Stabenow, Levin: Senate Approves Millions in Critical Funding for Michigan in Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 24, 2009	Contact:	Levin Press Office: 202-228-3685 Stabenow Press Office: 202-224-4822

WASHINGTON – Senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin, both D-Mich., announced the inclusion of millions of dollars that will benefit Michigan in the FY2010 appropriations bill for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and related agencies passed by the Senate today. The bill includes $400 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, $129 million to finance wastewater and drinking water projects in Michigan, and $5.5 million for six specifically-named projects in Michigan.

Several states, including Michigan, will benefit from the $400 million allocated to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a multi-agency effort to address the array of current and historic threats facing the Great Lakes, including invasive aquatic species, non-point source pollution and contaminated sediments. Michigan will also receive about $41 million to finance drinking water projects and $88 million to finance wastewater projects funded through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality will distribute the funds to communities across the state.

“These projects will help safeguard and care for our state’s most precious natural treasures,” said Stabenow. “Michigan families and tourists alike should have the opportunity to enjoy our beautiful parks, lighthouses, and lakeshores for years to come. I will continue to work with my colleagues to make sure this funding is approved.”

“This bill will help restore the Great Lakes, provide communities with clean drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, protect and improve public lands and parks, and preserve key facets of Michigan’s heritage,” Levin said. “These projects are important not just for Michiganders today but for future generations as well.”

The legislation now goes to a House-Senate conference committee where differences between the two bills will be worked out. Following passage of the conference report by both the House and Senate, the FY 2010 Interior and Environment appropriations bill will be sent to President Obama for his signature into law.

The list of Michigan projects follows.

Project	Amount	Description
Big Sable Lighthouse – Historic Preservation	$100,000	The Sable Point Lighthouse Keepers Association (SPLKA) would construct a seawall to protect the Big Sable Point Lighthouse. Aging of the current seawall is leading to an increase in coastal erosion that threatens the historic buildings in the lighthouse complex.
Quincy Smelting Works at the Keweenaw National Historical Park – Emergency Stabilization	$1,000,000	Left unmaintained for the past forty years, the structures of the historic Quincy Smelting Works, located within the Keweenaw National Historical Park, are rapidly deteriorating and need emergency stabilization. This funding would be used to immediately stabilize the buildings, which would create jobs, improve safety, and save one of the most significant historic assets within the park.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore – Land Acquisition	$1,000,000	Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore would use this funding for the purchase of property from willing sellers. The park has identified 15 individual parcels available for purchase.
Oakland-Macomb Interceptor Drainage District for Sewer Interceptor Improvements	$300,000	The Oakland-Macomb Interceptor Drainage District would use this funding to help construct a 21-mile sewer line to transport sanitary sewage from over 300,000 residents of Oakland and Macomb counties to the city of Detroit for treatment. This project will protect human health and improve public safety.
City of Port Huron – Combined Sewer Overflow Improvements	$300,000	The city of Port Huron would use this funding to prevent overflow of untreated sewage into community waterways.
Ottawa National forest – Land Acquisition	$2,800,000	This funding would be used by Ottawa National Forest to purchase the Prickett Lake property and help protect the watershed of Ottawa National Forest and Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness.