The EPA on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010, began passing out its competitive grants under President Obama's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The initiative is meant to target the most significant environmental problems in the region. The initiative action plan, which covers FY 2010 through 2014, was developed by a task force of 16 federal departments and agencies. It addresses five key goals:

• Cleaning up toxics and toxic hot spot areas of concern;
• Combating invasive species;
• Promoting nearshore health by protecting watersheds from polluted run-off;
• Restoring wetlands and other habitats; and
• Working with strategic partners on outreach.

A full list of the awards will be published on the multi-agency website at http://greatlakesrestoration.us. Those already announced at politicized announcements in Toledo, Ohio, and Green Bay, Wis., include surface water in Cleveland, sediment problems in Toledo, restoring the Cat Island chain in Wisconsin and a soil capping project on Renard Island. More are expected with subsequent announcements (notably: in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois).

SOURCE: EPA press release