MILWAUKEE, WI (AP)-- A group representing Great Lakes region mayors in the U.S. and Canada is sounding the alarm against potentially drastic cuts to an ecological recovery initiative for the Great Lakes.
The Trump administration's potential cuts to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative were reported by the Detroit Free Press last week. They would slash annual funding for the $300 million program to $10 million.
The initiative combats invasive species, curbs nutrient-fueled algae blooms, cleans up toxic messes and restores sensitive fish and wildlife habitat.
David Ullrich, executive director of The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that cuts of this magnitude would be devastating to five decades of restoration work.
His group represents mayors from more than 125 cities in the Great Lakes basin.
