[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 148 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 148

             Affirming authority of the Great Lakes Basin.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                 May 26 (legislative day, May 25), 2001

 Mr. Rogers of Michigan (for himself, Mr. Camp, Mr. Pence, Mr. Tiberi, 
and Mr. Upton) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
          referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
             Affirming authority of the Great Lakes Basin.

Whereas the water resources of the Great Lakes Basin are precious public natural 
        resources, shared and held in trust by the Great Lakes States of 
        Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, 
        and Wisconsin and the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec;
Whereas authority over the Great Lakes is vested in the Governors of the Great 
        Lakes States by the Water Resources Development Act of 1986;
Whereas section 1109(b)(2) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 (42 
        U.S.C. 1962d-20(b)(2)) encourages the Great Lakes States, in 
        consultation with the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec, to 
        develop and implement a mechanism that provides a common conservation 
        standard embodying the principles of water conservation and resource 
        improvement for making decisions concerning the withdrawal and use of 
        water from the Great Lakes Basin;
Whereas section 1109(d) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 (42 
        U.S.C. 1962d-20(d)) requires the approval of the Great Lakes States 
        prior to the diversion or export of Great Lakes water;
Whereas the Great Lakes Charter of 1985 is a voluntary international agreement 
        that provides the procedural framework for prior notice and consultation 
        by the Great Lakes States and the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and 
        Quebec concerning the withdrawal of water from the Great Lakes Basin;
Whereas the Council of Great Lakes Governors has drafted amendments to the Great 
        Lakes Charter of 1985, known as ``Annex 2001'';
Whereas a primary purpose of Annex 2001 is to strengthen the authority of Great 
        Lakes Governors and Premiers to make decisions concerning proposals to 
        divert or export Great Lakes water by establishing a common conservation 
        standard by which such decisions will be made; and
Whereas the final commitments proposed in Annex 2001 to affirm in-basin 
        authority by way of enacting a basin-States compact and a cross-border 
        accord with the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec will be presented to the 
        United States Congress for final approval: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress recognizes and affirms the efforts of the Great Lakes 
Governors and Premiers in developing a common standard for decisions 
relating to withdrawal of water from the Great Lakes that lead to 
improvement of this binational resource and that the management 
authority over the waters of the Great Lakes should remain vested with 
the Governors and Premiers of the 8 Great Lakes States and 2 Great 
Lakes Provinces that share stewardship over this vast and valuable 
natural resource.
                                 <all>