Statement of Max Muller, Environment Illinois Program Director
CHICAGO, Illinois— Environment Illinois applauds Illinois Senators Richard Durbin and Barack Obama, along with Senator Carl Levin (Mich.), George Voinovich (Ohio), and much of the rest of the Great Lakes congressional delegation, for introducing bipartisan legislation yesterday to protect the Great Lakes.
"Although 33 million people depend on the Great Lakes for drinking
water, the law provides no assurance of the long-term supply of this
vital resource," said Max Muller, Program Director at Environment
Illinois. "The Great Lakes Compact provides that assurance."
The legislation will ratify the
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin Water Resources Compact, which ensures the
sustainable use of Great Lakes water. The Compact is the first region-wide
agreement to govern the withdrawal and use of Great Lakes
water.
Comprising more than 90 percent of
the fresh surface water in North America, the Great Lakes
are one of the country’s greatest natural resources. The Lakes are the lifeblood of the region’s
ecology, economy and way of life. Although
vast, the Great Lakes are vulnerable to the
removal of water at rates faster than can be replenished naturally. Each year, rainfall and snowmelt replenishes only
one percent of Great Lakes water.
There is a growing demand for
water and growing pressure to divert water from the Great
Lakes to other regions of the country. The Great Lakes Compact was developed to
address challenges to the Great Lakes,
including water withdrawals and diversions.
The Great Lakes Compact
prohibits new or increased out-of-basin diversions except under special
circumstances. It also requires all Great Lakes states to develop water conservation and
efficiency programs and give public notice of large proposed new water
uses. Finally, the Compact establishes
uniform standards across the Great Lake states for evaluating new in-basin uses of Great Lakes water.
Environment Illinois
and our sister organizations in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan
all worked to pass the compact in our respective states. Now, together with the other members of the
Environment America federation, we will be advocating for the passage of the
Compact through Congress.
Protecting treasured waters like
the Great Lakes is not a Democratic interest
or a Republican interest—it’s in the interest of all Americans. We urge Congress to quickly approve the Great
Lakes Compact.
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