By Mary Kerr (202) 225-6260
Efforts to protect the Great Lakes from water diversion moved forward today, as Congressional leaders announced the introduction of bipartisan, bicameral legislation to give Congress’ consent to the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. Rep. James L. Oberstar (Minn.), Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, leads the effort in the House of Representatives.
Oberstar was joined at a Capitol Hill press conference today by the other five lead sponsors of the legislation, Senator Carl Levin (Mich.), Senator George Voinovich (Ohio), Rep. John Conyers (Mich.), Rep. Steven C. LaTourette (Ohio) and Rep. Vernon Ehlers (Mich.), as well as Governor Jim Doyle (Wisc.), who chairs the Council of Great Lakes Governors (CGLG).
CGLG, a partnership of the governors of the eight Great Lakes states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) and the Canadian provincial premiers of Ontario and Quebec, was directed by Congress in 2000 to create a new common conservation standard, known as the Great Lakes Compact. The compact, which will manage water diversions, withdrawals, and consumptive use proposals, has been approved by the eight state legislatures, and it now must be consented to by the U.S. Congress to achieve full force and effect as an interstate compact.
“The Great Lakes play such an important role in the national economies of both the United States and Canada. They provide jobs, drinking water, and recreation to an estimated 40 million people, and we must take a reasoned, proactive, comprehensive approach to addressing the challenges that could adversely affect the lakes’ future viability. Problems such as low water levels in the Great Lakes place a tremendous amount of stress on the economy and hardships on those who live in the region, and it has serious ramifications for the entire nation,” said Oberstar. “This legislation providing Congress’ consent to the Compact is a coordinated effort to protect this fragile resource.”
The volume of water stored in the Great Lakes accounts for 20 percent of the world’s and 95 percent of North America’s surface fresh water.
“Because less than one percent of Great Lakes water is renewed annually, we must take seriously any potential threats that may affect the quality or available quantities of waters from the Great Lakes, such as climate changes and growing consumptive uses of water,” said Oberstar. “While there has been idle talk of exporting water from the Great Lakes to drought prone regions of the nation, conserving the priceless resource of the Great Lakes must be a top priority.”
Oberstar noted that the T&I Committee has long been involved with the water diversion issue. In 1986, the Water Resources and Development Act prohibited water diversion outside the Great Lakes Basin without approval by the governors of all Great Lakes states. The 2000 WRDA bill expanded this prohibition and mandated that the eight governors of the Great Lakes states develop a common conservation standard for making decisions concerning the withdrawal and use of water from the Great Lakes Basin. This common understanding has been memorialized in the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact.
“The bipartisan, bicameral nature of this legislative effort shows that we all have the same goal: to work together to protect this unique resource and guarantee that future generations can enjoy the many benefits provided by the Great Lakes,” said Oberstar. “I look forward to working with Representative Conyers, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, as well as my other Congressional colleagues, to advance this vital legislation.”
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