President Bush issues statement supporting Great Lakes compact

President Bush has issued a formal statement supporting the Great Lakes compact.  While President Bush has a terrible environmental record (Russell Train, President Nixon’s chair of the Council on Environmental Quality and then EPA Administrator, has called President Bush’s environmental record a disgrace; Republican Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain has also criticized President Bush’s environmental record, especially on climate change), his support for the Great Lakes compact is not surprising.  Several state leaders in the Great Lakes compact process have been appointed by President Bush to key positions in his administration.  Former Governors Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania and Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin were early supporters of the Great Lakes compact before being appointed Secretaries of the Departments of Homeland Security and Health & Human Services, respectively.  Tracy Mehan also played a key role in the compact’s development as the former director of the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes before being appointed by President Bush as assistant administrator for water at the U.S. EPA.  With his formal statement of support, President Bush has sent a clear message to Republicans in Congress that passage of the Great Lakes compact is a national priority.