News Room

Illinois became the second of eight Great Lakes states to approve a historic water protection agreement Friday, earning praise from Michigan’s Great Lakes, Great Michigan coalition.

“Illinois’ legislature and Gov. Rod Blagojevich are now on record with these landmark water protection rules, and Michigan, with strong legislation pending in the state House of Representatives, is poised to do the same,” said Hugh McDiarmid Jr., spokesman for the coalition. “We look for strong leadership from Gov. Jennifer Granholm and both political parties to put Michigan on record supporting the Great Lakes Compact and strong state-specific water standards.”

Signed by governors of the eight Great Lakes states in 2005, the Compact prohibits large-scale water diversions and provides a uniform set of binding water use standards for the region. Illinois now joins Minnesota in ratifying the Compact. It must be approved by all eight state legislatures, the U.S. Congress, and signed by the President to take effect.

Michigan has the most to gain from Compact approval, as the only state entirely within the Great Lakes basin, which contains almost 20 percent of the world’s fresh surface water.

For more information, visit www.greatlakesgreatmichigan.org

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