Great Lakes Compact update
by adminThe efforts to create fair and consistent rules for responsible Great Lakes water use has continued on since Minnesota ratified the Great Lakes Compact in February. Here’s a quick status update from the other seven Great Lakes states:
Illinois
The Illinois legislature has passed the Compact and it is now awaiting the Governor’s signature, who apparently has until the end of the year to sign off on it and is dealing with budget issues in the mean time.
New York
The New York Senate endorsed the Compact last week. It now needs to go back through the Assembly, which has passed it twice previously and reportedly supports any changes that are in the implementation language of the Senate version. The Assembly was going back into a special session earlier this week, but while I was with Great Lakes advocates earlier this week in Chicago there arose some concern that they might limit the special session to just one topic (which wasn’t the Compact if you can imagine). There seems to be little concern about the Compact finally getting through in New York, it’s just a matter of when.
Michigan
The Compact was one part of several water-related bills introduced this week in the Michigan legislature. Advocates expect little opposition to the Compact, though the timing remains unknown. The package is being advocated for as a whole currently and it includes strengthening the Compact provisions around bottled water and possibly reforming how the state considers ground water impact with proposed new projects.
Ohio
The Compact passed the Ohio House last year, but the legislation needs to be reintroduced this year. There is a bit more hesitation in the Senate, where Ohio’s biggest Compact critic hangs his hat, but some of his fellow Republicans have said they’ll work on the bill’s passage once the House sends it over.
Pennsylvania
A House bill was introduced for this legislation recently and the conversations have begun. No word on timing yet.
Indiana
Legislation will be introduced at the beginning of the ‘08 session this winter, though proponents expect some discussions will begin with legislative hearings before then. Folks at the aforementioned meeting earlier this week were fairly comfortable with their chances for success.
Wisconsin
There is a legislative committee currently studying how state laws would need to change to implement the Compact. They are supposed to finish up in a couple of months. Proponents of the Compact expect fall or winter to be the prime time for debate.
Given the endorsement by the eight states, it’ll be on to Congress.
July 27th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
[...] Great Lakes Compact update: “The efforts to create fair and consistent rules for responsible Great Lakes water use has continued on since Minnesota ratified the Great Lakes Compact in February. Here’s a quick status update from the other seven Great Lakes states:” [...]
July 28th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Wisconsin is having a much tougher slog that you suggest:
This matter is covered extensively on my blog:
http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/
July 30th, 2007 at 10:06 am
Indeed James, I’d be in a tough spot to get into a lot of the details over proposals to pull water into the Milwaukee suburbs just outside of the Great Lakes watershed or even those who talk about taking water off to Southern Wisconsin in lieu of removing radon from the groundwater. Wisconsin is where many people expect the toughest fight of any of the eight states, but proponents I’ve talked with all seem optimistic as well.
August 14th, 2007 at 8:00 am
[...] It's been two years since the governors of all the Great Lakes and leaders in Canada agreed on the Great Lakes Compact. Among other things, the compact helps insulate the Great Lakes from future water diversions. To become law, the compact requires ratification by all state legislatures and Congress. Minnesota ratified it in February and it's moving through several other state legislatures. Bills were introduced in the Michigan Legislature this summer. With only a handful of session days all summer and a big budget headache to solve this fall, when will the Michigan Legislature deal with the Great Lakes Compact? [...]