The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee has passed bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) to strengthen federal support for Great Lakes research and conservation efforts. The Regional Great Lakes Partnership Act of 2026, which Peters introduced with U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH), would designate the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) as the Regional Great Lakes Partnership under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Regional Ocean Partnerships Program. This designation ensures that the Great Lakes region receives a fair share of program funding, delivering federal resources to support the GLC’s longstanding work to coordinate Great Lakes research and conservation efforts. The bill now advances to the full Senate.

“The Great Lakes are essential to our economy, our environment, and our way of life in Michigan,” said Senator Peters, Co-Chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force. “That’s why I have long fought to protect the federal conservation programs that deliver for our Great Lakes. This commonsense, bipartisan bill does just that. With more secure financial backing, the GLC can continue spearheading region-wide efforts to keep our Great Lakes healthy and vibrant for future generations.”

“The Great Lakes Commission is grateful to Senators Peters and Moreno for introducing this important legislation to designate the GLC as a regional partnership for the Great Lakes,” said GLC Chair Timothy Bruno, Great Lakes Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. “This designation will allow the agency to build on its more than 70 years of regional leadership – fostering dialogue, building consensus and advancing coordinated solutions to the Great Lakes’ most pressing challenges – to ensure the Great Lakes region continues to speak with a strong, unified voice. We look forward to working with our partners to realize the full benefits of this program for the region.”

The GLC is an interstate agency that brings together eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces to protect the Great Lakes and the environment and promote economic growth in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC is comprised of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

NOAA’s Regional Ocean Partnerships (ROPs) coordinate interstate ocean and coastal resource management efforts and create opportunities for increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness. There are four ROPs, located in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Gulf and West Coast. However, there is currently no Great Lakes ROP. Peters’ bipartisan bill would establish the GLC as the NOAA ROP for the Great Lakes region, ensuring the Great Lakes region receives its fair share of program funding.