Great Lakes Environmental Sensitivity Index Act of 2020

Floor Speech

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Mr. HUIZENGA. Mr. Speaker, in the midst of a divided Washington, D.C., it is important that Congress comes together to prioritize the protection of the Great Lakes.

As co-chair of the bipartisan Great Lakes Task Force, building bipartisan consensus that preserves the Great Lakes, strengthens their economy, and protects them for future generations has been one of my top priorities.

While the environmental sensitivity index maps may not be the headline-grabbing legislation that we are sometimes used to, these maps are critical to the communities across the Great Lakes.

We must have accurate assessments of coastal resources that are at risk of severe damage from an emergency or a natural disaster. These environmental assessments include information on endangered and threatened species, vulnerable shorelines, and widely used community resources, such as beaches, parks, and boat ramps.

The maps are vital to disaster planning, as well as recovery, research, and restoration efforts. It is essential that we have an accurate representation of vulnerable locations and areas in the Great Lakes that are in need of protection in the event of an emergency.

While maps for the East Coast, the West Coast, and the Gulf Coast have all been updated recently, maps for the Great Lakes have not been updated in over 20 years.

To be clear, while the Great Lakes holds over 20 percent of the world's fresh water, providing drinking water to more than 48 million people, it supports over 1.3 million jobs, and generates billions upon billions of dollars in economic activity. Yet, as I stated before, our region hasn't had a proper environmental map update in more than two decades.

This legislation, of which I am a proud cosponsor, would solve this problem by modernizing and updating our maps of the Great Lakes.

Along Lake Michigan and throughout the Great Lakes shoreline, the current state of erosion and high water damage is at a crisis point.

In my district, along the shores of Lake Michigan, the high water levels are threatening not only people's homes and public infrastructure but the overall ecology and the economy of the Great Lakes.

Communities throughout the region have declared states of emergency as roads, bridges, harbors, and wastewater treatment facilities, just to name a few, are in danger due to these high water levels.

As we continue to see disasters and emergencies in the Great Lakes region, government, at all levels, must be prepared and have up-to-date information to act upon. This bipartisan bill would accomplish that, while demonstrating another way my Michigan colleagues and I, and really all of us from the Great Lakes region, are making sure the Federal Government prioritizes and protects and preserves the Great Lakes.

Whether it is responding to rapidly evolving events, such as a natural disaster, or planning long-term projects, such as habitat restoration, we need to have reliable and accurate information available to all the players.

When it comes to protecting our lakes, habitats, and shorelines, these updated maps will allow us to better prepare to face natural disasters or emergencies.

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Mr. HUIZENGA. Mr. Speaker, having this updated information will help us analyze and assess the threats facing the Great Lakes and allow us to be more proactive instead of 100 percent reactive.

The Great Lakes are a way of life for many of us in west Michigan and throughout the Great Lakes system, and these pristine resources help define who we are as a community and a people. I will continue to work, support, and advocate for commonsense reforms like today's legislation that will protect these incredible natural resources for generations to come.

I do want to thank my fellow colleagues who have been working on this, Mr. Kildee from Michigan, Mr. Joyce from Ohio, and the rest of the Great Lakes Task Force. This has been a great, true bipartisan success story, as we have looked at increasing funding for protecting the Great Lakes through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the GLRI, as well as initiatives like this.

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