Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News

The Newsletter of Freshwater Future

The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News is the newsletter of Freshwater Future, published four times per year. The News is intended to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas among citizens and organizations working to protect aquatic habitats in the Great Lakes Basin.

Volume 16, Number 1 • Spring 2008

Regional Action Center

Great Lakes Protections Are On The Move!

Guidelines for sound water management, preventing harm to our magnificent water resources and stopping far off diversions are closer to becoming a regional law for the Great Lakes basin. For this to happen, each of the eight Great Lakes state legislatures must pass the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. Then, it needs Congressional approval. Minnesota and Illinois have done their part by passing the Compact and significant progress is being made in the other states. Such progress includes (as of the time of printing):

  • New York unanimously passed the Compact out of the Senate and Assembly and it is now being delivered to the Governor’s desk.
  • Indiana passed the Compact out of the Assembly and Senate. It is awaiting the Governor’s signature.
  • Pennsylvania passed the Compact out of the House. It is now in the Assembly Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.
  • Ohio almost unanimously passed the Compact out of the House and it is on its way to the Senate where support is building.
  • Michigan has bills in the House and Senate,with additional legislation to implement the Compact in their respective committees.
  • Wisconsin is expected to introduce a bill and has had an informational hearing on draft Great Lakes Compact legislation.

On the Canadian side, the provinces have agreed to implement similar laws to ensure the entire Great Lakes basin is protected.

Disclaimer: The interpretations and conclusions presented in this newsletter represent the opinions of the individual authors. They in no way represent the views of the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, the C.S. Mott Foundation, subscribers, donors, or any organization mentioned in this publication.

Freshwater Future builds effective community-based citizen action to protect and restore the water quality of the Great Lakes basin. We work toward this goal by providing financial assistance, communications and networking assistance and technical assistance to citizens and grassroots watershed groups throughout the Great Lakes basin. Through these efforts we work with over 1,800 grassroots watershed groups and citizens to protect and restore the rivers, lakes and wetlands in their communities. Freshwater Future is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization.

For more information, please contact:

info@freshwaterfuture.org
P.O. Box 2479,
Petoskey, MI 49770
PH (231) 348-8200;