NEMWI Analysis Shows Impact

of SRF Cuts on Each State

As NEMWI reported last week, President Trump’s FY26 budget proposal would slash funding for the EPA’s Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs) from around $2.8 billion to just $305 million, cutting base funding by nearly 90%. The SRF programs help states finance water infrastructure improvements and are integral for providing clean water across America. NEMWI has conducted an analysis showing the impact of these proposed cuts on each Great Lakes state.

Each state would see its base SRF funding cut by nearly 90%, but the impact on total funding would depend on a state’s reliance on programs from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, as the analysis assumes that BIL funding will not be rescinded. The BIL provided billions of dollars in funding for the SRFs, including increased funding for the base programs and separate pools for addressing lead service lines and emerging contaminants. States like New York where BIL funding makes up a smaller portion of the total money received from the SRFs as opposed to funding from annual appropriations to the base program would see a larger percentage decrease. States like Illinois, where the inverse is true, would see a comparatively smaller percentage decrease. Each Great Lakes state would see their SRF funding decrease by 16-25% and would face cuts from $40-$200 million.

See the table below, and click here to view in browser and access the data. As the President’s budget did not specify how much of the $305 million total would be allocated to each SRF account, the estimates below are calculated on the assumption that the amount would be split proportionally to the current allocation.

The President’s budget is just the starting point for the appropriations process, and these proposed cuts are not final. Congress will now take up the task of drafting the 12 annual appropriations bills and passing them. Last year, Congress rejected then-President Biden’s proposed cuts to the SRF.

NEMWI will continue to track the appropriations process. When the full President’s budget is released, NEMWI will publish a report on its contents with regard to Great Lakes programs.

NEMWI To Host PFAS Briefing, Continuing GLPOP

NEMWI will host a virtual briefing for Congressional staff on PFAS on Wednesday, May 28^th, at 11 a.m. The briefing will be the second session of NEMWI’s Great Lakes Primer and Orientation Program, which provides an introduction to Great Lakes policy issues to new Congressional staff and offices. The program is made possible with generous support from the Erb Family Foundation.



PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances also known as “forever chemicals,” are chemical substances used in a wide variety of consumer products from clothing to cookware. PFAS break down very slowly in the environment, allowing them to accumulate in the environment, most worryingly in soil and drinking water sources. PFAS have been linked to negative health outcomes such as cholesterol increases, lower birth weight, reduced immune response, fertility issues, and kidney, prostate, and testicular cancers.

The briefing will cover PFAS impacts on and prevalence in wildlife, including fish; agricultural and drinking water issues; and contaminated sites and their effect on surrounding communities. The briefing will also cover state and federal policy solutions, the current state of EPA actions, and advocacy efforts driving progress in the Great Lakes region and beyond.

Panelists will include:

• Marta Venier, Indiana University;
• Cathy Martin, National Wildlife Federation;
• Erica Bloom, Ecology Center, Great Lakes PFAS Action Network, and;
• Tony Spaniola, Great Lakes PFAS Action Network

PFAS Task Force Relaunched for 119^th Congress

Representatives Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), and Jen Kiggans (R-VA) will co-chair the bipartisan PFAS Task Force in the 119^th Congress. First formed in 2019 by Rep. Fitzpatrick and former Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI), the PFAS Task Force has been instrumental in elevating PFAS as an issue in Congress and rallying bipartisan support for action. Many Great Lakes members of Congress have been active in the PFAS Task Force, but membership has also included representatives from Florida to Washington state.

Leadership of the Task Force is balanced both by party and by longevity. It includes longtime PFAS advocates in Reps. Dingell and Fitzpatrick, both of whom led the PFAS Action Act of 2021 which passed the House and contained provisions – designating PFAS as a hazardous substance under CERCLA and establishing drinking water limits among them – that became EPA policy. It also includes newer members of Congress in Reps. McDonald Rivet and Kiggans, indicating continued momentum around PFAS action in this Congress.

Per a press release, the goals of the Task Force in this Congress will be:

• Advancing comprehensive legislation to end harmful PFAS pollution;
• Educating lawmakers and the public on the serious health and environmental consequences of PFAS exposure; and
• Securing historic federal investments in research, remediation, and prevention.

“Our country needs to address the problems PFAS chemicals create head-on, which is why I’m proud to co-chair the bipartisan Congressional PFAS Task Force with both Republicans and Democrats," Rep. McDonald Rivet said. "We will work together to raise awareness of the risk of PFAS chemicals and advocate for commonsense solutions for our constituents.”

“Families across our community have lived with the fear that the water they drink, the schools their children attend, and the homes they live in may not be safe,” Rep. Fitzpatrick said. “That is unacceptable — and it demands action... Through the PFAS Task Force, I am doubling down on my commitment to deliver real solutions, real accountability, and a clean, safe future — not just for PA-1, but for every community across America facing this crisis.”

“In Michigan we know all too well the urgent, growing threat PFAS pose,” Rep. Dingell said. “It’s more important than ever we’re taking serious action in Congress to keep PFAS out of our homes, water, and environment, hold polluters accountable, and clean up existing contamination. I’m proud to co-lead the bipartisan PFAS Task Force to help educate our colleagues on this important issue, and work together across the aisle to advance legislation to protect Americans from the growing and urgent public health threat of forever chemicals.”

“Harmful PFAS contamination poses a direct threat to the health of our military families and surrounding communities in Virginia’s Second District,” Rep. Kiggans said. “I am proud to join my colleagues as a co-chair of the bipartisan PFAS Task Force to ensure every American has access to clean water and a healthy environment for generations to come. This is a public health crisis that requires immediate action and commonsense solutions.”

Trump Signs Brandon Road Memo

President Trump signed a memorandum on Friday that directs the federal government to "expeditiously implement the most effective mechanisms, barriers, and other measures to prevent the migration and expansion of invasive carp in the Great Lakes Basin and the surrounding region," pushing the Brandon Road Interbasin Project (BRIP) forward. It directs the state of Illinois to complete land acquisition by July 1^st, and aims to expedite permitting for the project.

The memo supports the BRIP, a $1.15 billion project that would be 90% federally funded, including $274 million that has already been appropriated. The BRIP would include a number of defenses to prevent invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes including an electric barrier, a carbon dioxide barrier, underwater acoustic deterrents, and a system to remove aquatic invasive species from barge hulls.

This comes after the President expressed interest in the project when signing executive orders in the Oval Office in April, in a session that was also attended by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and State Speaker Matt Hall. “So, we’re going to work hard on that [the BRIP],” the President said. “I spoke with the Army Corps of Engineers and they have a method... so we're going to work on that very hard, and thank you, Governor, very much. Sort of a bipartisan thing when you get right down to it.”

The project was supposed to break ground earlier this year, but Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker delayed it on the grounds that he needed assurances that the Trump administration would not freeze federal funding for the project. In a statement at the time, the Governor said “Our hands are tied here. At the end of the day, we must do business with partners operating in good faith, and the Trump administration has yet to show us they are capable of that.” In a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said that the state would move forward once they received written assurances from the administration that funding would come through. The memo could meet that barrier.

The memo takes issue with the delay, warning the state of Illinois not to “stand in the way of its [the BRIP’s] construction.” It adds that Illinois, “must cease further delay in cooperating with this effort, for the sake of its own citizens and economy and for the sake of all of the Great Lakes states.”

Congressional pressure has also been applied on Gov. Pritzker. Earlier this year, the bipartisan Co-Chairs of the Great Lakes Task Force released a statement stating, “we urge the state of Illinois to promptly sign the necessary documents and end further delays in the critical ecosystem protection construction at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam. This project is essential to prevent the spread of invasive carp throughout the Great Lakes.” It went on, “Illinois must take action to allow construction to proceed. Failing to do so puts the future of the Great Lakes ecosystem — and the multi-trillion-dollar economy it supports — at serious risk.”

Last month, members of the Michigan Republican delegation sent a more strongly worded letter to Pritzker. “Safeguarding our lakes demands strong leadership that prioritizes responsible action over political posturing,” that letter read. “Years of strategic planning and bipartisan collaboration between USACE Rock Island District and the States of Illinois and Michigan have brought us to the threshold of a historic preservation victory for our region’s economy and environment... We urge you, in the strongest terms possible, to abandon this self-serving interest, finalize the real estate closing agreement, and allow USACE to move forward with BRIP without further delay.”

Beyond the Brandon Road project, the memo also supports other existing invasive carp efforts from the EPA, USFWS, and NOAA, including contract fishing in the upper Illinois Waterway and other removal practices, maintenance of existing electrical barriers, and invasive carp research.

NEMWI To Conduct Briefing on GLRI on May 22

The Northeast-Midwest Institute will hold a virtual briefing for Congressional staff on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative on Thursday, May 22^nd, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is a cornerstone Great Lakes program that has greatly improved the environmental and economic health of the Great Lakes region since it began in 2010. The GLRI has invested over $4 billion in over 8,000 projects, including restoring habitat, mitigating nutrient runoff, and combatting invasive species. The GLRI also has accelerated progress on Great Lakes Areas of Concern. Since the start of the GLRI in 2010, six AOCs have been delisted and 118 beneficial use impairments have been removed, compared to just one AOC delisted and 10 BUIs removed in the 23 years before the GLRI. A 2018 study found that every dollar invested in the GLRI generates $3.35 in additional economic value.

The briefing will provide an overview of the GLRI and the roles of federal agencies, states, and tribes in administering the program, and will highlight critical GLRI projects and success stories.

Panelists include:

• Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office
• US Army Corps of Engineers, Great Lakes and Ohio River Division
• Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
• Great Lakes Commission

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