New agreement protects America’s Great Lakes

North America’s Great Lakes are to be protected from being exploited as a water resource after an agreement between officials in Canada and the US.

The Great Lakes are already at record low levels. The agreement is designed to protect the lakes from climate change, being used as a drinking water source, and other threats.

The agreement, called ‘Great Lakes Compact’, will be signed later this week by US state representatives from Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, New York and Minnesota, and Canadian provincial representatives from Ontario and Quebec.

The compact had been opposed by Republican’s, who were concerned that any of the states who signed the agreement could veto a decision by the other states to extract water from the lakes.

However, they backed down after it was explained that the power of veto already exists under the 1986 Federal Water Resources Development Act. The new agreement merely improves the veto process.

The compact changes current law in that it prevents long distance diversions of water from the Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes are a popular tourist attraction. It is estimated that they generate US$55 billion every year in tourism for the surrounding states.