Historic Great Lakes Restoration Plan Identifies Cleanup Priorities

摘要

Numerous pressures — ranging from invasive species and aging wastewater collection systems to nonpoint source runoff and toxic chemical releases — "have seriously compromised the environmental health of the Great Lakes," according to a major restoration strategy plan unveiled in December by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and adopted by federal, state, and local officials. The blueprint has been billed as the most comprehensive strategy to date for restoring and protecting the Great Lakes. Whether the necessary funding to follow through on implementation will be found, however, remains an open question, according to many who were involved with the effort.