SR0473 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0473 LRB102 19711 ECR 28485 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake located entirely in the United States; and

WHEREAS, When measured by water surface, Lake Michigan is the third largest of the Great Lakes; and

WHEREAS, Lake Michigan is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume; and

WHEREAS, Approximately 12 million people live along Lake Michigan's shore, including the 2.7 million residents of the City of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Lake Michigan serves as a source of drinking water, as a place for swimming and fishing, and as a scenic wonderland; and

WHEREAS, Lake Michigan is a magnificent resource that provides an essential home for all kinds of wildlife; and

WHEREAS, In 2008, Illinois, along with Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, adopted a compact banning diversions without concurrence of all signatories, which President George W. Bush signed; and

WHEREAS, The declining water levels could negatively impact industries such as commercial shipping, hydroelectric power generation, and recreational boating and fishing, which in turn would hinder the economic growth of the region; and

WHEREAS, The Great Lakes are large bodies of water that would not replenish easily; and

WHEREAS, Experts have already seen environmental changes created by the diversion of water; the Great Lakes ice cover has been decreasing while air and water temperatures have been rising, which clearly illustrates global climate change in the region; and

WHEREAS, Removing water from this vital body of water sets a bad precedent for the protection of this finite resource and will put a strain on its water supply; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we strongly support the Great Lakes Basin Compact and adamantly oppose any effort to divert water from Lake Michigan, or the other Great Lakes, to the southwestern states.