Presque Isle, Erie

The House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee this week approved legislation adopting the Great Lakes Compact on water withdrawals from the portion of Pennsylvania draining into Lake Erie.

House Bill 1705 (Harkins-D-Erie) was then referred to the House Appropriations Committee.

“House Bill 1705 and the Great Lakes Compact are a significant step forward in ensuring the long-term protection of the Great Lakes, a critical economic and community asset to northwestern Pennsylvania,” said Brian Hill, President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. “The long-standing bipartisan support for this collaborative agreement by both Governors Ridge and Rendell, as well as members of the General Assembly, demonstrates its significance to Pennsylvania.”

Under Governors Tom Ridge and Ed Rendell, Pennsylvania negotiated with other Great Lake states, two Canadian Provinces, and representatives from business and industry, agriculture, environmental organizations, and other interests to establish the Great Lakes Compact.

This multi-state agreement creates a unified structure among the Great Lakes states for management of future water withdrawals outside of the Great Lakes basin. Hill said such withdrawals represent “a significant threat as southern and western states already view the Great Lakes as key to their future community and economic development needs.”

In addition, the Great Lakes Compact encourages state adoption of conservation and efficiency measures to help maintain the vitality of the Basin’s water supply resource-based qualities.

Working with environmental, business and citizen representatives in the Lake Erie portion of Pennsylvania, PEC helped educate the community about the Compact and generate support.

“Lake Erie may be the most vulnerable of all the Great Lakes to disruption because it has the smallest water volume and shallowest average depth,” noted Hill. “Even if water is withdrawn from Lake Superior north of Wisconsin, the water level will drop throughout the interconnected Great Lakes system. This could greatly disrupt the Erie harbor and all docks along the shore, significantly harming fish and other aquatic species in Lake Erie. It would be both an ecological and an economic calamity.”

For the Great Lakes Compact to become operational, it must be ratified by all eight states within the Great Lakes Basin and approved by the U.S. Congress. To date, Illinois and Minnesota have already ratified the Great Lakes Compact, and legislation is pending in several other Great Lakes States.

“There is strong support for this legislation in both chambers of the General Assembly, and from both sides of aisle; we urge the House to quickly take up House Bill 1705 in January to ensure the long-term protection of one of our most unique and valuable natural resources,” said Hill.

The Committee is chaired by Rep. Bud George (D-Clearfield) and Rep. Scott Hutchinson (R-Venango) serves as Minority Chair.

12/14/2007