Budget proposals unveiled Thursday by the Trump administration drew flak from stakeholders advocating safe drinking water, a viable fishery and continued recreational opportunities on the Great Lakes.

Among the critics was Todd Ambs, campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, which purports to support a healthier Great Lakes, among them algae-troubled Lake Erie.

“For the 30 million people who depend on the Great Lakes for their drinking water, health, jobs and way of life, the Trump administration budget is a total non-starter,” Ambs said, echoing similar responses from conservation advocates across the environmental spectrum. “The Trump budget makes it abundantly clear that real leadership to benefit the people of Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Illinois will have to come from Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress, who have worked together over the last seven years to invest in Great Lakes restoration projects that are producing results for the environment and economy in local communities across the region.”

See story:  http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20170318/outdoors–great-lakes-programs-take-hit-in-trump-budget