Rep. Warren offered the following resolution:

House Concurrent Resolution No. 76

            A concurrent resolution to urge the Great Lakes states to reject changes to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact and enact it as presented in December 2005.

            Whereas, The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact would protect the Great Lakes from diversions and wasteful withdrawals while preserving reasonable use of Great Lakes water within the region. This historic document represents a hard-fought compromise negotiated over five years by the Great Lakes governors and Canadian premiers with input from thousands of stakeholders and citizens; and

            Whereas, Each Great Lakes state and the United States Congress must approve the same language for the compact to become legally binding. Four Great Lakes states--Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and New York--have already enacted the compact as agreed to by the governors and premiers in December 2005. In addition, both chambers of the Michigan Legislature and the Wisconsin Legislature have passed bills to ratify the compact. However, the compact has only passed one chamber in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Ohio General Assembly. Of particular concern, the Ohio Senate has indicated that it will consider amending the compact; and

            Whereas, Any changes to the compact at this late stage of the process would be a major setback and could undo all the hard work that went into reaching the current compromise. Unilateral changes would place the compact in jeopardy of ever becoming law and would threaten the long-term future of the Great Lakes and all the industries, businesses, farmers, and citizens that depend on them; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That we urge the Great Lakes states to reject changes to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact and enact it as presented in December 2005; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Ohio General Assembly, the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and the governors of Ohio and Pennsylvania.