8/27/2007

Gov. Blagojevich Signs Vital Legislation to Help Preserve Great Lakes - Illinois Becomes Second Great Lakes State to Adopt Historic Agreement

SPRINGFIELD– Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today signed legislation that will help create unprecedented protections for the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin. House Bill 375, sponsored by State Representative Harry Osterman (D-Chicago) and State Senator John Cullerton (D-Chicago), ratifies the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, a joint effort between Illinois and seven other Great Lakes states to protect and preserve Great Lakes waters. By signing the Compact, Illinois today became just the second state to adopt this historic agreement to limit how much water can be withdrawn from the Great Lakes.

“Today, we have taken an important step to protect Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes for future generations,” Gov. Blagojevich said. “I commend members of the General Assembly for their leadership on this issue of regional, national and global importance. I would also like to thank Mayor Daley for the City of Chicago’s support throughout the compact development and approval process.”

In December 2005 the Governors of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin endorsed the interstate compact. At the same time, the Governors and the Premiers of Ontario and Québec signed a companion good-faith agreement to provide protections throughout the region. The agreement details how each of the States, Ontario and Québec will manage and protect the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin and provides a framework for each State and Province to enact protective laws.

To become law, the interstate compact must be approved by each of the State legislatures and the U.S. Congress must give its consent. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the compact into law earlier this year and bills are pending in Indiana, Michigan and New York. Action is anticipated in coming months in the other states.

In Illinois, provisions of the Compact were included in HB 375.

“The Great Lakes are some of the nation’s most valuable resources,” said Rep. Osterman. “We must do what we can in Illinois to protect them.”

“I am glad the Governor is taking this step to protect the Great Lakes, which are important to people nationwide. Not only do we spend recreational time on them; they are also vital to the economy,” said Sen. Cullerton.

“The Great Lakes is one of our greatest and most valuable natural resources. We can't wait for a crisis to happen before we take the steps necessary to conserve these waterways. There is no greater service that we can do for future generations than to protect our Great Lakes and do so immediately. I commend the sponsors for their dedication to getting this done and the governor for making it the law,” said State Sen. Carol Ronen (D-Chicago).

“I applaud Governor Blagojevich and the State of Illinois for this action. Now that our neighboring States of Illinois and Minnesota have adopted the Compact, it is time for Wisconsin to take the necessary steps to protect our precious resource – the Great Lakes,” said Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, Council of Great Lakes Governors Chair.

“The Great Lakes are the lifeblood of our region and I commend Governor Blagojevich for helping to protecting them,” said Cameron Davis, president of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, who worked with the bill’s sponsors to help pass this legislation. “With the Governor’s signature today, it’s now up to the remaining six Great Lakes states to do their part to endorse uniform, binding Compact legislation so that we can conserve our region’s waters for future generations.”
The agreements include the following provisions:

Preserves the rights of Great Lakes States to determine how Great Lakes waters are used.
Economic development will be fostered through the sustainable use and responsible management of Basin waters.

Illinois’ right to use Lake Michigan water in northeastern Illinois will continue to be governed by the terms of the United States Supreme Court decree in Wisconsin et al. v. Illinois et al. This decree limits how much water Illinois can withdraw from the lake.

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. For Lake Michigan water use, conservation has been a component of Illinois’ water management program for thirty years.

The collection of technical data will be strengthened, and the states will share comparable information, which will improve decision-making by the governments. There is a strong commitment to continued public involvement in the implementation of the compact.

The complete text of the agreements and additional information is available at www.cglg.org.