Sen. Baldwin proposes to reauthorize Great Lakes restoration

While you may be spending your summer swimming or boating, Midwestern lawmakers are in Washington attempting to keep our lakes safe.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin introduced legislation this week to reauthorize and expand funding for safety and restoration efforts.

The bipartisan ‘Great Lakes Restoration Initiative’ is set to expire in 2021.

The new legislation would extend the project though 2026 while increasing funding by $25 million each year.

"There should be a federal or international role in protecting our Great Lakes because each state can't shoulder all of this on their own,” Baldwin said. “It necessitates coordination collaboration and an all-out effort to make sure our great lakes are protected."

Since 2010, the ‘Great Lakes Restoration Initiative’ has provided more than $2.5 billion to fund more than 4,700 projects throughout the great lakes region.