{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/key-brown-provisions-to-protect-lake-erie-are-now-law", "Key Brown Provisions to Protect Lake Erie Are Now Law", "2016-12-16", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "OH", "Sherrod Brown", "B000944", "www.brown.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Friday, December 16, 2016\n            \n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, President Obama signed into law a water infrastructure bill that includes U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown\u2019s (D-OH) provisions \u2013 and authorizes important funding \u2013 to protect Ohioans\u2019 drinking water and keep Lake Erie healthy.\r\n\u201cStrengthening our efforts to protect Lake Erie\u2019s water and wildlife keeps families safe and encourages businesses to grow and invest in Ohio,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThis law ensures continued investment in the health of the Great Lakes.\u201d\r\nThe Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) includes:\r\nBrown\u2019s bill to appoint a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) coordinator: The coordinator will work with appropriate federal agencies and state, local, tribal, and foreign governments to address the issue of harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes.\r\nAuthorization of funding to help keep the Great Lakes healthy and clean: WRDA would reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) at $300 million annually from 2017 through 2021. Brown is a longtime supporter of the GLRI, which has been a highly successful program that has targeted the most significant problems in the region and jumpstarted restoration efforts to protect, maintain, and restore the chemical, biological, and physical integrity of the Great Lakes.\r\nBrown is an original cosponsor of the Great Lakes Ecological and Economic Protection Act of 2015 (GLEEPA) \u2013 a bill to reauthorize the initiative while also codifying the Great Lakes Advisory Board and the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force into law.\r\nThe Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act: Brown is a cosponsor of this bipartisan bill that authorizes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) \u2013 which aids in implementing the GLRI \u2013 to partner with other federal agencies, states, and tribes to protect and support fish and wildlife resources in the Great Lakes Basin.\r\n\r\n###\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tPress Contact\n\t\t\t\t\tJenny Donohue/Tamika Turner\r\n(202) 224-3978", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/key-brown-provisions-to-protect-lake-erie-are-now-law"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7689108606427908, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}