Latest news with #GreatLakesTaskForce
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Michigan members of Congress tout ability to work across aisle
U.S. Reps. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, Bill Huizenga, R-Walker, and Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, discuss bipartisanship during the third day of the Mackinac Policy Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) MACKINAC ISLAND – Republican and Democratic members of Michigan's congressional delegation alike, speaking last week at the Mackinac Policy Conference, said they are willing to work across the aisle to get things done for Michigan. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) thanked Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for being willing to meet and negotiate with President Donald Trump. 'The governor is trying to do what's right for Michigan,' Dingell said. 'She went in there and got a mission for Selfridge Air Force Base, which we, quite frankly, fought for for four years.' 'And thank you, Donald Trump, for delivering a mission to Macomb County, we need that,' Dingell added. U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland) joked that 'we're going to cut and snip that one.' Huizenga similarly praised Whitmer as leading the fight for the Brandon Road Lock and Dam to protect the Great Lakes from invasive species. He said the Great Lakes are an example of an issue where almost everyone in the Midwest can agree and work together, noting that Dingell is a Democratic co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force, along with Ohio U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, also a Democrat. 'My joke is with Marcy Kaptur, she and I would struggle to agree that today is Thursday in most instances, but we are lockstep when it comes to Great Lakes funding,' Huizenga said. Huizenga said he and Dingell have co-signed several letters related to the Great Lakes, including one to the Office of Management and Budget requesting full funding for related projects. U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) disagreed with an assertion that the Democratic base is frustrated with elected Democrats working with Republicans. 'Even in this climate, in Congress, there are many bills that we see Democratic and Republican votes on, and I don't feel ostracized by my party in doing that,' McDonald Rivet said. 'I work for the people of the Eighth District, and I actually think working in a bipartisan way is what helped me overperform in almost every single precinct of the district.' But Huizenga said he does get criticized by other Republicans for working with Democrats. 'I've had people say, 'Hey, you shouldn't even be talking to those people,'' Huizenga said. 'And my reply to them is, well, if we're not talking, how are we supposed to figure out whether we agree on 5%, 15% or 50%?' 'You might not be able to picture yourself interfacing with these folks, but guess what? That's my job. I have to,' Huizenga added. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Illinois presses pause on ‘critical' invasive carp project, cites federal funding concerns
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Progress on the is once again at a stalemate, and several local lawmakers are calling on state officials in Illinois to help end delays for the project. Funding agreement finally reached for $1.1 billion invasive carp project The issued a statement to that effect earlier this week. The task force is comprised of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, including U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Ypsilanti, and Bill Huizenga, R-Holland. 'As Co-Chairs of the Great Lakes Task Force, we urge the state of Illinois to promptly sign the necessary documents and end further delays in the critical ecosystem protection construction at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam,' . 'This project is essential to prevent the spread of invasive carp throughout the Great Lakes. … Failing to do so puts the future of the Great Lakes ecosystem — and the multi-trillion-dollar economy it supports — at serious risk.' The renovations at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam would prevent invasive carp from making their way from the Chicago Area Waterway System into Lake Michigan. The project has been studied and discussed for more than a decade. Illinois, Michigan and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last July after years of negotiations. However, officials in Illinois have once again pressed pause over concerns that President Donald Trump will scale back federal funding. Beyond Brandon Road: Monitoring 18 other points invasive carp could enter Great Lakes A spokesperson for Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker that the governor 'agrees this project is critical to the Great Lakes,' but says he is concerned with the White House's recent trend of slashing federal funding. Pritzker claims the White House has withheld $117 million in federal grants from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, forcing it to freeze contracts and put nearly 70 other projects on hold. 'Until then, Gov. Pritzker must protect Illinois taxpayers from burdening the liability of the federal government not following through on their promises,' the spokesperson said. 'We cannot move forward until the Trump administration provides more certainty and clarity on whether they will follow the law and deliver infrastructure funds we were promised.' First construction contract awarded on long-awaited $1.1 billion invasive carp project As it stands now, the USACE is set to contribute $226 million toward the $1.14 billion project, using funds approved in the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill. Michigan had agreed to contribute $64 million in funding, and Illinois would provide $50 million. As costly as the project may be, the threat of invasive carp could cost even more. — formerly known as Asian carp and also called — are considered a major threat to the Great Lakes because they could upend the natural ecosystem. They are voracious eaters and would devour the food sources for several popular Great Lakes fish, including walleye and rainbow trout, key players in the region's fishing industry. Invasive carp were used as a tool in the 1970s, controlling algae, weed and parasite growth on aquatic farms. But the fish eventually made their way into the Mississippi River basin and now dominate that ecosystem. Illinois DNR announces new name for invasive carp The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has worked with environmental agencies for years to monitor the fish in the Mississippi River basin and ensure they don't make it to the Great Lakes. The two systems only have one permanent connection point — the Chicago-Area Waterway System. There are already multiple tools in place at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam to target invasive carp, including an electric barrier that costs Illinois taxpayers approximately $15 million each year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
