TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - A government report says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should do more to make sure a Great Lakes cleanup program is meeting its goals.
Congress has spent about $1.3 billion on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative over the past four years. It has funded 1,700 grants for on-the-ground projects and scientific research. It focuses on persistent environmental threats such as invasive species, loss of wildlife habitat, toxic pollution and runaway algae growth.
The Obama administration program is popular with both parties and with advocacy groups.
But in a report released Friday, the Government Accountability Office says the program needs better ways to assess how well it's doing at restoring the lakes to health. It says some long-term goals and objectives aren't linked to any clear measurements of progress.
