WASHINGTON – Senator Peter Welch (D-VT), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) this week sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee, calling for increased federal funding for programs supporting Lake Champlain, including the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lake Champlain Basin Program. In their letter, the lawmakers assert the importance of maintaining and expanding support for programs to address water pollution, curb the presence of invasive species and toxic substances, and promote scientific study of the Lake Champlain watershed.
“We ask you to continue to provide robust federal funding for programs supporting the Lake Champlain basin,” the letter read. “Lake Champlain provides significant environmental, recreational, historic, and educational value to our region. We have a responsibility to expand federal support for the Lake so our constituents can benefit for years and generations to come.”
The Lake Champlain Basin Program was first introduced and long-championed by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), in 1990, in a landmark effort to protect the lake’s unique ecological, economic, and cultural significance. In 2022, the program was formally renamed the Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program.
The lawmakers also requested financial support for the following programs:
- Heritage Partnership Program
- Lake Champlain Sea Lamprey Control Program
- Great Lakes Fishery Commission
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Aquatic Plant Control Laboratory
To read the full text of the lawmakers’ letter, please click here.
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