A newly formed federal advisory group is soliciting public input on how EPA and other agencies should craft a fiscal year 2015-19 action plan for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), updating the current plan that guides restoration activities at 30 heavily contaminated "areas of concern" in the lakes. EPA is also seeking public comment on a draft framework to aid the agency in applying lessons learned from individual Great Lakes cleanups on a program-wide level. The 18-member Great Lakes Advisory Board is scheduled to hold a June 12 teleconference where public comment will be received on a series of charge questions about specific provisions to be changed or added to the plan. The questions cover a host of topics, including whether the plan should consider climate change impacts, promote environmental justice, track jobs created and leverage outside funding sources, in addition to possibly revising GLRI's three key priorities of expediting cleanups of the areas of concern, reducing nutrients in priority watersheds and preventing the establishment of invasive species.
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