CONTACT:
Cameron Davis, (312) 375-2004, CDavis@greatlakes.org
Andy Buchsbaum, (734) 717-3665, buchsbaum@nwf.org
Marc Smith, (734) 887-7116, msmith@nwf.org
Jordan Lubetkin, (734) 887-7109, lubetkin@nwf.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2008
U.S. Congress Approves Historic
Protections for Great Lakes
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Wildlife Federation and Alliance for the Great Lakes
applaud the U.S. Congress for sealing historic protections for the Great Lakes that have been a
decade in the making.
The U.S. House today approved the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water
Resources Compact, an eight-state water management agreement to protect the nation's
largest fresh surface water resource from depletion.
U.S. Reps. John Conyers (D-MI), Vern Ehlers (R-MI), Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), Steve
LaTourette (R-OH) and Jim Oberstar (D-MN) were instrumental in passing the compact.
Approved unanimously by the Senate in August with the leadership of U.S. Sens. Russ
Feingold (D-WI), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Carl Levin (D-MI), Arlen Specter (R-PA) and George
Voinovich (R-OH), the compact’s final stop is with President Bush, who has said he will sign
the agreement.
“This is a historic day for all of us who depend on the Great Lakes – and that’s
millions of people, businesses, farmers and communities,” said Andy Buchsbaum, regional
executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes office. “For the first time
ever, the Great Lakes will be truly protected from water depletion. The Great Lakes Compact
will keep the Great Lakes great for the next millennium.”
Together with companion laws in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, the
compact stresses conservation and establishes first-of-its-kind decision-making standards for
Great Lakes water use.
“That Congress moved so quickly on these historic water conservation standards is a
sign that our nation’s leaders see the Great Lakes as a national icon,” said Alliance President
Cameron Davis, who along with NWF’s Buchsbaum helped draft the compact. “This doesn’t
just signal the importance of the Great Lakes to those of us who live, work and play in the
region -- it signals to the rest of the world that water conservation is a global imperative.”
The compact’s passage follows a frenetic few months, before which it had shown
signs of resistance. After adoption by just two of the eight Great Lakes states in a two-year
span, the compact sped through six state legislatures in six months. By mid-July, it had won
support from all eight Great Lakes states – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York,
Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – setting the stage for today’s dramatic vote in Congress.
“When hope appeared lost, the people, elected officials, and businesses of our region
united around the Great Lakes and got the job done,” said Marc Smith, Great Lakes state
policy manager for the National Wildlife Federation. “Critical to this effort were the eight
Great Lakes governors and the more than 1,300 state legislators who voted for the compact.
Congress has now followed suit. President Bush has already expressed his support and we
look forward to his signing the compact into law.”
Both major party presidential nominees -- Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Sen. John
McCain (R-Ariz.) – consented to the legislation.
The Great Lakes contain more than 90 percent of the fresh surface water in the United
States. Though seemingly abundant, less than 1 percent of the Great Lakes water is renewed
each year, leaving the lakes vulnerable to depletion.
Work on the compact began 10 years ago, when the Great Lakes governors convened
a special binational task force and an advisory committee to respond to the threat of water
diversions to Asia. The task force first developed a set of principles called the 2001 Annex to
the Great Lakes Charter, and then spent seven years turning those principles into the binding
laws that were enacted by the eight Great Lakes states and now Congress.
NWF and the Alliance, both appointed to the governors’ advisory committee, played
major roles in developing the compact and working with state and national leaders to enact
the agreement.
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The National Wildlife Federation is America’s conservation organization inspiring Americans
to protect wildlife for our children’s future.
For more information: http://www.nwf.org/greatlakes
Formed in 1970, the Alliance for the Great Lakes (formerly the Lake Michigan Federation) is
the oldest citizens' Great Lakes organization in North America. Its mission is to conserve and
restore the world's largest freshwater resource using policy, education and local efforts,
ensuring a healthy Great Lakes and clean water for generations of people and wildlife. More
about the Alliance is online at www.greatlakes.org.