Reps. McClain, Dingell Introduce Mapping the Great Lakes Act

Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) introduced the Mapping the Great Lakes Act on Wednesday, January 17th. The bill would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to conduct high-resolution mapping of the Great Lakes lakebed, and finish by 2030. The bill would authorize $200 million for the project. Today, only 15% of the Great Lakes lakebed has been mapped in high density, and many of the maps that do exist use decades-old research.

"Investing in comprehensive Great Lakes exploration will offer Michigan and the U.S. an enhanced look at what these bodies of water offer and bring forth a new chapter of success and prosperity to the Great Lakes economy and beyond," Rep. McClain said in a press release you can read here. "Comprehensively exploring and mapping the Great Lakes will strengthen our understanding of their underwater environment so that we can better protect them and the many species they contain and continue to foster the economic prosperity they have supported for generations," Rep. Dingell added.

New technologies such as LiDAR and modern sonar allow researchers to collect data and make maps that would have been impossible not long ago. High definition mapping would reveal obscured objects including small shipwrecks, pipelines, or cables. Mapping the Great Lakes in high definition would inform environmental protection and fishery management, help us understand how climate change is affecting the Lakes, and offer opportunities for exploration.

"Fully exploring the world's largest freshwater lake system is imperative," Jennifer Boehme, CEO of the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) said. "This exploration aims to unveil the secrets of shipwrecks, ancient civilizations, and underwater ecosystems, as well as address national security concerns and the impacts of a changing climate." GLOS has spearheaded the Lakebed 2030 initiative, which has convened experts to explore the potential for lakebed mapping.

To learn more about how high definition mapping could happen, and the benefits it could bring, explore GLOS' Lakebed 2030 page here.

Read the Mapping the Great Lakes Act here.