Great Lakes Law

President Bush signs Great Lakes compact

As expected, President Bush today signed the Great Lakes compact. With everything going on in Congress, the politics of the Presidential election, and the financial crisis, we should acknowledge the focus of Congressional leaders and Great Lakes advocates that saw this through to the finish and didn't let it get put on the back-burner for another day (or year). I don't say it often, but thank you Washington. Read more →

US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approves Great Lakes compact

In an historic vote for Great Lakes protection, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the Great Lakes compact today. The Senate has already approved the Great Lakes compact and it now goes to President Bush, who has stated he will sign it. The vote was postponed by a procedural maneuver yesterday, but Congressional leaders supporting the compact prevailed less than 24 hours later. Some of the House leaders that made the compact a priority... Read more →

Congressional approval of Great Lakes compact delayed by procedural maneuver

The U.S. House of Representatives took up legislation to approve the Great Lakes compact today, only to see the potentially historic final approval for Great Lakes protection delayed by an opponent’s procedural maneuver. Rep. Betty Sutton of Ohio (D) gave an excellent introductory speech in favor of the legislation, S.J. Res. 45, which was unanimously approved by the Senate in August. (Note that the House is now using S.J. Res. 45 to approve the compact... Read more →

Points North radio show on Great Lakes compact

Bob Allen, who hosts the Points North weekly show on Interlochen Public Radio, does some of the best journalism on radio. His questions and format provide in-depth discussion, and while his guests may not agree with each other, he doesn’t let it turn into a shouting match. Last week he had a show on the Great Lakes compact, and invited author Dave Dempsey and I as guests. Traverse City attorney Jim Olson also called in... Read more →

Another view of the Great Lakes compact

The House of Representatives is expected to take up approval of the Great Lakes compact when it comes back in session next week. During the August recess, a small but important group of Great Lakes advocates (notably Representative Bart Stupak and author Dave Dempsey) have raised some provocative questions regarding the Great Lakes compact’s treatment of bottled water. They are concerned that by allowing bottled water, the Great Lakes compact turns water into a product... Read more →

Are the Great Lakes for sale?

“Great Lakes for Sale: From Whitecaps to Bottlecaps” is the provocative title of a new book by environmental activist and author Dave Dempsey. I’ve worked with Dave on several issues over the years and enjoyed his previous books, especially “Ruin and Recovery: Michigan’s Rise as a Conservation Leader,” the definitive Michigan environmental history reference. I was a bit skeptical of his latest book, perhaps doubting that its thin spine (it has less than a hundred... Read more →

Great Lakes compact unanimously approved in US Senate

Barely a week after Sen. Levin introduced a resolution consenting to the Great Lakes compact, the U.S. Senate gave its unanimous approval. This is a tremendous demonstration of the broad support within the region (every Senator from the eight Great Lakes states sponsored the resolution) and the entire country for protecting the Great Lakes. Prior to approval, the Senate’s resolution, S.J. Res. 45, was amended to include the same language as the pending House bill,... Read more →

Testimony for Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Great Lakes compact

The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing tomorrow (July 30) on Senate Joint Resolution 45, giving Congressional consent and approval to the Great Lakes compact. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) will preside over the hearing. I was invited to submit written testimony in advance of the hearing. My testimony strongly supports S.J. Res. 45 and provides: (1) an overview of managing water resources with interstate compacts in the United States; (2) background on the existing... Read more →

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... Read more →

Resolution and bill to approve Great Lakes compact introduced in Congress

A joint resolution and bill expressing Congressional consent and approval of the Great Lakes compact have been introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI, and co-chair with Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) of the Great Lakes Task Force) introduced S.J. Res. 45. Almost every senator from a Great Lakes state is cosponsoring S.J. Res. 45. The joint resolution was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which then promptly scheduled a... Read more →

Both McCain and Obama support Great Lakes compact

Presidential candidates (and senators) John McCain and Barack Obama have found at least one issue to agree on – protecting the Great Lakes with the Great Lakes compact. Senator Obama’s support is no surprise, as the Democratic presidential hopeful is from Chicago and Illinois was one of the first states to approve the compact. Senator McCain’s support is more noteworthy, as the Republican nominee comes from Arizona – a state constantly struggling to meet its... Read more →

What’s next for the Great Lakes Compact

Now that the Great Lakes compact has been approved by all eight states, attention is turning to Congress. I expect Congressional approval will happen sooner rather than later for several reasons. First, there is tremendous momentum behind the compact right now. The signings by the governors of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan have focused the media’s and public’s attention to the Great Lakes (NPR had an excellent story on the compact on Morning Edition today). Equally... Read more →

The Great Lakes compact success story

In celebrating the final passage of the Great Lakes compact by the state legislatures, it’s easy to forget how difficult this process has been and how many times success seemed out of reach. I was involved in the negotiation and drafting of the Great Lakes compact for three years (2003-2005) through the Advisory Committee to the Council of Great Lakes Governors Water Management Working Group, and there were several points during that time when the... Read more →