[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1667 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1667

To impose a moratorium on the export of bulk fresh water from the Great 
                                 Lakes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 29, 1999

  Mr. Abraham introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
    referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To impose a moratorium on the export of bulk fresh water from the Great 
                                 Lakes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the water and water-dependent natural resources of the 
        Great Lakes basin are precious public resources, held in trust 
        as described in paragraph (2) by the States of Illinois, 
        Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and 
        Wisconsin, and the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec;
            (2) authority over the Great Lakes is vested--
                    (A) in the Governors of the Great Lakes States 
                through section 1109 of the Water Resources Development 
                Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. 1962d-20); and
                    (B) in the Premiers of the Great Lakes Provinces;
            (3) the Great Lakes Charter of 1985 is a voluntary 
        international agreement that provides the procedural framework 
        for notice and consultation by the Great Lakes States and the 
        Great Lakes Provinces concerning the diversion of the water of 
        the Great Lakes basin;
            (4) the Governors of the Great Lakes States, in exercise of 
        the authority described in paragraph (2), and the Premiers of 
        the Great Lakes Provinces have based decisions on proposals to 
        withdraw, divert, or use Great Lakes water on the extent to 
        which the proposals conserve and protect water and water-
        dependent natural resources of the Great Lakes basin;
            (5) decisionmaking concerning Great Lakes water must remain 
        vested in the Governors of the Great Lakes States and the 
        Premiers of the Great Lakes Provinces, who manage the water and 
        resources on a day-to-day basis;
            (6) demand for clean and fresh water is growing around the 
        world, and exports of bulk fresh water pose a challenge to the 
        management of the Great Lakes;
            (7) the ecological effects of exports of bulk fresh water 
        from the Great Lakes are unknown; and
            (8) as of the date of enactment of this Act, there is no 
        consensus on a means of regulating such exports on a binational 
        basis.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Bulk fresh water.--The term ``bulk fresh water'' means 
        fresh water extracted in quantities intended for transportation 
        by tanker or similar form of mass transportation, without 
        further processing.
            (2) From the great lakes basin.--The term ``from the Great 
        Lakes basin'', with respect to water, means--
                    (A) water from Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake 
                Michigan, Lake Ontario, Lake St. Clair, or Lake 
                Superior;
                    (B) water from any interconnecting waterway within 
                any watercourse that drains into or between any of 
                those lakes; and
                    (C) water from a tributary surface or underground 
                channel or area that drains into or comprises part of 
                any watershed that drains into any of those lakes.
            (3) Great lakes province.--The term ``Great Lakes 
        Province'' means the Province of Ontario or Quebec, Canada.
            (4) Great lakes state.--The term ``Great Lakes State'' 
        means the State of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New 
        York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin.

SEC. 3. MORATORIUM ON EXPORT OF BULK FRESH WATER.

    (a) Moratorium on Exports.--Bulk fresh water from the Great Lakes 
basin shall not be exported from the United States.
    (b) Sunset Provision.--Subsection (a) shall cease to be effective 
on the earlier of--
            (1) December 31, 2001; or
            (2) the date of enactment of an Act of Congress approving 
        the operation of a mechanism and conservation standard for 
        making decisions concerning the withdrawal, diversion, and use 
        of water of the Great Lakes that has been agreed to by each of 
        the Governors of the Great Lakes States, acting in cooperation 
        with the Premiers of the Great Lakes Provinces.
                                 <all>