U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to the news media about the situation in Ukraine before boarding Marine One for travel to Ohio from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., February 17, 2022. REUTERS/Leah Millis
CLEVELAND - U.S. President Joe Biden flew to Ohio on Thursday to tout $1 billion in funding from the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed last November aimed at cleaning up and restoring environmentally damaged areas in the Great Lakes region.
The trip, which came amid rising risks of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, is part of the White House's efforts to showcase the benefits of the infrastructure bill ahead of crucial midterm elections where the Democrats hope a results-oriented message will allow them to retain power in Washington.
"This is a shot in the arm of the 25 sites along the Great Lakes that are listed as areas of concern," Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Biden will visit sites in Cleveland and Lorain.
In Lorain, which sits on Lake Erie, Biden will provide more details on how the funding will help remove toxic sediment and restore habitats in the Great Lakes region, a senior administration official said.
The $1 billion is the single largest federal investment in Great Lakes restoration efforts.
"This level of progress would have been inconceivable just a few years ago," the official said.
The administration believes the funding will help accelerate completion of clean ups in federally designated "Areas of Concern," or AOCs, which were damaged by decades of manufacturing and agricultural interests. It now expects 22 of the remaining 25 AOCs to come off the federal list by 2030.
The infrastructure package will also provide $10 billion in highway funding for Ohio, plus more than $33 billion in competitive grant funding for highway and other transportation projects. It also provides $60 billion for state and local governments to fund major projects.
This will be Biden’s second trip to northeast Ohio in less than a year. The state is home to several important elections this year, including a governor's race and a closely watched U.S. Senate race to fill the seat of retiring Republican Rob Portman.
