10-29-2009 - Levin, Stabenow Announce Millions in Critical Funding for Michigan and Great Lakes in Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill : Senator Carl Levin: News Release

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.

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.