Thank YOU for Protecting the Great Lakes

Great Lakes Compact sails through State Senate

In the past month, you and your fellow Clean Wisconsin members have been increasing the drumbeat for a strong Great Lakes Compact.  At first, letters and phone calls trickled into the capitol from around the state, directed at the governor and various legislators. More recently, the flow of letters and phone calls had the makings of a small river, where citizen voices rivaled the power of the Wisconsin River. 

Thank you for your efforts! On March 6th the State Senate passed Senate Bill 523 by a vote of 26 to 6 to ratify and implement the Great Lakes Compact, in an effort to prevent large scale diversions of the Great Lakes water and ensure that the Great Lakes states drive the management of these world class resources. This bill is now in the hands of the State Assembly and specifically the Assembly Natural Resources Committee. As of the writing of this article the regularly scheduled 2007-08 session has come to an end, but Governor Doyle has pledged to call a special session of the legislature which would bring both the Senate and Assembly back to pass this bill. This is an extraordinary step for an extraordinary resource. You have been part of passing one of the most important legacy plans for the Great Lakes. 

A tremendous amount of work went into this process, which you have helped move along.  For the last six years, Clean Wisconsin and its members have been providing input to shape this legacy document, and worked diligently to pass it in the Wisconsin legislature. Now it moves to the United States Congress.  In the last year, Keith Reopelle, Clean Wisconsin's Program Director, worked with a variety of legislators and stakeholders to draft language for the Compact on a special committee for the Wisconsin legislature.  When detractors hijacked that committee, Reopelle and Melissa Malott, the Water Program Director at Clean Wisconsin, along with our conservation partners, worked closely with the governor and select legislators to pass a strong Great Lakes Compact.

Thank you again for all your help in protecting our Great Lakes.