US EditionFederal budget proposal puts Great Lakes research at risk
- The proposed 2026 federal budget cuts funding to NOAA by 25%, reducing nearly $1.5 billion and threatening research on Lake Michigan's water quality and ecosystem.
- This reduction follows federal rollbacks targeting programs considered misaligned with administration policy, resulting in staffing cuts and budget strain at NOAA's Great Lakes lab.
- NOAA-Funded buoy networks in Lake Michigan, tracking real-time environmental data like harmful algae blooms and oxygen levels, face funding threats that could disrupt research and public safety.
- Dr. Harvey Bootsma highlighted that losing NOAA’s financial support for these buoys would disappoint many individuals who depend on the data for boating, research, and educational purposes.
- Cuts risk undermining environmental monitoring essential to protecting coastal communities, regional economies, and freshwater resources, possibly leading to greater future costs and management challenges.
16 Articles
16 Articles
The Trump administration's budget cuts to the NOAA critically halt federal funding to Great Lakes research
In 2024, Great Lakes researchers at the University of Michigan were awarded a $6.5 million five-year grant by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to host a research center focused on algal blooms, climate change and overall environmental impacts on human health for communities living in, working in and visiting the Great Lakes region. However, President Donald Trump’s administration could now be cutting Great Lakes research by si…
Michigan House Passes Resolution in Effort to Protect Great Lakes from Asian Carp
Photo: Junfu Han ~ USA TODAY NETWORK DETROIT, May 8, 2025 ~ Michigan Legislators are aiming to protect the Great Lakes from invasive Asian carp. The House passed a resolution on Wednesday, May 7, linked to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, urging the state to resume construction on a barrier project that was halted in Feb. The carp begin their journey in the Mississippi River and head through the Joliet Dam into Lake Michigan. The barrier plan h…
Millions of people depend on the Great Lakes’ water supply. Trump decimated the lab protecting it. • Michigan Advance
This story originally appeared in ProPublica, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Just one year ago, JD Vance was a leading advocate of the Great Lakes and the efforts to restore the largest system of freshwater on the face of […]
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