bipartisan bill to support fish and wildlife in the Great Lakes. As leaders of the Senate’s Great Lakes Task Force, the senators introduced the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act to provide critical resources to conserve and restore fish and wildlife populations in the Great Lakes. The bipartisan bill would authorize the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to partner with other federal agencies, states, and tribes to develop and execute proposals for the restoration of fish and wildlife resources in the Great Lakes Basin. The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act serves an important role in implementing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and will renew continued cooperative efforts to address impacts associated with invasive species throughout the Great Lakes Basin.

“The Great Lakes are a major part of Minnesotans’ way of life, providing clean drinking water, fish and wildlife habitat, and opportunities for outdoor recreation,” Klobuchar said. “We must do everything we can to protect our Great Lakes for generations to come, and this bipartisan bill will help provide critical resources to conserve and restore the fish and wildlife that call the Great Lakes home.”

“Lake Erie is a part of who we are as Ohioans,” Portman said. “It supports a $6 billion fishing industry and it’s our top tourist destination. The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act helps protect the Lake by bringing federal agencies together with the state of Ohio to address the greatest threats to our fish and wildlife--threats like invasive species, habitat degradation, and illegal fishing activities. By reauthorizing this initiative, we are providing the Fish and Wildlife Service with the resources it needs to protect this Ohio treasure for generations to come."

“Our Great Lakes fisheries and diverse wildlife attract millions of visitors each year and are vital to our state’s economy and job creation,” said U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Co-Chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force. “This legislation will help restore wildlife habitats while combating the serious threat of invasive species."

“With summer quickly approaching, Illinois families deserve clean, safe water throughout the Great Lakes region to swim in and enjoy with their families. I urge the Senate to swiftly pass my bipartisan Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act to enable restoration programs like these that keep our waters full of life and free from toxins, sewage and the threat of invasive species for generations to come,” said Senator Kirk.

The Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act has been endorsed by Ducks Unlimited, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, the Midwest Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, and the Council of the Great Lakes Region. The legislation would provide assistance to Great Lakes fish and wildlife agencies to encourage cooperative conservation, restoration and management of the fish and wildlife resources and their habitats. The bill would authorize $6 million annually from 2016 through 2021 to implement restoration projects and USFWS activities of regional importance to the Great Lakes, and would require a 25% non-federal match of total project cost.

As one of the vice-chairs of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, Klobuchar is a leading advocate for the protection of the Great Lakes. She has worked to bolster pollution clean-up efforts in the Great Lakes, prevent diversions of Great Lakes water out of the region, and establish new water conservation and environmental protection standards in the Great Lakes area. She has also fought to keep aquatic invasive species out of Minnesota’s river and lakes, including authoring legislation to help fight the spread of invasive carp that was signed into law in 2014.

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