House OKs Great Lakes Compact

By Times of Northwest Indiana staff

MICHIGAN CITY | The U.S. House approved the Great Lakes Basin Compact on Tuesday in a 390-25 vote. The measure, which is expected to be signed into law by President Bush, aims to protect the Great Lakes from large-scale water diversions.

"We thank Congressman (Pete) Visclosky (D-Merrillville) and Congressman (Joe) Donnelly (D-South Bend) for their leadership," said Tom Anderson, executive director of Save the Dunes Council in a news release issued by the group Tuesday.

Anderson said both congressmen co-sponsored the measure, which prevents countries or remote states from tapping into the lakes from their natural drainage basins with rare exceptions. The U.S. Senate passed the bill in August with the support of U.S. Sens. Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh, both of Indiana.

"This was the first bill passed by the Indiana General Assembly and signed by Gov. (Mitch) Daniels in 2008, and it has passed in all eight Great Lake states. Seldom has any issue had such broad bipartisan support. The compact has the support of industry, business and environmental groups," Anderson said.

"It has taken many years to reach this point, but this agreement reflects the importance of freshwater to our future and provides a framework for sustainable management of the Great Lakes for future generations."

The agreement was negotiated by eight Great Lakes states after more than four years of talks involving business, scientific and environmental interests. The Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec have enacted virtually identical measures.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.