Mr. Speaker, I rise today along with my colleague, Representative Tim Walberg, and fellow co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Great Lakes Task Force, in introducing H.R. 10639, the Regional…
Mr. Speaker, I rise today along with my colleague, Representative Tim Walberg, and fellow co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Great Lakes Task Force, in introducing H.R. 10639, the Regional Great Lakes Partnership Act. This bill designates the Great Lakes Commission as the ``Regional Great Lakes Partnership'' for purposes of participation in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Regional Ocean Partnerships Program.
The Regional Ocean Partnerships Program, authorized by Division J, the Oceans and Atmosphere Division, of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 117-263), provides support to regional organizations voluntarily convened by Governors to coordinate interstate water and coastal management, data sharing, and environmental planning. In the three years since its creation, the Program has successfully supported four regional groups spanning the East, West, and Gulf coasts of the United States mainland.
However, the Great Lakes Region has not yet been included in the Program due to the absence of a designated regional organization to receive the Federal funds and facilitate interstate coordination. By formally adding the Great Lakes Commission through this legislation, Congress can increase Federal support for research and conservation work vital to the eight-State Great Lakes Region and the world's third- largest economy. Importantly, this bill leverages an existing, well- established working body rather than creating a new entity, thereby prioritizing efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and continued investment in healthy watersheds, resilient coastlines and working waterfronts, and economic vitality across the Great Lakes Region.
This bill, H.R. 10639, is a companion to S. 4573, which was introduced earlier this year by the senior Senators from Michigan and Ohio, Senator Gary Peters and Senator Bernie Moreno, and which the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, ordered to be favorably reported to the full Senate on September 16, 2026.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance this bill into law and urge the leadership of the Committee on Natural Resources to move it forward in the legislative process.
