[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 24, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1881]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     GREAT LAKES--ST. LAWRENCE RIVER BASIN WATER RESOURCES COMPACT

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                               speech of

                           HON. RAHM EMANUEL

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 22, 2008

  Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S.J. Res. 45, 
the Great Lakes--St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. I am 
proud to be an original co-sponsor of the House companion, H.R. 6577.
  Almost 40 million people now get their daily drinking water from the 
Great Lakes. It is the largest body of surface freshwater in North 
America and contains 20 percent of the world's freshwater supply. It is 
the economic engine that drives the Midwest. And just as important, the 
Lakes are a national treasure.
  Today we are taking historic action to protect this national treasure 
by passing the Great Lakes Compact. In 1998, a Canadian company 
proposed to take water from the Lakes by tanker to Asia, but the 
Council of Great Lakes Governors (CGLG) banded together and partnered 
with their Canadian counterparts to find a way to protect our Great 
Lakes water. The result of that cooperation was the Great Lakes--St. 
Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact that we are passing today.
  The Great Lakes are a closed system, and less than 1 percent of Great 
Lakes water is returned annually through snowmelt, rain and groundwater 
recharge. We need to protect this resource by not only keeping 
pollutants out, but also by keeping Great Lakes water in the Great 
Lakes basin.
  All eight Great Lakes states have approved the Compact, and I am 
proud that my home state of Illinois acted quickly, passing it in 
August of 2007 as the second state to ratify the Compact. Additionally, 
Ontario and Quebec have passed companion legislation approving the 
Compact.
  The Compact prohibits diversions of Great Lakes water outside of the 
basin without the permission of the other Great Lakes states, creates 
regional goals and objectives for water conservation and efficiency, 
and includes other protections for one of our greatest national 
resources.
  As a father and a member of Congress, ensuring that the Lakes are 
around for future generations is of the utmost importance to me, which 
is why I am proud to support the Great Lakes Compact.

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