MADISON — Governor Doyle introduced his 2009-2010 budget last night, laying out his plan to carefully address a $5.7 billion budget shortfall. In his budget proposal, the Governor included necessary resources to implement the Great Lakes Compact.
“We understand that hard choices need to be made in tough fiscal times,” said Amber Meyer Smith, Program Director at Clean Wisconsin. “Given the difficult economy, we’re pleased to see that the Governor has prioritized Great Lakes protection in his budget.”
The Great Lakes Compact was enacted in 2008 with bipartisan support at both the state and federal levels. Wisconsin now needs to enact the specific parameters for water withdrawal permits, water conservation requirements and water diversion permits.
“Protection of the Great Lakes has been a top priority for Clean Wisconsin,” said Smith. “We have been working with the Governor and other stakeholders since 2001 to pass, and now enact, the Great Lakes Compact.”
“We appreciate the Governor’s commitments in this budget and look forward to working with the Administration and legislative leaders to address other opportunities and ensure the Great Lakes protections remain in the final budget.”
