From cleanup to science to research, federal funding freeze raises Great Lakes concerns
The health of the Great Lakes, a vital resource and historical treasure for millions, faces an uncertain future as President Donald Trump's temporary freeze on grants and loans takes effect.
The sweeping move by the Trump administration has cast uncertainty over funding long considered essential for protecting the basin, monitoring its health and preserving its maritime heritage through marine and shipwreck sanctuaries.
And while Congressional Democrats challenge the order's legality, scientists, agencies and environmental groups are left to wait and see what happens next.
Here's what we know so far about what the federal funding freeze means for the Great Lakes region and Milwaukee.
More:Trump orders temporary freeze on federal grants. Here's how that could affect Wisconsin
Great Lakes, Milwaukee cleanup efforts
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District communications manager Bill Graffin expressed concern about how the pause would impact the "area of concern" cleanup effort in Milwaukee. The "areas of concern" are the most polluted and damaged sites across the basin, largely due to legacy contamination from industry and habitat degradation.
Funding for the massive cleanup effort is through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which has provided targeted funding towards restoring the most polluted sites in the Great Lakes basin, like Milwaukee.
The city has greatly benefited from the program; it recently received $450 million in federal grants from the program. Projects include dredging contaminated sediment at the bottom of Milwaukee's three rivers and Lake Michigan; building a new facility that will hold the contaminated sediment; and restoring fish habitat and beaches, like at Bay View's South Shore Park.
Much of the funding for the area of concern cleanup is targeted towards environmental justice efforts as pollution and climate change disproportionately impact communities that face racial and economic marginalization in Milwaukee. Targeted funding towards these efforts may be up in the air as the Trump administration targets diversity, equity and inclusion in federal programs and agencies.
While the move has been couched as a temporary pause, Don Jodrey, the director of federal relations at the Alliance for the Great Lakes, said that if it does become permanent there would be negative consequences throughout the Great Lakes and in Milwaukee.
'Citizens of Milwaukee can identify how important the area of concern cleanup effort is, and it won't go forward without federal funding,' Jodrey said.
More:Great Lakes, PFAS, lead pipes: How Trump's policies could impact Wisconsin's environment
Great Lakes research, shipwrecks, marine sanctuaries
Federal funding helps keep science moving throughout the eight Great Lakes states.
Rebecca Klaper, dean of UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, expressed concern over delays in receiving federal funds to support research, staff and small business grants through the School. Federal selection committees and panels to select future grant recipients were canceled this week, Klaper said.
Federal funding is really important for the science and technology workforce. 'We are crossing our fingers,' Klaper said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is a federal agency that plays a big role in research and monitoring in the Great Lakes. The agency also funds projects to help coastal communities build resilience and manage flooding, as climate change brings wetter weather and greater swings in lake levels in Wisconsin.
NOAA also helps protect the basin's history and ecosystems through its national marine sanctuaries, like the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary in Lake Michigan and the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Lake Huron.
Scott Smullen, deputy director of NOAA communications, said in an emailed statement that NOAA cannot speculate on future actions or potential changes at this time, but the agency 'remains dedicated to its mission, providing timely information, research, and resources that serve the American public and ensure our nation's environmental and economic resilience.'
Caitlin Looby is a Report for America corps member who writes about the environment and the Great Lakes. Reach her atclooby@gannett.com, follow her on X@caitlooby and learn more about how she approaches her reporting.
Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to this reporting effort atjsonline.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Dr, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.
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CBS News
23 minutes ago
- CBS News
Downtown L.A. curfew goes into effect after California Gov. Gavin Newsom addresses ICE protests
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As the news spread throughout L.A., anxiety for family and friends ramped up and protests started again. By night, several dozen lawbreakers became violent and destructive, they vandalized property, they tried to assault police officers," Newsom said. "This situation was winding down and was concentrated in just a few square blocks downtown. But that, that's not what Donald Trump wanted." "What we're witnessing is not law enforcement — it's authoritarianism. What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence, to be complicit in this moment," Newsom said. "Do not give into him." Los Angeles police and protestors face off in Downtown L.A. on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA. Jason Armond Curfew issued During an evening press conference, Bass said that since demonstrations have continued to escalate into violence, resulting in dozens of arrests and more than 20 businesses looted, she would impose a curfew. "The curfew will be in place tonight from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.," she said. "We certainly expect for it to last for several days." It runs for one-square mile in the downtown area from the 5 Freeway to the 110 Freeway and from the 10 Freeway to where the 110 Freeway and 5 Freeway merge. "The city of Los Angeles is a massive area, 502 square miles," Bass said. "The area of downtown, where the curfew will take place, is one square mile ... Some of the imagery of the protest, of the violence gives the appearance as though this is a citywide crisis and it is not." Protesters gather in front of California National Guard soldiers and LAPD officers guarding the Edward R. Roybal Federal building as protests continue in Los Angeles on June 10, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. / Getty Images Demonstrations continue Tuesday Dozens gathered once again Tuesday, but police were quick to close in on the growing crowd near the Metropolitan Detention Center. With the CBS Los Angeles helicopter overhead, multiple people were seen being detained and loaded onto buses by officers. At around 4 p.m. a small crowd moved towards the 101 Freeway, briefly entering southbound lanes before they were met by the California Highway Patrol. Some officers stopped traffic as others formed a skirmish line to prevent the pedestrians from moving further into the road. Despite law enforcement blocking offramps and onramps for the thoroughfare, the crowd was able to gain entry through a hole that had been cut in a chainlink fence. On Sunday, hundreds of demonstrators flooded the same stretch of freeway, where they clashed with CHP officers. At around 7:30 p.m. CBS News Los Angeles reporters said that tensions again escalated outside of the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, where people in the crowd began hurling projectiles towards a line of National Guard troops stationed out front. When the curfew went active 30 minutes later, dozens of LAPD officers arrived outside of the building, which prompted much of the crowd to begin leaving the area. Still, dozens of people attempted to hang around, resulting in their arrests. It's unclear exactly how many people were taken into custody. With the CBS News helicopter overhead, a group of dozens were seen still moving through the area, some stopping to tag the side of buildings and Metro buses. By 11 p.m. most of the people who had previously gathered downtown appeared to have left the area. A crowd of protesters outside of the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on June 10, 2025. KCAL News How it started The protests began Friday night after several immigration raids took place in the Westlake District, downtown and South LA. The CBS News Los Angeles helicopter flew over the locations where crowds quickly formed, and protesters attempted to prevent federal agents from placing individuals into vans. One of the 45 people arrested that day was local union leader David Huerta. The protests that took place over the weekend were declared unlawful assemblies and people were ordered to disperse and clear the area. In each case there were small pockets of the demonstrations that turned chaotic, which included hundreds of people converging on the 101 Freeway to block traffic on Sunday afternoon. That same day, several Waymo vehicles were torched to the ground by one group of people. The day prior, hundreds of demonstrators clashed with law enforcement in Paramount and Compton. Reporters on the ground saw as law enforcement and troops dressed in riot gear attempted to clear crowds by using tear gas, beanbag rounds and flash bangs into crowds to try and disperse people. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X that people who "lay a hand" on law enforcement officers will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. So far, nearly 400 people have been arrested in the series of demonstrations, Newsom said on Tuesday. Protesters gathered in downtown Los Angeles on June 10, 2025, marking the fifth consecutive day of anti-ICE protests. KCAL News National Guard and military in Los Angeles The Marines began arriving in the LA area on Tuesday morning, a defense official said, joining the thousands of National Guard troops already in the area to respond to the protests. Acting Defense Department comptroller Bryn MacDonnell testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and said the deployment of the National Guard will cost about $134 million. On Tuesday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta asked a federal judge to provide a temporary restraining order to stop Mr. Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the U.S. Department of Defense from using the military and the National Guard to patrol the region and protect federal officers and facilities. 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He said that if it weren't for his calling in the National Guard, L.A. would be "burning to the ground right now" and that the majority of the demonstrations were allegedly "carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country" and that he would "liberate" L.A. Democratic California Sen. Alex Padilla spoke with CBS News' Major Garrett on Tuesday regarding the actions of immigration enforcement and the several days of protests. He said that while the majority of the demonstrations have been peaceful, "the folks that show up after dark and are involved with the looting and the vandalism ... we denounce that." He called the ongoing situation a "crisis of Donald Trump's making." 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Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
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