The buzz of the 2020 presidential campaign trail has left the Motor City following last week’s debates featuring the Democratic contenders.

While the national spotlight of the 2020 presidential campaign has left Detroit, Michigan is one of several states asking all presidential candidates to consider a Great Lakes 2020 Presidential Agenda.

Last week Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined a coalition of Great Lakes governors to announce the agenda and encourage candidates to “adopt the strategic plan which combats the critical factors that are currently threatening our water and public health.”

"Preserving our Great Lakes, protecting public health and cleaning up drinking water is a top priority for our region. The health of our families, our economy, and 51 million jobs depend on our immediate action," Whitmer said in a statement. "This agenda requires bold action. We must partner with the federal government to ensure we're doing everything we can to protect our freshwater, which is why I'm encouraging all 2020 presidential candidates from both parties to sign on to this agenda. The shared priorities of the Great Lakes region should be the shared priorities of all Americans."     

The Great Lakes 2020 Presidential Agenda outlines six policies to protect and preserve the ecology, economy and health of the Great Lakes:

• Address the extensive water infrastructure crisis that the Great Lakes region is facing by tripling the federal investment into the Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Funds to address our region’s $179 billion backlog in drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure so all of our residents have access to clean, safe, and affordable drinking water. 

• Incrementally ramp up funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to $475 million per year to boost the region’s work of increasing coastal resiliency, cleaning up toxic contamination, reducing runoff pollution, stopping invasive species, and restoring wetlands and other habitats.  

• Support, fully fund, and expedite the plan to build new prevention measures at Brandon Road Lock and Dam and support strong ballast water rules for every Great Lakes vessel to help stop and control the introduction and spread of invasive species in the region.

• Commit to assisting states in meeting their goals of reducing nutrient pollution in the Western Lake Erie basin by 40 percent by 2025 through federal funding, resources, and new technologies while continuing to monitor, report, and reduce nutrient pollution in the other Great Lakes and regional water bodies.

• Support federal funding for ports, harbors, and critical marine infrastructure including the Soo Locks reconstruction project at Sault Ste. Marie. In addition to $52 million provided by the state of Michigan, $900 million is needed to modernize the Soo Locks and ensure they remain operational through reconstruction. A six-month unplanned closure at the Soo Locks would devastate the production of integrated steel, automobiles, and other heavy equipment throughout North America, decreasing U.S. gross domestic product by $1.3 trillion, costing the U.S. more than 11 million jobs.  

• Push for increased federal action of both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Defense to address PFAS contamination. Across the Great Lakes region, states are tackling the challenge of addressing toxic contaminants like PFAS chemicals. States are looking to the federal government for financial resources and leadership in establishing drinking water standards. 

When it comes to philanthropy addressing issues facing our Great Lakes, as CMF has reported, more than a dozen CMF member community foundations are working in regional teams as part of the Great Lakes One Water (GLOW) Partnership, supported by CMF and the Great Lakes Protection Fund.

The GLOW Partnership is a multi-year, basin-wide initiative focused on engaging shoreline community foundations as a force multiplier to advance a new era of water management to benefit people and businesses in the Great Lakes Basin.

As GLOW shared in a newsletter last week, the regional teams are beginning the implementation phases of their three-year plans. For some of the teams, this means researching best practices, community outreach and team organization. CMF looks forward to sharing more details on the plans as they emerge.

Want more?

Check out the Great Lakes 2020 Presidential Agenda.

Learn more about GLOW.

Join your colleagues and the Green and Blue Network (GBN) for Leveraging Partnerships to Address PFAS in Our Water, a breakout session at CMF’s Annual Conference happening this October. The GBN will take a closer look at the impact PFAS has on public health and the role that government and philanthropy can play in addressing these issues.