Despite the fiscal year 2024 appropriations process being only half-concluded, work on FY 2025 has officially begun with the release of President Biden’s budget. Many provisions impacting the Great Lakes were included.
The $3.7 trillion proposal is a mixed bag. It includes an 8.4% increase over FY 2023 levels and a 20% increase over the FY 2024 appropriation passed earlier this month for the Environmental Protection Agency, but would cut funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund by 24.4%. It would increase funding for NOAA’s climate change programs, but would sharply cut that agency’s budget in other areas, particularly ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes research.
The budget includes $368 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, equal to FY 2024 levels. It also would increase funding for the Soo Locks by $6.6 million to $264 million, and maintain FY 2024 levels for the Great Lakes Authority ($5 million) and the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study ($3 million).
The Northeast-Midwest Institute (NEMWI) has provided a summary of the proposed budget highlighting some of the key agencies and accounts pertaining to the Great Lakes, and will continue to monitor the FY 2025 appropriations process.
Read the report here.