Groups ask presidential candidates to support Great Lakes

(AP) — Business, environment and government organizations asked the presidential candidates Wednesday to pledge support for Great Lakes cleanup efforts, including an Obama administration program that has pumped more than $2.2 billion into the region for initiatives such as battling invasive Asian carp and preventing toxic algae outbreaks.

[...] they agreed on top priorities for federal action to protect and restore the five inland seas that provide drinking water to more than 40 million residents of the U.S. and Canada and support industries as varied as manufacturing, tourism and agriculture.

Additionally, the groups called for supporting agreements between the U.S., Canada, Michigan and Ohio to seek a 40 percent reduction in nutrient pollution blamed for Lake Erie's persistent harmful algae that caused a two-day drinking water shutdown in 2014 in Toledo and southeastern Michigan.

Reflecting their presence, the region's platform included a call to improve locks, ports, harbors and other infrastructure crucial for commercial shipping.