WASHINGTON, DC — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton hailed the passage of the Great Lakes Compact Bill by the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation represents a bipartisan agreement among the Great Lakes states to protect the Great Lakes through better water management, conservation and public involvement. It is a critical step towards the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact becoming law as it must first be ratified by Congress. In July of this year, Senator Clinton working with her colleagues in the Senate, helped to introduce the legislation to ratify the Great Lakes Compact Bill.

With House passage and the Senate having already approved the Great Lakes Compact Bill, the legislation will now move to the President for his signature.

“The action by the House to pass the Great Lakes Compact is a critical step towards restoring and protecting fresh water resources that are so important to New York,” said Senator Clinton. “New Yorkers and Americans depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water, recreation and commerce, and the Compact will help us to preserve them for generations to come. I am proud to be a part of this bipartisan effort, and I strongly urge the President to sign this vital piece of legislation into law.”

In 2000, Congress passed legislation directing the Great Lakes Governors to negotiate a water management agreement. In 2005, the Great Lakes Governors, in coordination with the Canadian Premiers of Ontario and Quebec, completed negotiations of the eight-state Great Lakes—St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. The Council of Great Lakes Governors was tasked with creating the Great Lakes Compact and is a partnership of the governors of the eight Great Lakes states – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – and the Canadian provincial premiers of Ontario and Quebec.

The Compact, which will manage water diversions, withdrawals and consumptive use proposals, has been approved by the eight state legislatures and must be consented to by Congress to achieve full force and effect as an interstate compact.

The Compact includes the following points:

• A general ban on new diversions of water from the Basin, but limited exceptions could be allowed in communities near the Basin when rigorous standards are met;
• Economic development will be fostered through sustainable use and responsible management of Basin waters;
• Communities that apply for an exception will have a clear, predictable decision making process; standards to be met; and opportunities to appeal decisions. These processes and standards do not exist under current law;
• The states will use a consistent standard to review proposed uses of Basin water. The states will have flexibility regarding their water management programs and how to apply this standard;
• Regional goals and objectives for water conservation and efficiency will be developed and they will be reviewed every five years. Each state will develop and implement a consistent water conservation and efficiency program that may be voluntary or mandatory.

Senator Clinton has long fought to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Recently, Senator Clinton joined a bipartisan coalition of her colleagues in urging the Senate leadership to support funding for several key programs to protect and preserve the Great Lakes (http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=294926&&), and urged Senate leadership to reject the President’s proposed cuts and to instead increase funding to Great Lakes specific programs in the budget resolution (See - http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=294377&&). 

Last year, Senator Clinton helped reintroduce the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act (http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=270285&&). This measure is aimed at implementing the restoration and protection strategies outlined in the "Great Lakes Regional Collaboration" strategy released in December 2005. The legislation would also reduce the threat of invasive species, restore waterfront areas and clean up contaminated sediment. Senator Clinton also called on President Bush to provide adequate federal resources for environmental restoration in the Great Lakes Region (http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=280134&&) by ensuring greater coordination between federal agencies and partners on the state, tribal, and local level.

With more than 5,000 miles of shoreline, the Great Lakes make up more than 90 percent of the United States surface fresh water, which 35 million people depend on as a supply of drinking water. The Great Lakes are presently facing unique problems such as habitat loss, toxic sediment remediation and, threats from invasive species.

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