"Coalition Opposes President Obama’s Funding Cut for Great Lakes"

"President Obama’s budget proposal for 2016 includes a significant cut in funds for the Great Lakes Initiative, and some groups have responded by calling the president’s proposal a ' non-starter.'

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, which claims as members more than 115 environmental, conservation and outdoor recreation organizations, announced last week a campaign to restore $50 million in proposed federal cuts for cleanup programs.

The president’s proposal would allocate $250 million in fiscal year 2016, down from $300 million that has been the norm for a number of years.

The funding, which has amounted to $1.9 billion during the past six years, has been 'widely credited with restoration of this most significant source of fresh water on the planet,' said Todd Ambs, campaign director for the coalition, during a teleconference on Thursday."
 
Dave Golowenski reports for the Columbus Dispatch February 8, 2015.