As the Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Task Force, Debbie has been one of the biggest advocates for the protection of the Great Lakes. She has successfully secured funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and has also led bipartisan efforts to protect the Great Lakes ecosystem...
Protect the Great Lakes ecosystem and continue funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Occurrences
working together on critical issues like protecting our Great Lakes
she knows that we can accomplish more by working together on critical issues like protecting our Great Lakes
As co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force, we work every day to ensure our Great Lakes are protected for future generations.
Evidence
The law amends the Clean Water Act to reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and sets annual authorization levels through fiscal year 2026, reaching $475 million in FY2026.
A June 9 report says EPA is providing $6.5 million through the Great Lakes Legacy Act for Detroit River sediment cleanup, alongside state money for habitat restoration.
Assessments
The promise has two parts: continue Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding and protect the Great Lakes ecosystem. The funding side was substantively advanced because federal law reauthorized GLRI through FY2026 with rising authorized levels, and federal cleanup money continued flowing to Great Lakes projects. But the broader ecosystem-protection goal is ongoing rather than fully completed, and the evidence provided does not establish enough candidate-specific credit to score this as full delivery. On a federal legislative promise, that supports partial rather than delivered.