Wisconsin Joins “Great” Fraternity

After nearly a year of stalling and bureaucratic rhetoric, Wisconsin finally became the fifth state to pass the Great Lakes Compact May 14. The state Assembly passed the compact 96 – 1, while the Senate passed it in a 32 – 1 vote.

Green Bay State Senator Robert Cowles was a strong supporter of the measure from the start, while Door County Representative Garey Bies had reservations about how it would affect manufacturing interests.

The compact is an agreement between eight states and two Canadian provinces to prevent diversion of Great Lakes water out of the region, establishing limited exceptions.

“At a time when other states and countries are increasingly looking to our Great Lakes to solve their own water shortages, Wisconsin legislators refused to go home before making sure our water was protected,” said Anne Sayers, Program Director for the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, an organization that campaigned hard for the bill’s passage.

The compact must still pass the legislatures of Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania before being presented to the United States Congress for approval. Ultimately, the compact must be signed by the President to go into effect.