Madison, Wis. – Rep. Deb Andraca (D – Whitefish Bay) was named as a fellow of the Birkholz Institute of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus. The Institute, held in Detroit in April, will be an in-depth workshop on building climate resilience in Great Lakes communities.
With a legislative district spanning several coastal communities, Rep. Andraca has been a champion for coastal and climate resiliency efforts in Wisconsin. Andraca was a co-sponsor of 2021 Assembly Bill 779, a bill that would create a Great Lakes erosion control revolving loan program, and 2023 SB 64, a bill to make Wisconsin eligible for federal coastal hazard mitigation funds.
“Every community along the Great Lakes coastline is feeling the impacts of climate change,” said Andraca. “We need to act together and do it now. Whether it is damage from increasingly-severe storms or erosion caused by fluctuations in water levels, building resiliency today helps prevent more catastrophic damage in the future. I am looking forward to learning about ways Wisconsin can collaborate with other Great Lakes states to protect our coastal communities.”
The Birkholz Institutes bring together a small group of legislators to take a deep dive into an issue on the GLLC’s policy agenda and form a task force to lead the Caucus’ work to take coordinated regional action on the issue.
