Only a year ago, the Administration committed $300 million for Great Lakes cleanup designed to ward off species invasions, cleanse polluted harbors and make other environmental NEEDED repairs ...noting that much of the money from previous years budget was already diverted to another urgent Great Lakes need: the fight against the Asian carp that are threatening to invade Lake Michigan from waterways near Chicago. 
Making a "... commitment to restoring and protecting this vital environmental and economic treasure," the Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement
Noting that: The great lakes initiative would give industry and job growth a boom in the Great Lakes region, home to about 40 million people, Studies estimate that every dollar spent on restoring the lakes will generate twice as much in long-term economic gains, Kuper said. "It may not be obvious, but what is good for the ecosystem is also good for the economy,"
Now the great lakes cleanup is slated for the chopping block
The proposed cuts for programs that support community organizers, a job the president once held; that clean the Great Lakes; and that finance community development. Together, they would save $775 million....would offer a 50 percent cut in community service block grants that go to grassroots groups in poor areas, a savings of $350 million, and to require those groups to compete for the remaining money.
Read full at NY Times
