Great Lakes Regional Collaboration
Produces
Agreement on a Strategy
The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration was launched in December 2004, following an executive order by President Bush that recognized the Great Lakes as a "national treasure" and directed U.S. EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt to convene a "regional collaboration of national significance for the Great Lakes."
Members included the eight Great Lakes governors, Tribal leaders, Great Lakes mayors, members of the Great Lakes Congressional delegation, and the nine federal cabinet-level officials on the federal Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, which was also created by the executive order. The goal was to design and implement a strategy for the restoration, protection and sustainable use of the Great Lakes.
Eight Strategy Teams, each focusing on a different issue affecting the Great Lakes basin, began meeting in January 2005 to develop recommendations. More than 1,500 people from diverse backgrounds participated on these teams. An Executive Committee of senior elected and appointed officials from different levels of government guided the Collaboration.
The draft strategy was released in July for public comment. Comments were solicited and received through a series of eight public meetings, the Internet, and in writing.
On December 12th, Ohio Governor Bob Taft, Co-Chair of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, joined with Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative Chair Mayor Richard M. Daley, U.S. EPA Administrator Steve Johnson, Congressman Vern Ehlers (R-Michigan), Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-Illinois), Congressman Mark Kirk (R-Illinois) and many others to release the final Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy for Protecting and Restoring the Great Lakes.
Earlier in the day, Governor Taft, Wisconsin Governor and Council Co-Chair Jim Doyle, and Mayor Daley, sent a letter to the President that contained a list of near-term action items that, if implemented, could substantially improve the long-term ability to protect and restore the Great Lakes. This list was developed by the region’s Governors and Mayors in consultation with members of the Great Lakes Congressional Task Force and representatives of Great Lakes Tribes.
In signing the agreements, Governors’ Council Co-Chairs Doyle and Taft underscored the significance and scope of the achievement:
“The Great Lakes Governors and Premiers, as well as everyone living around the Lakes, have always been committed to the preservation and improvement of the Great Lakes—St. Lawrence River Basin,” said Wisconsin Governor Doyle. “Today, we have translated that commitment into an agreement that provides balanced and practical management of our water for years to come.”
“Together, we have produced agreements that are historic on the one hand and at the same time are rooted in practicality and common sense,” said Ohio Governor Taft. “Our top priority always has been protecting the long-term health of the Great Lakes—St. Lawrence River Basin and the availability of that water in the future. Today’s agreements provide the framework for achieving our goal.”