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Federal commission profile
Great Lakes Authority
- Established
- December 2022 (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023)
- Statute
- Title 40 of the U.S. Code, § 15734 (Subtitle V, regional economic and infrastructure development)
- Region
- Counties within the Great Lakes watershed across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin
- Focus
- Manufacturing communities, workforce, innovation, and economic and environmental challenges of the Great Lakes region
- Status
- Established but not yet operational
The Great Lakes Authority is one of the newest federal regional bodies — created in law at the end of 2022 to serve the industrial heartland around the Great Lakes — but, as of early 2026, it had not yet begun operating, because it still lacked a confirmed federal co-chair.
Why it was created
The Great Lakes region combines a storied manufacturing base with communities hit hard by industrial decline, alongside significant environmental challenges tied to the lakes themselves. The authority was established to bring the federal–state commission model — long applied in Appalachia and the Delta — to this eight-state region, with the aim of strengthening manufacturing communities, supporting workforce development and innovation, and helping economically distressed areas.
A watershed, not whole states
Unlike a commission defined by whole states, the authority's territory is drawn from the Great Lakes watershed: the counties that fall, wholly or partly, within the drainage basin of the lakes, as defined by federal water law. That watershed reaches across eight states — Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — but does not include every county in them.
Established but not yet active
The authority is the clearest current example of the gap between law and operation. It has been written into the United States Code and even received an initial appropriation, yet it cannot convene or make grants until a federal co-chair is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. A nominee was put forward in 2024, but the nomination was not confirmed and was returned, leaving the position vacant. Until it is filled, the authority remains established on paper but unable to function.
Funding and status
The authority received an initial appropriation in its first years, and the 2024 economic-development reauthorisation set an authorised ceiling of $40 million a year for the multi-state commissions through the later 2020s. But an appropriation alone is not enough to make it operational without a confirmed co-chair, and it is best described, as of early 2026, as established but not yet active. Its current status is worth checking against recent congressional research, since it could change if and when a co-chair is confirmed.