Submitted release

Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06), who has been an active member of the Great Lakes Taskforce since his first term in 2019, applauded President Biden and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan announcement that as a direct result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA will make significant progress in the clean-up and restoration of the Great Lakes’ most environmentally degraded sites, securing clean water and a better environment for millions of Americans in the Great Lakes region. The agency will use the bulk of the $1 billion investment in the Great Lakes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to clean up and restore severely degraded sites, known as “Areas of Concern” or AOCs. This will allow for a major acceleration of progress that will deliver significant environmental, economic, health, and recreational benefits for communities in Illinois and throughout the Great Lakes region.

In 2018, an independent economic study from the Great Lakes Commission and the University of Michigan found that every Great Lakes Restoration Initiative dollar spent produces an additional $3.35 of economic activity. For older industrial cities, including AOCs such as Buffalo and Detroit, the study found that there may be more than $4 in additional economic activity for each federal dollar spent. A 2020 analysis of the Great Lakes determined that the region supports more than 1.3 million jobs, generating $82 billion in wages annually.

EPA projects that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, combined with funds from annual Great Lakes Restoration Initiative appropriations and funding from other sources, will, between now and the end of 2030, enable the Agency and its partners to bring work to completion across 22 of the 25 remaining AOCs, with Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding directly supporting 11 of these sites. In sum this will leave only three of the original 31 U.S. AOCs with work remaining, with those sites also benefiting from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. In the coming months, EPA will release more detailed information on implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for the Great Lakes. EPA expects work to be completed by 2030 in Waukegan, Illinois.  EPA will award this funding in accordance with the Biden Administration’s Justice40 Initiative, which promises to deliver at least 40 percent of the overall benefits from key federal investments to underserved communities. The effort also supports President Biden’s America the Beautiful initiative, which includes commitments to honor the nation’s conservation traditions, private property rights, the sovereignty of Tribal Nations, and the values and priorities of local communities. In addition to support from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law directed toward cleaning up the AOCs, EPA will continue the agency’s work to address other key issues such as addressing harmful algal blooms, nutrient reduction activities, protecting against invasive species, and monitoring the health of the Great Lakes. EPA anticipates additional resources could be available for these and other priorities because of the infusion of resources from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“The Great Lakes are a vital economic engine and an irreplaceable environmental wonder, supplying drinking water for more than 40 million people, supporting more than 1.3 million jobs, and sustaining life for thousands of species. Through the investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we will make unprecedented progress in our efforts to restore and protect the waters and the communities of the Great Lakes basin,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Building a better America means investing in our natural resources and the communities they support.”

“As an active member of the Congressional Great Lake Task Force who fought hard to secure $1 billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Great Lakes restoration efforts, I’m thrilled to see EPA taking immediate action to clean up and build resilience to climate change in communities across the Great Lakes,” said Rep. Sean Casten. “For Illinoisans, this means safer air and water, a stronger economy, healthier ecosystems, and environmental resilience.”

“From our economy to the environment to our recreation systems, there is no Midwest as we know it without the Great Lakes,” said Governor J. B. Pritzker. “I’m incredibly pleased to see the cleanup of Waukegan Harbor prioritized in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s impact. Illinois thanks the Biden-Harris Administration for supporting a cleaner, healthier Great Lakes for all who call this region home.”

“We are faced with many challenges when trying to protect the health and safety of the Great Lakes – from invasive species to air pollution around Lake Michigan. That’s why I strongly supported the bipartisan infrastructure bill and have helped secure millions in funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to protect the Great Lakes for generations to come,” said Sen. Dick Durbin. “I applaud the EPA’s continued efforts to clean up Waukegan Harbor and other areas of concern in the Great Lakes region.”

“Helping clean up and restore areas of concern along the Great Lakes, like in Waukegan, is critical to protecting the overall health of the entire Great Lakes Region and helping ensure environmental justice,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth said. “Support for these projects is just another example of how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is already helping Illinoisans and how it will improve our lives for years to come. I’m pleased to see today’s support from EPA to protect our beautiful shorelines, ensuring environmental, economic, health and recreational benefits for our communities.”

“I applaud the Administration for moving this key component of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law so quickly and prioritizing the Great Lakes. Lake Michigan has been a defining part of my life, and this $1 billion in Great Lakes Restoration funding was one of many reasons I was proud to vote for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said Rep. Jan Schakowsky. “This key policy will help us maintain and protect these national treasures for ourselves and the next generation.”

“Waukegan Harbor in Lake County, located in northern Illinois, has been marked an ‘Area of Concern’ for more than 30 years, and I am so pleased to finally see investments to restore this ecosystem,” said Rep. Lauren Underwood. “As we face the most pressing environmental issues of our time, I’m proud to have supported the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which directly invests in accelerating sustainable solutions, like this one, to protect our community’s health and quality of life while creating good-paying jobs.”

“The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is putting communities like Waukegan, Illinois front and center. Waukegan has for years been neglected and suffered at the hands of irresponsible corporations and former government officials that failed to protect it. Today, through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the EPA is taking the steps necessary to finish the cleanup of Waukegan Harbor, invest in the health and wellbeing of Waukegan families, and return jobs, tourism, and recreation to the region. I’m proud to have helped pass this law and return taxpayer dollars to the Tenth District while doing the work of environmental justice,” said Rep. Brad Schneider.

“The bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act is delivering for Illinois and our region,” said Rep. Bill Foster. “The Great Lakes are a national treasure, as are the lakes and rivers that make up the entire Great Lakes region. I’m proud that the new infrastructure law means more resources are available to protect these important natural resources for generations to come.”

“By caring for our Great Lakes ecosystem, we are not only investing in our natural spaces but also in the public health of our communities and the resiliency of our economy,” said Rep. Marie Newman. “That is why I am thrilled to see funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law going to ensure that the Great Lakes — the economic and environmental anchor of the Midwest — are preserved and protected for decades to come.  As an advocate for building a green, 21st-century economy, I know that our infrastructure is only as strong as the health of our environment.”

“The City of Waukegan is an environmental justice community of nearly 90,000 residents on the shores of Lake Michigan. As Waukegan’s Mayor, I am very pleased to know that the EPA will use the $1 billion investment in Great Lakes restoration funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law to mitigate pollutants in Waukegan Harbor and other Great Lakes Areas of Concern,” said Waukegan Mayor Ann B. Taylor. “The EPA’s investment will allow for the delisting of Waukegan Harbor – supporting the redevelopment of our Lake Michigan shoreline and furthering the implementation of our award-winning master plan – and it will ensure a future with clean water for the benefit of our community and, ultimately, the entire Great Lakes region.”

To see the full list of Areas of Concerns and anticipated work completion and delisting dates please visit: https://www.epa.gov/great-lakes-aocs/list-great-lakes-aocs