Joyce to co-chair the Great Lakes Task force

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce was elected by colleagues to serve as co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force.

U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Bainbridge Township, has been elected by his colleagues to serve as cochair of the Great Lakes Task Force.

The House’s Great Lakes Task Force is a bipartisan working group that “aims to enhance the economic and environmental health of the Great

Lakes region,” according to a news release from

Joyce’s office.

“A lifelong resident of Northeast Ohio, I have never been shy about my support for the Great Lakes,” Joyce said in a statement. “The lakes are an invaluable natural resource and economic powerhouse, providing more than 1.5 million jobs, supplying 90% of our nation’s fresh surface water, supporting over 3,500 species of plants and animals, and generating $62 billion in wages every year.”

Joyce will serve as a cochair along with fellow Ohioan Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toldeo, and Michigan Reps. Republican Bill Huizenga and Democrat Debbie Dingell.

“Congressman Dave Joyce is a powerful advocate for our beloved Great Lakes, especially Lake Erie,” Kaptur said in a statement. “He has been a remarkable partner in advancing bipartisan legislation to improve water quality, combat Harmful Algal Blooms, and strengthening the Great Lakes region’s seven billion dollar fishing industry and equally important tourism industry. I am glad to have him as a co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force.”

The task force was founded in the 1980s and has worked to build support for key regional programs to enhance environmental quality and economic development throughout the eightstate Great Lakes region, according to the news release.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Task Force, especially Reps. Kaptur, Huizenga and Dingell, to continue protecting the national treasure that is the Great Lakes system and preserve it for both current and future generations,” Joyce said.

Joyce