Somehow, in the midst of the greatest national financial calamity in generations, Congress found the wherewithal to pass the Great Lakes Compact. The compact is very much in line with the “North Coast” sentiment expressed across the state by Michigan’s Defining Moment participants who’ve called for a balance between environmental protection and sustainable development.
Many environmental and business groups lauded the compact, though some environmental attorneys and Congressman Bart Stupak have raised serious concerns about loopholes that could allow bottled water diversions outside of the basin.
Here are the insights of Noah Hall, a Wayne State University law professor who has worked on the compact for years…
In an historic vote for Great Lakes protection, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the Great Lakes compact this week. The Senate had already approved the Great Lakes compact over the summer and it now goes to President Bush, who has stated he will sign it. The Great Lakes compact is a legally binding agreement between the eight Great Lake states (there is also a non-binding companion agreement that includes the Canadian Great Lakes provinces) that would prevent most diversions of Great Lakes water out of the region and establish new water conservation and environmental protection standards for water use within the region. Under the Great Lakes compact, the world’s largest freshwater resource would be protected and managed pursuant to minimum standards administered primarily under the authority of individual states.
Michigan’s Congressional delegation was critically important in getting the compact passed. In the Senate, legislation to approve the Great Lakes compact was introduced by Carl Levin and co-sponsored by Debbie Stabenow and every other Senator from the Great Lakes states. Barely a week after Sen. Levin introduced the approval resolution, the U.S. Senate gave its unanimous approval, which is a testament to the bipartisan leadership advocating for the Great Lakes. In the House, the compact approval legislation was referred to the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Representative John Conyers of Detroit. Conyers and the Judiciary Committee quickly approved the compact legislation and sent it to the floor. Several senior House leaders, including Rep. Conyers and Rep. Vernon Ehlers, made the compact a priority in the last week before Congress breaks for the election and secured passage.
Approving the Great Lakes compact is the most important Congressional action for protecting Great Lakes freshwater since the Clean Water Act of 1972. It is also shows what can be accomplished when the entire Great Lakes region – from Duluth, Minnesota to Buffalo, New York – comes together. The overwhelming bipartisan support for the compact in Congress is a direct result of the years of hard work by regional leaders from government, business, and environmental groups. It shows that when the people of the Great Lakes region speak with one voice, Congress listens.
For more info on the Great Lakes compact and the politics surrounding its approval, see the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center’s website and the Great Lakes Law blog.
