Feingold calls for Great Lakes funding

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Failure to invest in the health of the Great Lakes will have dramatic impacts that extend beyond the environment, a Wisconsin senator said.

U.S. President Barack Obama in his budget for 2010 called for $475 million for the Environmental Protection Agency to lead a Great Lakes restoration initiative that will target problems in the region ranging from pollution to invasive aquatic species.

U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., in a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee called for full funding of the measure.

"A failure to invest now in Great Lakes restoration will jeopardize the economic benefits of a healthy Great Lakes region and result in more serious environmental degradation," he said in his letter. "A commitment to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is critical to preserving the Lakes for future generations."

The initiative is the result of a five-year study by a Great Lakes interagency task force that includes 16 different federal agencies.

Feingold said in his statement there are 50 projects in Wisconsin under consideration for funding through the Great Lakes initiative.