Over the last few months, we've watched state after state join the Great Lakes Compact, a regional agreement aimed at protecting the waters from outside exploitation. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed off on legislation approving the compact yesterday. Pennsylvania, the last holdout, passed the compact last Thursday and Gov. Ed Rendell has promised to sign it into law.
Now that all the Great Lakes states are on board, Congress must ratify the agreement. A report Tuesday from National Public Radio highlighted how important it is that federal lawmakers act soon:
"The chances of the compact passing in Congress are better the sooner it gets there," according to Noah Hall, executive director of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center and a professor of water law at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. He says that while Congress usually defers to the states most affected by water compacts, this compact is unique because it governs so much of the nation's fresh water supply.
"As we're seeing droughts and water shortages in other parts of the country, I think that there's a legitimate concern that Congress might be reluctant to lock up the Great Lakes and prevent diversions to other parts of the country," Hall says.
He and other Great Lakes advocates want to get the compact through Congress before 2010. That's when a new census will be taken, which will likely result in the Great Lakes states losing anywhere from a few to a dozen seats in Congress, seats that will likely shift to states in the growing — and parched — South and West.
It's no surprise that the growing Southwest looks to the Great Lakes with thirsty eyes. Last year, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson famously proposed importing water from this region into the Sun Belt. One of the problems with that plan is that the Great Lakes themselves are already shrinking. The compact would allow the export of water from the region, but such diversions would require approval from all the Great Lakes governments.
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