With all eyes focused on the legislature’s annual budget
process, a little-known but critical proposal to protect the
Great
Lakes—including Pennsylvania’s Lake Erie—garnered approval from the state Senate
and moved to the desk of Governor Rendell for final signoff.
The proposal, House Bill 1705, is
Pennsylvania’s effort to ratify the Great Lakes-St.
Lawrence Basin Water Resources Compact and was introduced state Representative
Patrick Harkins (D-Erie) who represents the 1st District in the
Pennsylvania state House. The Great Lakes Compact was developed in
order to address current and pending challenges to the
Great
Lakes,
including water withdrawals and other environmental
issues.
“The Great Lakes are one of
America’s greatest natural resources, and
Lake
Erie is one
of Pennsylvania’s greatest natural resources,” state
PennEnvironment Director David Masur. “It’s important that our elected officials
are taking the necessary steps to protect this critical part of our natural
heritage so that it can be enjoyed now and by future generations of
Pennsylvanians.”
In 2005, the governors of the eight states surrounding
the Great
Lakes
joined together with Ontario and
Quebec, and signed the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence
River Basin Water Resources Compact. The Compact bans new or increased diversion
of water from the Great Lakes, unless it is approved by all of the
Great Lake states’ governors. It must also be
ratified by all eight Great Lake states before it can receive federal
approval and become an international agreement.
The Great Lakes form the largest fresh surface water system on Earth.
They provide water for 40 million people, and jobs and recreational
opportunities for millions more. Unfortunately, there is a growing demand for
water--and growing pressure to divert water from the
Great
Lakes to
other regions of the country.
Lake Erie is especially vulnerable to the threat of water
withdrawals, as it has the lowest volume and is the shallowest of the
Great
Lakes. To
make matters worse, 95 percent of the water in Lake Erie comes from the other
Great
Lakes,
mainly via the Detroit River and other waterways. Therefore, in order
to protect Lake Erie’s water levels it is of utmost importance to protect
the waters of all the Great Lakes.
“With the budget battle brewing in Harrisburg, it’s
reassuring that our legislators could work together—Democrats and Republicans,
Senators and House members—to ensure the passage of House Bill 1705 to ratify
the Great Lakes Compact,” noted Masur. “Protecting great places like
Erie is not a Democratic interest or a
Republican interest—it’s in the interest of all
Pennsylvanians.”
Still, the Pennsylvania legislature wasn’t exactly chomping at the
bit to pass this proposal. In actuality,
Pennsylvania was the last of the eight
Great
Lakes
states to approve the Compact. The Ohio state legislature approved their proposal
in early June.
PennEnvironment’s sister organizations in Wisconsin, Illinois, and
Michigan all worked to pass the compact in their respective states, and PennEnvironment’s federal lobby office in Washington
DC—Environment America—will be advocating for the passage of the Compact as it
works its way through Congress.
Already, 10.6 million people get water from the Lake
Erie/Lake St. Clair Drainage Basin. Lake Erie’s waters are used for commerce and include 11 major
ports. It is also used for manufacturing and power production, recreation, and
agriculture.
Lake Erie is also the warmest and most biologically productive of
the lakes, and is considered the world’s best walleye fishery. Numerous other
fish species can be found in Lake Erie such as the yellow perch, rainbow smelt, white bass and
about 21 other species. The lake is also home to the Lake Erie Water Snake—which
is currently threatened and found nowhere else in the world—along with 27 other
species of reptiles and 24 species of amphibians.
“Lake Erie is one of Pennsylvania’s most iconic places and it deserves our
help to protect it,” Masur said.
