Young’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act Passes Senate

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) applauded Senate passage of his Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2026, legislation to reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) through 2030 to help protect and preserve the Great Lakes.

Young introduced the bill with Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.) last year, and the bill unanimously passed the Senate last night.

"The Great Lakes are an important part of Indiana's ecosystem and economy, and I'm pleased the Senate has passed our bill to protect and preserve these lakes for generations to come," said Senator Young. "The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is a results-driven program that addresses serious threats including pollution, debris, and invasive species. I urge my colleagues in the House to pass this important bill before year's end."

The GLRI is the most significant investment ever made to restore and protect the Great Lakes. The GLRI combines federal and nonfederal efforts to stop the spread of carp and other invasive species, restore coastline and habitats connecting streams and rivers, clean up environmentally damaged Areas of Concern, and prevent future contamination. While providing vital support for these efforts, the GLRI also helps ensure we can address new and emerging threats to the Great Lakes.

Since its inception, the GLRI has spurred tremendous progress throughout the Great Lakes region including nearly half of a million acres of habitat protected, restored, or enhanced, a five-fold increase in the successful cleanup and delisting of Areas of Concern, a ten-fold increase in the remediation of environmental and public health impairments, and reducing the threat of harmful algal blooms. The GLRI's efforts have also resulted in economic returns of more than three-to-one across the region.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2026 received broad support from Great Lakes advocates, including the Council of Great Lakes Governors, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, American Great Lakes Ports Association, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, American Sportfishing Association, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, League of Conservation Voters, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, National Audubon Society - Great Lakes, Environmental Law & Policy Center, MI League of Conservation Voters, Save the Dunes, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Clean Wisconsin, Ohio Environmental Council, Western Reserve Land Conservancy, and Minnesota Environmental Partnership.