Illinois Republican Congressman Peter Roskam has told the White House he opposes a Trump administration proposal to eliminate the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Roskam has sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency opposing the administration's proposed elimination of the initiative, calling proposed cuts completely unacceptable. Trump in March proposed cutting funding to the EPA by 30%.
In a May 19 letter to EPA head Scott Pruitt, the 6th District congressman notes more than a century of environmental damage has taken a big toll on the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was launched in 2010 to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the freshwater lakes.
Roskam is asking the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies to provide $300 million in the fiscal year 2018 appropriations bill for restoration efforts.
