SCHUMER REVEALS END-OF-YEAR SPENDING BILL WILL CREATE NEW GREAT LAKES AUTHORITY TO PROMOTE ECONOMIC GROWTH, CREATE NEW GOOD-PAYING JOBS, BOOST CLEAN INFRASTRUCTURE, AND INVEST IN ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TO HELP BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO THE UPSTATE ECONOMY AND ONE OF ITS GREATEST BEAUTIES AND ECONOMIC ENGINES
Great Lakes Basin Is Home To 30+ Million People, Including 8% Of All Americans, Not Only Serving As One Of The Largest Sources Of Freshwater, But Also Upstate New York Industrial And Manufacturing Hubs In Western New York, The Rochester-Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, and North Country Regions
New Great Lakes Authority Will Function Similarly to the Federal Appalachian Regional Commission and Northern Border Regional Commission Which Have Pumped Tens of Millions In Federal Funding Into Upstate New York For Critical Infrastructure Projects And Created Thousands Of Good-Paying Jobs
Schumer: New Great Lakes Authority Is A HUGE CATCH, Will Pump Millions In New Economic Energy And Jobs Into Upstate NY
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today revealed that the end-of-year spending package for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 creates a new regional economic development commission for the Great Lakes – set to pump millions in new federal grants to help promote economic development, strengthen infrastructure, protect the environment, and create good-paying jobs in communities across Upstate New York. Schumer said the new Great Lakes Authority (GLA) will include $33 million through FY 2023 for grants to States and local governments, tribes, and public and nonprofit organizations for economic development and infrastructure projects, such as roads, high-speed broadband, and renewable energy, for communities across the Great Lakes region, including in Upstate NY. The senator said that this new economic development program will help breathe new life into Western New York, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, and North Country communities that make up the broader Great Lakes and Great Lakes System area and support the economic growth of the region for years to come. The Great Lakes and Great Lakes System region includes Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Allegany, Erie, Niagara, Genesee, Wyoming, Jefferson, Orleans, Oswego, Wayne, Monroe, Cayuga, Lewis, Herkimer, Hamilton, Oneida, Seneca, Onondaga, Tompkins, Schuyler, Yates, Ontario, Madison, Cortland, Chemung, Steuben, Livingston, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Essex, and Clinton counties, all areas of Upstate New York that will now be eligible for assistance from the newly created Authority.
“From Buffalo to Rochester to Ithaca to Watertown, the Great Lakes region is one of the true gems of Upstate New York and the communities throughout this region have long served as many of the great industrial and manufacturing powerhouses of America. That is why I am proud to have created a new federal program—the Great Lakes Authority—which will work to not only preserve the natural resources of the Great Lakes by promoting tourism, and providing clean infrastructure, but also breath new economic life into our Upstate communities by supporting projects that will rebuild local economies, creating good-paying jobs, and reinvigorating the legacy of this region which built up America’s economy in the last century and has all of the ingredients to build America’s economy for the next century,” said Senator Schumer. “Investing in the Upstate communities of the Great Lakes is investing in the future of America, and I am proud to have helped create this new Great Lakes Authority so that new jobs can flow across the region.”
“Our region’s unique position along the Great Lakes holds significant potential and economic opportunity,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “By passing the Great Lakes Authority Act, we’re taking steps to strengthen our resiliency and ensure we have the resources necessary to flourish and prosper. I’m grateful for the partnership of Senator Schumer, Rep. Kaptur, and our many colleagues—I look forward to our continued work together to preserve and protect our Great Lakes communities for generations to come.”
Schumer said the GLA will function similarly to already successful federal commissions like the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) which have both helped pump tens of millions of federal dollars into economic and community development projects across Upstate New York. Over the last decade, the ARC has funded over $32 million in essential projects for Upstate NY, helping create or retain over 4,400 jobs. Likewise, from 2010-2021 the NBRC invested in over 60 projects totaling over $23 million in investment for Upstate New York that leveraged over $113 million in matching funds. GLA grants will be awarded on a competitive basis and focused on economic development and infrastructure initiatives including: transportation, telecommunications/broadband, workforce training, business development, healthcare, tourism promotion, environmental conservation, renewable energy, and more.
The GLA will cover areas in the watershed of the Great Lakes and the Great Lakes System – the same areas covered by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative which include New York State, in addition to parts of Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin within the Great Lakes watershed. The GLA will be the first federal entity of its kind dedicated to addressing economic development challenges faced by the broader Great Lakes region.
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