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Jul-24-2008Ratifying the Great Lakes Compact(topic overview)
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Congress urged the Great Lakes states to develop a policy to protect the waters of the lakes in 2000, after it was discovered that Ontario had issued permits to a company which wanted to sell fresh water to Asia by the tanker-full. Earlier this month, Michigan became the final state to approve the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, as it is officially called, and Congressional approval is now needed to make the agreement binding. Eight states -- Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania -- and two Canadian provinces have now agreed to a series of rules designed to prevent diversion of water from the Great Lakes away from its natural drainage basin. Feingold has been a long-time supporter of the compact, and it would appear that the Judiciary Committee would be ready to approve the compact and send it on to the full Senate for its consent. [1] The eight Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have enacted the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, a regional water agreement that promotes water conservation within the region and protects the lakes from depletion. For the compact to become law, Congress must give its consent ''' as it has done with other water compacts from around the nation. As of this month,at least 41 interstate water compactshave been entered into by the states and consented to by Congress over a period of decades.[2]
Leaders of the eight states bordering the Great Lakes Basin Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin had been working on it since 2005, when the original document was created. Geological sciences graduate student Chandra Palmer said she thinks the legislation will be important to stabilize water levels in the Great Lakes, which have recently faced unusually low levels. "If there's more going out than going in, you're going to have a problem sooner or later," she said. "That's not going to have a chance to rebound if you have water pumping to other states." Joan Rose, MSU's Homer Nowlin Chair for Water Research, said if the compact is ratified, its benefits will span far beyond water conservation. "(Because of their water resources) Michigan and the Great Lake states are going to be places to be in the future," she said.[3]
If it is signed into law, the compact will give the eight member states Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin the power to block any outside attempt to remove large quantities of water from the lakes.[3]
Joining Governor Doyle, who is Chairman of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, at a press conference on Capitol Hill were the six lead sponsors of the legislation, Senator Carl Levin (Mich.), Senator George Voinovich (Ohio), Rep. John Conyers (Mich.), Rep. James L. Oberstar (Minn.), Rep. Steven C. LaTourette (Ohio) and Rep. Vernon Ehlers (Mich.). "I applaud the members of Congress for their leadership in protecting the Great Lakes," Governor Jim Doyle said. "It is gratifying to see the consensus that we have built in our region reflected in the bipartisan Congressional support for this historic measure. We must now do all that we can to work with our Congressional partners to turn these protections into law." Governor Doyle was in Washington today and yesterday meeting with Congressional leaders to urge them to pass the Compact. [4] WASHINGTON (AP) - A compact to prevent the diversion of water from the Great Lakes has widespread support in Congress and a strong chance of winning approval by the end of the year, lawmakers said Wednesday. House and Senate leaders from the region said they had not detected any significant opposition to the plan and would aggressively push to complete the process this year to provide more protections for one of the world's largest sources of fresh water. "It will be done by the end of this session, I assure you," said Rep. James Oberstar, a Minnesota Democrat who is leading efforts in the House. Senate leaders, however, were more cautious, noting their chamber can be unpredictable because rules allow individual members to block legislation from moving forward.[5]
U.S. Congress members from the Great Lakes states took one step closer to making the Great Lakes Compact a law Wednesday when they introduced legislation to ratify the eight-state agreement to protect Great Lakes waters from external diversions.[3] The Great Lakes Compact, an agreement to protect Great Lakes water from diversions to areas outside the basin, was introduced to the U.S. Legislature Wednesday for ratification.[3]
The Alliance joined other Great Lakes advocates in urging Congress to act quickly on the Great Lakes Compact, a historic agreement introduced today in both the U.S. House and Senate to conserve water in America'''s largest fresh surface water ecosystem.[2]
The Great Lakes Compact has been approved by the eight state legislatures, and now must be consented to by the U.S. Congress to achieve full force and effect as an interstate compact. Once implemented, the Compact will create unprecedented protections for the Great Lakes and ensure their continued availability for regional economic growth. It will ban long-distance diversions and provide a framework for ensuring sustainable water use in the Great Lakes basin.[4] Wisconsin U.S. Senator Russ Feingold says Congress needs to act now. 'The protection of the Great Lakes is just one of the most important jobs anybody has, particularly a senator or congressmen from the states that have the Great Lakes in their area. The various states have strongly approved this in the state legislative level. Speaking from his office in Washington, D.C., Feingold says invasive species and water diversion pose a threat to the preservation of the Great Lakes.[6]
WASHINGTON, DC (WKOW) -- Governor Jim Doyle Wednesday joined Congressional leaders representing Great Lakes states in unveiling bipartisan, bicameral legislation to give Congress' consent to the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact.[4] The announcement came at the end of a day which saw Gov. Jim Doyle of Wisconsin, chair of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, appear at a Washington news conference with House and Senate authors of legislation to approve the compact.[1]
"The Great Lakes Compact will provide an effective means for Great Lakes states jointly to safeguard water for future generations," Levin said in a Senate floor statement. As the nation's largest freshwater ecosystem, the Great Lakes have been discussed as a possible source of irrigation and drinking water for states that lack water, such as Arizona and Texas.[3] Now that the states, including, finally, Michigan, have acted, Congress has to OK the Great Lakes Compact to stop people from hauling water out of here in bulk quantities. This process is scheduled to get under way today with a news conference in Washington.[7] Of particular note, the oped also says California has already denied water to at least one industrial operation that needs it. The water shortages make it more lucrative in some cases for farmers to sell water than put it on their crops. The advantage of having this permanent agreement, in the form of a compact signed off on by the federal government, is that Michigan and other states with area inside the Great Lakes basin can tell most industries and farmers that we have something they need: ample water, guaranteed.[7] The Great Lakes Compact is a regional agreement between all states within the Great Lakes Basin to manage and conserve the lakes' resources.[3]
The Great Lakes Compact moves to Congress for approval after a three year battle to pass through the legislatures of eight Great Lakes states.[6] Some federal legislators are starting a push today (Wed) to get the Great Lakes Compact through Congress by the end of this year.[6]
The Great Lakes Compact, years in the making, now appears to be on the fast track for Congressional approval, at least in the Senate.[1]
Feingold is a co-author of the resolution and part of a bipartisan contigent of senators supporting the compact. "As I travel around Wisconsin holding town hall meetings, I regularly hear from people concerned with the health of the Great Lakes," he said in a statement released by his office. "Over the last year, the Great Lakes have reached historic low levels, and studies suggest both man-made changes and abnormal weather conditions may be responsible," the senator said.[1] Bill Richardson, during the presidential debates, made a comment about getting the waters from the Great Lakes. He had to retract it in a few hours because such a storm of criticism came. Feingold believes the compact will receive support on both sides of the political aisle. 'It's possible there'll be procedural problems. There may be some issues out there, but I'd say compared to some other matters this one is bipartisan. There'll be a tremendous push on the part of those of us from the Great Lakes to get it through. I'll be chairing a hearing right away next week in the judiciary committee to try to move this along.[6] The Compact has attracted the support of key members of Congress, mayors and local government officials as well as more than 150 diverse groups of stakeholders who depend on the Great Lakes.[4] '''Without the compact, the Great Lakes are left vulnerable to depletion,''' said Cameron Davis, Alliance president and co-chairman of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. '''We urge Congress to move quickly to approve the compact to protect this national and international treasure.'''[2]
"The next step is to protect because as we draw new people and industries, we will have a good plan in place and it will be a good economic driver for the region." Jeff Skelding, national campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, said he expects the Senate bill to be read by the Judiciary Committee by the end of the month, with a hearing in the House soon after. "The window for action in Congress in 2008 is rapidly closing, but we're moving forward as if we can get this done this year," Skelding said.[3] "The governor is pleased that Congress has acted quickly to introduce bills in the House and Senate," said Megan Brown, a spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm. "This is very important legislation that will protect our natural resources for future generations."[3]
Governors in the region negotiated the plan for more than four years before reaching an agreement in December 2005. Michigan was the last of the eight states to approve the pact earlier this month. The White House has not voiced any opposition to the agreement, and both major presidential candidates, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, have said they support the compact. [5] Election year politics also can add complications. "I cannot tell you with confidence that it will pass this year -- but I will tell you with confidence that it will pass," said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. His Republican colleague, Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio, said he was hopeful it would pass before the end of the year. The agreement prevents remote states or countries from tapping into the lakes from their natural drainage basin with rare exceptions. It also requires the states to regulate their own large-scale water uses and promote conservation.[5]
The only exceptions are nearby communities that rely on the lakes' water. Those communities may apply for water use, but any dissenting member state can veto the proposal.[3]
I hope you'll take the time to read about the specific communities I've visited and the work taking place there to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Gilded shoreline promenades; Enchanted water that draws you into it, onto it, under it, and ''''''''''' Bathes you in its breaking waves; Alchemist dunes, transmuting their cloaks of glittering cottonwood ''''''''''' Into dark hardwood forests as they roll inland; Now-you-see-them-now-you-don't rocks, embedded with ''''''''''' Memories of the deep; Weather that thunders, flashers, splashes and explodes its way ''''''''''' across the lake.[8] 'Obviously, there's an interest on the part of some to try to use our Great Lakes waters. They'd love to get their hands on it.[6]
"The Great Lakes define our economy, our recreation and in many ways, our way of life," said Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, chairman of the Council of Great Lakes Governors.[5] This is a guest post from Michigan Lt. Governor John Cherry, who has been working recently to preserve and restore the Great Lakes.[8]
The Great Lakes generate $55 billion in tourism for the region and create nearly $377 million in personal income from wages and salaries.[4]
"I applaud the members of Congress for the leadership in protecting the Great Lakes," Doyle said. "It is gratifying to see the consensus that we have built in our region reflected in the bipartisan Congressional support for this historic measure. We must now do all that we can to work with our Congressional partners to turn these protections into law," he said.[1] The Compact was sent to Congress after all eight states in the surrounding region approved it.[9] As of July 2008, there are at least 41 interstate water compacts that have been entered into by the party states and consented to by the U.S. Congress.[4] Historically, states and the federal government have supported interstate compacts to address water supply, water quality and flood control issues within the hydrological context of watersheds and basins.[4] Forty-five states and the District of Columbia currently belong to at least one interstate water compact and many states belong to more than one.[4]
In signing the compact, Granholm also signed into law several bills to regulate water use within Michigan. Michigan Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Bob McCann said those laws are currently in the process of being implemented, and are likely to be fully operational sometime next year.[3]
The House resolution approving the compact was introduced by a group which includes House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich, fellow Democrat James Oberstra of Minnesota, and Republican Reps.[1] The region'''s governors list passing the compact as one of nine priorities to protect and restore the Great Lakes'''along with efforts to halt invasive species, stop sewage contamination and clean up toxic pollution.[2] While the compact does not specifically address that problem, it would guarantee that other interests could not compound the problem by drawing water from the lakes.[1]
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SOURCES
1. news: Feingold to chair Senate hearing on Great Lakes Compact
2. Alliance for the Great Lakes
3. The State News: Lawmakers amend compact to save Great Lakes water from diversion
4. WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports -Governor Doyle and Congressional leaders unveil Great Lakes Compact bill
5. US lawmakers hope to approve Great Lakes compact - NewsFlash - mlive.com
6. News From 91.3 KUWS
7. Water promotion | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
8. For goodness lakes | Gristmill: The environmental news blog | Grist
9. Michigan Express: Great Lakes Compact Latest | lakes, compact, great : WLAJ
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