Great Lakes Gateways

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate and protect the largest system of freshwater on Earth: The Great Lakes. I will be introducing the bipartisan Great Lakes Gateways Network Act of 2025, alongside my talented colleague, David Joyce of Ohio.

The Great Lakes have been declared a national treasure by executive order in 2004. The Great Lakes undergird America's industrial and agricultural heartland and encompass terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, including two globally important migratory bird flyways.

We are home to 20 national wildlife refuges; 7 national parks; America's longest coast and lakeshores, monuments, and memorials; 6 national forests; many State parks; wildlife management areas; and trail systems. These assets generate annually over $52 billion in economic activity.

The Great Lakes Gateway Network Act of 2025 will help us conserve, restore, and interpret our precious history by catalyzing numerous public and private investments in the linked network of gateway sites.

Mr. Speaker, it is long overdue for the northwest territory and our Great Lakes to shine a light on our region's magnificence and America's freshwater kingdom.

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