President Bush Signs Great Lakes Compact

On October 3, 2008, President George W. Bush signed the Great Lakes — St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact (Compact) into law, thereby ensuring new controls on one of the largest freshwater sources in the world. The Compact, which prevents the diversion of water from the Great Lakes Basin (Basin) to areas outside of the Basin, had already gained legislative approval from all eight Great Lakes states.

Although the compact is viewed generally as a mechanism to protect the Great Lakes from water-hungry states and foreign countries outside of the region, it is important to understand the regulatory and economic impacts the Compact will have on communities within the region.