Our Policy Work

• Authorize the Brandon Road Project at full federal expense, including construction, operation, and maintenance, to help prevent the movement of invasive carp and other invasive species from the Mississippi River basin into the Great Lakes.
• Direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to finalize the Great Lakes & Mississippi River Interbasin Study to prevent invasive species transfer between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes.
• Provide funding to assist in development of ballast water treatment technology that can be implemented by all vessels that operate in the Great Lakes to prevent non-native species from entering U.S. waters.

• Direct agriculture conservation programs towards nutrient management strategies that keep nutrients in the root zone and prevent runoff from farm fields.
• Increase funding for proven programs to reduce point and nonpoint source nutrient discharges, limit erosion, and protect and restore wetlands.
• Expand funding and technical support to help implement existing commitments and agreements relating to Lake Erie, and increase support to implement plans addressing harmful algal blooms for inland waters and across the Great Lakes.

• Develop a strong conservation title in the 2023 Farm Bill to provide needed technical and financial assistance, which enables farmers and ranchers to adopt practices that benefit fish, wildlife and water quality in the Great Lakes. In addition, the next Farm Bill needs to include provisions that expand soil carbon sequestration and other climate-benefiting conservation practices including adoption of best management practices like cover crops and promotion of climate resiliency efforts on working lands.

• Support the EPA’s current Waters of the U.S. rule that restores long-standing protections for rivers and wetlands that many communities rely on for their drinking water and health. With so many communities living with unsafe water, we need to strengthen clean water protections, not weaken them.

• Increase funding under the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to help improve drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in towns and cities, especially in communities that have been most impacted by pollution and environmental harm.

• Support the reintroduction of the bi-partisan PFAS Action Act, which would require the EPA to determine whether cancer-causing PFAS chemicals should be designated as toxic pollutants under the Clean Water Act. Support an expedited issuance of a federal drinking water standard that would designate PFOS and PFOA as hazardous substances under CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act).
• Support implementation of the EPA’s PFAS Action Plan, and support efforts to improve monitoring, detection, and coordination between state and federal agencies to clean up PFAS pollution from former military bases (such as Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Michigan).
• Increase appropriations for federal agencies to conduct research for PFAS tissue sampling in fish and wildlife.
• Support pilot projects of remedial options for farmers affected by PFAS contamination.

The Great Lakes encompass 95% of North America’s freshwater, and over 40 million people rely on them for drinking water. They are foundational to the region’s economy and way of life.

• Fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at $425 million in the fiscal year 2024 to continue environmental cleanup, reduce nutrient pollution that leads to harmful algal blooms, and protect the Great Lakes from invasive carp.
• Support full funding of water infrastructure programs, including the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Fund programs that help communities update their drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. Continue to promote efforts to take the financial burden off communities by prioritizing federal grants, rather than loans, as well as prioritizing programs that help reverse environmental injustices.
• Support efforts to address water affordability, end water shut-offs, and promote workforce development and job training opportunities to ensure that local workers and businesses benefit from federal investments in restoration and protection.

The Ohio River is a working river that is home to more than 25 million people, many of whom depend on the river, its tributaries, wetlands, and water resources for their drinking water, as an economic engine, as well as a place of recreation.

The National Wildlife Federation is leading a workgroup to craft a restoration and protection action plan for the 14-state Ohio River basin ecosystem to address serious threats including sewage overflows, toxic pollution, mine waste, flooding, and runoff pollution. Workgroup members hail from state and federal agencies, academia, business, industry, and non-governmental institutions.

The science-based Ohio River restoration plan will be delivered to the U.S. Congress in 2023. The goal is to establish a federally funded restoration program for the Ohio River basin, similar to federal initiatives to restore the Chesapeake Bay, Florida Everglades, Great Lakes, and other iconic U.S. waters.

The Mississippi River, a cultural and national treasure, runs through 10 states, drains 41 percent of the continental United States, and carries more water than any other American river. It provides drinking water, recreation, and a source of commerce for millions of people. Both these rivers face unprecedented challenges that require robust Congressional investment.

• Support the reintroduction of the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative Act (MRRRI Act). This historic bill would establish the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative aimed at protecting and restoring the ecological health and resilience of the Mississippi River for current and succeeding generations of Americans and for the fish and wildlife that rely on the Mississippi River and its floodplain.

The Great Lakes encompass 95% of North America’s freshwater, and over 40 million people rely on them for drinking water. They are foundational to the region’s economy and way of life.

• Support the reintroduction of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) bill that would bring much-needed resources to wildlife professionals tasked with conserving the diversity of America’s native fish and wildlife species.

• Support the reintroduction of The Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act bill to permanently protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park from dangerous mine waste.

• Support legislation that would improve and enhance equitable public access to hunt, fish and recreate on public land and waters.

• Fully fund the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act programs to advance research and manage the spread of chronic wasting disease throughout our deer populations.

The Great Lakes encompass 95% of North America’s freshwater, and over 40 million people rely on them for drinking water. They are foundational to the region’s economy and way of life.

• Support the state of Michigan’s authority and responsibility to protect the health of the Great Lakes, uphold public trust rights for all citizens and uphold Tribal sovereignty from adverse resource impacts from oil and gas pipelines.
• Ensure the next reauthorization of the Pipeline Safety Act includes reforms that strengthen land and water rights for states, communities, and Tribal nations. In addition, the reauthorization of the PIPES act should include strong and meaningful climate action.

• Strengthen regulatory proposals to reduce the emissions of carbon and to improve public health including imposing stricter limits on methane pollution from oil and gas facilities, establishing new CO2 emissions limits from power plants and vehicles, setting revised, more protective standards for particulate matter (soot) pollution, and creating a new rule limiting mercury pollution from power plants.
• Ensure climate and clean-energy investments are implemented effectively and equitably, and benefit both wildlife and people – particularly the most climate-vulnerable communities. Make additional investments and establish policies to help disenfranchised, rural, and fossil fuel-intensive communities build inclusive economies and remove ongoing threats to people and wildlife including funding for reclamation for modern-era mine lands; additional research and analysis of the carbon sequestration; and climate resilience potential from restoration of degraded lands.

The Mississippi River, a cultural and national treasure, runs through 10 states, drains 41 percent of the continental United States, and carries more water than any other American river. It provides drinking water, recreation, and a source of commerce for millions of people. Both these rivers face unprecedented challenges that require robust Congressional investment.

• Expedite the release of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study to develop a collaborative, risk-based decision framework that identifies opportunities to improve coastal resilience in the Great Lakes region.
• Increase funding for federal forecasting and modeling of lake level variability, extreme storm events, precipitation and flooding that are unique to the Great Lakes.