Great Lakes Agreement Clears New York Hurdle

ALBANY, NY – An agreement that was two years in the making was finally signed into law earlier this month protecting the Great Lakes, which spans eight states and two Canadian Provinces.

This accord is designed to improve the management, protection, and conservation of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin and associated water-dependent natural resources.

"This historic agreement will mean everything from recreation to industry to transportation will have a greater opportunity to continue to thrive and prosper," said Senator Darrel J. Aubertine (D – Cape Vincent). "It would effect the annexation of waters out of the Great Lakes watershed, which is its primary purpose but also in that comes all the other issues as well, invasive species, water levels and the shipping up and down the seaway. Water is the source of life, most definitely. The idea that we've taken the first initial steps to recognize the importance of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario to our region will certainly allow us to look back on this as a momentous occasion.

After the agreement is passed by each state and provincial legislatures enacting the shared commitments equally across the Great Lakes Basin, the U.S. Congress will then be asked to consent to the compact among the states. No federal legislation is required in Canada.

The agreement requires good faith implementation of the provisions including requiring disputes between the states to be settled by alternative dispute resolution; and specifies procedures for aggrieved persons to obtain administrative and judicial relief.

Governor David A. Paterson said: "The Great Lakes and their bays and tributaries contain approximately 18 percent of the world's supply of freshwater, and 90 percent of the United States' supply of fresh surface water. Unfortunately, water levels in the Great Lakes have seen drastic declines in the last decade, and it is vitally important that we protect and conserve this essential water resource. The Great Lakes Compact demonstrates the commitment of all of the Great Lakes states to work together to achieve that goal."

The two agreements also need to be signed by the governors of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and the premiers of Ontario and Québec. New York is now the fourth state to approve the Compact, following approvals by Minnesota, Illinois, and Indiana.