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Great Lakes pact now needs only congressional approval

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 9, 2008 at 6:45 am

Rats! So much for using Great Lakes water to fill the elaborate water features at Aquafornia headquarters (a plastic wading pool and a slip ‘n slide)! From the Wall Street Journal:

Proponents of a multistate agreement intended to protect water in the Great Lakes are hopeful about final passage of a binding proposal in Congress.

The Great Lakes water compact — intended as a pre-emptive move to keep arid Southwestern states from viewing the Great Lakes as a solution to their water woes — has been ratified by legislatures of all eight states adjacent to the water. Across the border, the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec have amended their statutes, aligning themselves with the water-management rules of the compact, which also covers the St. Lawrence River Basin.

The compact, which also requires the governor’s signature in each state, bans new diversions of Great Lakes Basin water away from the basin. Exceptions are made for communities straddling the basin.

The Pennsylvania legislature approved the compact last week, and backers cite growing congressional support and a dearth of vocal opposition as evidence of the compact’s bright future at the federal level. The compact requires congressional consent.

“More than 20 members (of Congress) have already expressed their support for the compact,” including presidential contenders John McCain and Barack Obama, said David Naftzger, executive director of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, a partnership created in 1983 to tackle environmental issues affecting the Great Lakes region. “We’re hopeful that things will move forward quickly.”

Mr. Naftzger said Sen. George Voinovich (R., Ohio) has voiced interest in introducing a bill supporting the compact. “Just as Congress has looked to the Colorado River states to manage the Colorado River, they look to the Great Lakes states to manage the Great Lakes,” Mr. Naftzger said.

Read the full text of this article from the Wall Street Journal by clicking here.

July 9, 2008 · Filed Under National water news

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