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Spending bill would boost funding for Great Lakes cleanup

FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2014, file photo, an algae bloom covers Lake Erie near the City of Toledo water intake crib about 2.5 miles off the shore of Curtice, Ohio. Several environmental groups in Ohio and Michigan are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, saying the agency isn't doing enough to protect Lake Erie from toxic algae. The federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, April 25, 2017, said the EPA needs to step in and take action under the Clean Water Act. Algae blooms in the shallowest of the Great Lakes have fouled drinking water in recent years and are a threat to wildlife and water quality. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File)

A cleanup program for the Great Lakes would receive a funding boost under a spending bill moving toward enactment in Congress.

The House approved the measure Tuesday and sent it to the Senate, where a vote is expected later this week. It includes $320 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The program deals with long-term environmental problems such as toxic pollution in harbors and river mouths, loss of wildlife habitat, invasive species and runoff that causes harmful algae blooms. The initiative received $475 million in 2010 and about $300 million annually since then.

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