WASHINGTON, DC (WHTC) – U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, and U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (MI-05) led a bipartisan letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt urging the federal agency to not close a regional office serving the Great Lakes region.
The letter, signed by Democrats and Republicans in Michigan’s congressional delegation, highlights how the EPA’s Region 5 office currently helps protect the Great Lakes from real threats, including combatting invasive species like Asian carp, as well as helping the people of Flint recover from the ongoing water crisis.
The bipartisan congressional letter, in addition to Kildee and Upton, was signed by U.S. Rep. John Conyers (MI-13), U.S. Rep. Sander Levin (MI-09), U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop (MI-08), U.S. Rep. Dave Trott (MI-11), U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence (MI-14) and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-12).
“Each year, the Great Lakes generate billions in annual economic activity and support 1.5 million good-paying jobs in the tourism, boating and fishing industries. The Great Lakes also provide drinking water to 48 million people. It is in our national interest to protect the Great Lakes from harm,” the lawmakers’ letter reads.
