Senate approves piece of Great Lakes restoration plan

The Duluth News Tribune carries this article on efforts to authorize funding to support fish and wildlife habitats throughout the Great Lakes region:

A cleanup plan for the Great Lakes is making progress in Congress after the Senate passed a Senate bill to support fish and wildlife habitats in the region.

The Senate approved the legislation late Tuesday, which represents a portion of a larger restoration plan for the Great Lakes that targets pollution, sewage overflow, the threat of invasive species and the need to rebuild wetlands surrounding the lakes.

The fish and wildlife proposal, which now moves to the House, includes language authorizing up to $20 million for grant programs to restore fish and wildlife habitats, funding for regional fish and wildlife projects and updated reports and online information on the ecosystem.

Actual spending levels will be considered by Senate and House appropriators later this year. The legislation reauthorizes legislation that was first enacted in 1990 and later in 1998.