|
WASHINGTON
– Michigan will receive $142.26 million and the Great Lakes will receive
$476 million in the FY 2010 Department of the Interior, Environment
and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich.,
and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., announced today. The bill includes
$475 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, $131 million
to finance wastewater and drinking water projects in Michigan, $11,260,000
for 14 specific projects in Michigan, and $1 million for mass marking
of hatchery fish in the Great Lakes. By a vote of 72-28, the Senate
approved the Interior and Environment conference report, which the House
passed earlier today. The legislation now goes to the president
for his signature.
“This
legislation provides a significant boost to protect and clean up the
Great Lakes, improve Michigan’s parks and lands, provide communities
with safe drinking water and improved wastewater infrastructure, 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.”
“Michigan
families and tourists alike should have the opportunity to enjoy our
beautiful Great Lakes, parks, forests, and lighthouses for years to
come,” said Stabenow. “These projects will help restore and safeguard
our Great Lakes and protect our
natural resources , which are critical
to Michigan jobs. This funding will also make key investments in our
drinking water and wastewater systems to keep our families safe from
potential health risks.”
Eight
states, including Michigan, will benefit from the $475 million for the
Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a multi-agency effort to address
the array of current and historic threats facing the Great Lakes, such
as invasive species, habitat loss, pollution, and contaminated sediments.
Michigan will also receive about $41 million to finance drinking water
projects and $90 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.
Michigan
also stands to receive additional funds allocated to the Environmental
Protection Agency, National Parks Service and the Forest Service according
to determinations made at those agencies.
The
list of Great Lakes and Michigan projects follows.
Great
Lakes Projects |
Location
|
Amount
|
Description
|
Environmental
Protection Agency |
|
|
|
Great
Lakes Restoration Initiative |
Great
Lakes |
$475,000,000
|
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. |
Fish
and Wildlife Service |
|
|
|
Great
Lakes Mass Marking |
Great
Lakes |
$1,000,000
|
Mass
marking of hatchery fish in the Great Lakes |
Michigan
Projects |
Location
|
Amount
|
Description
|
National
Park Service |
|
|
|
Big
Sable Lighthouse |
Ludington
|
$100,000
|
Construction
of seawall to protect historic Big Sable Lighthouse. The
Sable Point Lighthouse Keepers Association (SPLKA) will use these
funds to 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. |
Keweenaw
National Historical Park – Quincy Smelting Works |
Houghton
|
$1,000,000
|
Emergency
stabilization of Quincy Smelting Works. 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 stabilize the buildings, which would
create jobs, improve safety, and save one of the most significant
historic assets within the park. |
Keweenaw
National Historical Park – Union Building |
Houghton
|
$1,380,000
|
Renovation
of the historic Union Building, which will be used for the park’s
first visitor center. The building sits at the intersection of
the Calumet industrial corridor and the commercial/residential
Calumet Village, and would help orientate and move visitors between
the two historic districts. |
Sleeping
Bear Dunes National Lakeshore |
Leelanau
County |
$1,000,000
|
Land
acquisition for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which
will further enhance the cultural and natural resources of this
magnificent park. The park has identified 15 individual parcels
of property available for purchase from willing sellers.
|
U.S.
Forest Service |
|
|
|
Ottawa
National Forest |
Baraga
and Houghton Counties |
$1,500,000
|
Land
acquisition in Ottawa National Forest to purchase the Prickett
Lake property and help protect the watershed of Ottawa National
Forest and Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness. This project will
help ensure the integrity of the wilderness, which contains unique
geologic features unlike anything else in the country. Also, the
North Country National Scenic Trail runs through this property,
and thus the acquisition will help enhance the recreational experience
for trail users. |
Ottawa
National Forest - Watersmeet Administrative Site Phase 3 |
Gogebic
County |
$2,000,000
|
This
project involves the construction of a new administrative office,
workshop and warehouses for the merger of two ranger district
staffs. |
Hiawatha
National Forest - Clear Lake Environmental Education Center in
Shingleton |
Alger
County |
$480,000
|
Built
in 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the facility currently
serves as a growing environmental education center hosting more
than 1,400 students each year. This funding will upgrade
the water and sewer systems, and modify cabins and paths to meet
accessibility guidelines. |
Environmental
Protection Agency |
|
|
|
Drinking
water projects |
Statewide
|
$41,000,000
|
Drinking
Water State Revolving Fund – to be distributed by the Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality to communities across the
state. |
Wastewater
projects |
Statewide
|
$90,000,000
|
Clean
Water State Revolving Fund – to be distributed by the Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality to communities across the
state. |
Consortium
for Plant Biotechnology Research |
East
Lansing, Ann Arbor, Houghton |
$1,000,000
|
For
research and development of technologies to reduce oil dependence
and greenhouse gas emissions. The consortium includes Michigan
State University, University of Michigan and Michigan Technological
University |
Oakland-Macomb
Interceptor Drainage District |
Oakland
and Macomb Counties |
$500,000
|
Construction
of 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. |
City
of Port Huron |
Port
Huron |
$300,000
|
Improvements
to the combined sewer overflow system to prevent the overflow
of untreated sewage into community waterways. |
Lansing
Board of Water and Light |
Lansing
|
$500,000
|
Energy
efficient upgrades to the drinking water system. Funding
will be used to replace pumps and other aspects of the system
to reduce the energy impacts during peak usage periods. |
City
of Detroit (DEGC) |
Detroit
|
$500,000
|
East
Riverfront wastewater infrastructure improvements. |
City
of Grand Rapids |
Grand
Rapids |
$500,000
|
Eastside
combined sewer overflow separation. The funding will be
used to replace an aging water main on the east side of the city,
which will reduce pollution to the Grand River. |
Wayne
County – Rouge River |
Wayne
County |
$500,000
|
Rouge
River wet weather demonstration project. Funding will be used
for watershed-wide coordination through grants to local communities
for projects that will reduce pollution and improve the water
quality of the Rouge River. |
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