Subtle Changes to the latest Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan Could Mean Plenty to your Great Lakes Project

While you won’t find any major changes in the newest Great Lakes Restoration (GLRI) five-year action plan, that doesn’t mean some of the minor changes don’t carry impact. They do, and it’s smart for municipalities, companies, tribes, and other entities to be ready for the opportunity.

In this post, I’ll help you prepare for these changes in U.S. Great Lakes funding priorities with the release of the agencies’ 4^th GLRI five-year action plan so you can think about what projects could be fundable.

As I’ve written before, the GLRI is the largest Great Lakes-only U.S. investment in history, providing funding for habitat restoration, toxic hotspot cleanups, combatting invasive species, reducing polluted runoff and other needs. The Action Plan telegraphs what these priorities are and ultimately what kinds of projects the agencies will fund. The coalition of federal agencies just released its 4^th Action Plan, which sets funding priorities for 2025-2029, and it includes some new developments. I’ll summarize some of the new developments in the Action Plan that are worth considering when looking for funding under the GLRI. But to do that, first, I’m also including details about the program as it existed since 2010 when Congress provided its initial funding.

The Basics

A consistent current from past priorities (called “focus areas”) runs through this one, too:

• Focus Area 1 – Toxic Substances & Areas of Concern (AOC)
• Focus Area 2 – Invasive Species
• Focus Area 3 – Nonpoint Source Pollution
• Focus Area 4 – Habitats & Species
• Focus Area 5 – Foundations for Future Restoration Actions

While the titles of the focus areas have changed slightly, they’ve remained similar over time. Also the same:

• The Action Plan’s organization by long-term goals, and
• Each of the five focus areas are organized into:
  • Objectives,
  • Commitments, and
  • Measures of Progress (quantifiable annual milestones).

So, it’s important to understand that the agencies want to keep making progress on the priorities in the past. But, there are some changes that could lead to new opportunities.

Building on the Basics – New Developments

The new developments, like cross currents, don’t fit the pattern of past action plans. For example:

New long-term goals have been added, especially the 2^nd, 3^rd, 11^th, and 12^th bullets pertaining to equity and climate change. See the graphic of the full list on the right.

New Themes

These and others are reflected in the Action Plan text’s new thematic emphases, especially pertaining to:

• A greater emphasis on climate change – I expect a lot of people to scratch their heads about how to factor this into their funding applications. After all, how can an individual project incorporate something as vast as climate change? The answer rests in how your project can be described as more resilient in the face of climate change.
• A greater emphasis on environmental justice and jobs that benefit overburdened communities – Rightfully, the Action Plan cross references Justice40, a federal initiative to make stronger investments in communities that need them most. The federal government has tools to help identify these communities.
• Special language about the “distinct tribal program” that commits to funding indigenous people through federally-recognized tribes.

New Directions Within Specific Focus Areas & New Measures of Progress

The new Action Plan signals some new emphases and directions within specific focus areas and, along with them, new measures of progress to quantify annual successes.

• In the Toxics focus area (1), there’s a new emphasis on engagement, with investments in outreach to more diverse communities that benefit from AOC cleanups.
• The Invasive Species focus area (2) has a new emphasis on preventing nuisance species from getting into the Great Lakes in the first place and preventing them from transferring from one lake to another.
• A stronger emphasis on reducing polluted runoff (Focus Area 3) by recognizing that rural communities—not just urban populations—can be disadvantaged, and that stormwater reductions (think flood mitigation benefits) is important for Great Lakes health.
• Habitat (Focus Area 4) includes enhanced investments in urban habitat, again to provide more benefits to underserved communities.

Though the GLRI remains consistent in the fundamentals, the new developments are worth your attention because they forecast what the agencies may be looking for in funding applications over the next several years. Want to scope out some possibilities? Email me.