Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced more than $1.8 million in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grants to five organizations that will use market-based approaches, including water quality trading, to enhance nonpoint source excess nutrient reduction efforts in the Great Lakes basin. This action supports EPA’s 50th anniversary celebration and its February theme of protecting America’s waters.
 
“Addressing emerging challenges, like excess nutrients in our waters, requires creative solutions,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “This EPA funding will help build on existing state, local and tribal efforts and support innovative tools and technologies that will deliver critical water quality improvements at a lower cost.”
 
“EPA is proud to offer GLRI funding to promote water quality trading and other market-based approaches to target nutrient runoff, one of the biggest threats to the health of the Great Lakes,” said Region 5 Administrator and Great Lakes National Program Manager Kurt Thiede. “These innovative projects will encourage cost-effective ways to reduce the excess nutrients that can lead to algal blooms and other water quality issues.”
 
Excess nutrients can lead to challenging environmental problems in the Great Lakes, including algae blooms, hypoxic zones and other surface water quality concerns. Under the Trump Administration, EPA is focusing its attention on reducing nutrient losses through enhanced federal and state coordination, stakeholder engagement and the use of market-, incentive- and community-based programs. For more information on EPA’s efforts to address excess nutrients, visit https://www.epa.gov/nutrient-policy-data.
 
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