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EPA to Hold Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Meeting in Rochester, NY

Release Date: 07/27/2009
Contact Information: Mike Basile (716) 551-4410, basile.michael@epa.gov

(New York, N.Y.) On Wednesday, July 29, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will host a meeting in Rochester, NY to discuss the federal government’s draft plan for restoring the Great Lakes – the largest source of surface fresh water in the world. In hopes of maximizing the effectiveness of its Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), EPA aims to both inform the public about the initiative and solicit public feedback on its goals and proposed actions.

“The Great Lakes are central to the economy and the culture of our region, but they have long been threatened by pollution, invasive species, and habitat degradation,” said EPA Acting Regional Administrator George Pavlou. “This initiative is so crucial because it represents a giant leap toward achieving our long-term goals of safe fishing and swimming at our beaches, secure drinking water, and a healthy ecosystem for fish and wildlife in the Great Lakes.”

President Obama’s 2010 Budget provides $475 million for the EPA-led, multi-agency GLRI, which specifically targets the most urgent problems affecting the lakes. EPA and other federal agencies have identified five principal areas on which to focus efforts:

· Toxic substances and areas of concern
· Invasive species
· Near-shore health and runoff
· Habitat and wildlife protection and restoration
· Accountability, monitoring, evaluation, communication and partnerships.

The Rochester meeting is one of eight public meetings EPA will host in each of the Great Lakes states this summer. The first meeting, held in Milwaukee, Wisc., drew more than 100 people.

Through the meeting, the agency also hopes to learn about restoration activities being pursued by other partners, so they can be considered when developing the plan.

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
Public Stakeholder Meeting
Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 5-7pm EDT
Radisson Riverside
Fitzhugh Room
120 Main St E
Rochester, NY 14604

For more about EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative visit: https://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/glri.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EPAregion2 and Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.

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