Through the
Great Lakes—St. Lawrence River Water Resources Regional Body, the Great
Lakes Governors of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York,
Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and the Premiers of Ontario and
Québec are taking the lead in protecting the world’s largest
source of surface fresh water—the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River
Basin. We recognize that the Basin’s waters are one of the most
important natural resources in North America and that we must work
together to protect them.
The Great Lakes Governors and Premiers created the Regional Body on December 13, 2005, by signing the Great Lakes—St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement. The Agreement details how the Great Lakes States, Ontario and Québec will manage and protect the Basin and provide a framework for each State and Province to enact laws for its protection. The Governors and Premiers are working aggressively to put the Agreement into action.
NEWS
The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Water Resources Regional Body (Regional Body) met on Thursday, June 10, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. CDT. This meeting was held at the Avenue Crowne Plaza Hotel Chicago, 160 E. Huron, Chicago, Illinois 60611. The meeting was open to the public and included an opportunity for public comments. An agenda, materials that were discussed and call-in information for those wishing to participate remotely are available on this site.
Agenda (English)
Agenda (Francais)
Resolution #15--Adoption of Fiscal Year 2011 Budget--(July 1, 2010-June 30, 2011)
Resolution No 15--Adoption du Budget Pour L'annee Financiere 2011 -- (Du 1er juillet 2010 au 30 juin 2011)
Resolution #16--Adoption of Interim Procedures
Resolution No 16--Procedures Temporaires
Interim Procedures
Procedures Temporaires
December 8, 2009 Meeting Summary
January 7, 2010-The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Water Resources Regional Body has issued Declarations of Finding on the State and Provincial Water Managment and Water Conservation and Efficiency Programs (see next news item below). The Declarations are available online, and can be found at http://www.glslregionalbody.org/Resolutions.aspx#DOF.
December 16, 2009-On December 8, 2009, the Great Lakes States, pursuant to Section 3.4.1 of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, submitted reports on their Water Management and Water Conservation and Efficiency programs to the Regional Body. Ontario and Québec also voluntarily submitted their reports.
The reports received by the Regional Body are now available online, and can be found at http://www.glslregionalbody.org/Resolutions.aspx#ProgramReports.
December 8, 2009-The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Water Resources Regional Body (Regional Body) met on December 8, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. EST. An agenda and materials discussed are available on the Regional Body website.
The Council of Great Lakes Governors serves as Secretariat to the Regional Body. If there are questions, please call 312-407-0177 or e-mail cglg@cglg.org.
June 16, 2009--On June 11, the Québec Government, led by Premier Jean Charest, enacted historic protections for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin. The law implements the Great Lakes—St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement (Agreement), which includes a ban on new or increased diversions of water from the Basin, with limited exceptions.
Québec’s Bill 27 fulfils its commitment to pass legislation implementing the Agreement and follows the National Assembly’s approval last year. Québec’s action completes the legislative process to implement the Agreement by each of the ten Great Lakes States and Provinces.
Full Press Release
October 3, 2008--President Bush signs Great Lakes Compact
The Great Lakes Governors today applauded President George W. Bush for signing a joint resolution of Congress providing consent to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. The President’s action marks the final step in the Compact’s approval process thus enabling these historic protections to become law.
In December 2005, following a nearly five-year negotiation, the Governors of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin reached agreement on the Compact. The Compact provides a comprehensive management framework for achieving sustainable water use and resource protection. The eight Great Lakes States reached a similar, good faith, agreement with Ontario and Québec in 2005, which the Provinces are using to amend their existing water programs for greater regional consistency.
During 2007 and 2008, each of the eight Great Lakes State legislatures ratified the Compact. Legislative approval was completed by the U.S. Senate on August 1, 2008, and by the U.S. House of Representatives on September 23, 2008.
