GREAT LAKES GOVERNORS
CHALLENGE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TO PROTECT AND RESTORE THE LAKES
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin (November 8, 2007)—Governor
Jim Doyle, Chair of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, today called
on each Democratic
and Republican presidential candidate to support protecting and
restoring the Great Lakes.
In a letter (available at www.cglg.org)
sent on behalf of the region’s Governors, Doyle
challenged the candidates to forge a new partnership with the Governors
to
protect and restore our nation’s water belt—the Great
Lakes. Governor Doyle has
spearheaded State and regional efforts but it is recognized that
accelerated progress
can only be made with greater federal support, particularly from the
next
Administration.
“The next President must
share our vision of protecting the Great Lakes,”
Governor Doyle said. “The Great Lakes
are not only our greatest natural resource,
but they are also a true national treasure. We need federal leaders
who share our vision – strong partners who recognize that the Great Lakes are critical to our nation’s
future. Protecting,
preserving, and improving the Great Lakes is not just a Wisconsin issue
or a Michigan
issue, it must
be a national and international priority.”
Specifically, Governor Doyle called on the
candidates to
endorse the region’s consensus strategy to protect and restore the Great Lakes, and outline their implementation
plan. This strategy, finalized in 2005, was
developed by regional leaders and citizens through the Great Lakes
Regional
Collaboration. To realize its promise,
States and others have moved as aggressively as possible but increased
federal
commitments are needed.
Governor Doyle also asked the candidates to
endorse the
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. The Compact, developed by the Great Lakes
Governors and finalized in 2005, would promote sustainable use of the Great Lakes and prevent diversions with limited
and
strictly regulated exceptions. Minnesota and Illinois
have ratified the Compact this year, and action is anticipated in the
other
Great Lakes States in coming weeks and months.
Once the Compact has been ratified by each of the Great Lakes
States,
Congress will be asked to provide its consent, turning this
unprecedented set
of protections into State and Federal law.
The Great Lakes
are truly
of national and international importance—both environmentally and
economically. The health of the national
economy depends on
the Great Lakes. Almost
thirty percent of the nation’s gross domestic product is produced by
Great
Lakes States, including approximately sixty percent of all U.S.
manufacturing. Additionally, more than
35 million Americans benefit from the drinking water, food,
recreational
opportunities, jobs and transportation that the Great
Lakes provide.
Additional information on the Great Lakes Governors’ efforts
to restore and protect the Great Lakes
is
available at www.cglg.org Please
contact David Naftzger, Executive Director of the Council of Great
Lakes Governors at (312) 407-0177 (Office), (847) 863-1679 (Mobile), or
dnaftzger@cglg.org.
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