IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 551 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the interstate 

compact regarding water resources in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence 

River Basin approved by the Congress in Public Law 110–342 expressly 

prohibited the sale, diversion, or export of water from States in the 

Great Lakes Basin. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 16, 2009 

Mr. STUPAK submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the interstate compact regarding water resources in the 

Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin approved by the 

Congress in Public Law 110–342 expressly prohibited 

the sale, diversion, or export of water from States in 

the Great Lakes Basin. 

Whereas the water resources of the Great Lakes Basin are 

a precious public natural resource shared and held in 

public trust by the States of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, 

Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin; 

Whereas in Public Law 110–342 (122 Stat. 3739), Congress 

gave its consent and approval to an interstate compact 


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•HRES 551 IH 

among these States regarding the diversion and withdrawal of water resources in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin; and 

Whereas this compact requires clarification that it expressly 

prohibits the sale, diversion, or export of water from the 

portions of the Great Lakes Basin within these States: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) nothing in the interstate compact regarding 

4 water resources in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence 

5 River Basin approved by the Congress in Public Law 

6 110–342 (in this resolution referred to as the ‘‘com7 pact’’) should be construed— 

8 (A) to allow water intended for an imme9 diate or an intermediate or end use consumer 

10 in a container or package of any size or amount 

11 to be diverted, exported, or sold from the Great 

12 Lakes Basin unless the withdrawal is author13 ized and licensed in accordance with the con14 stitution and laws of the State from which the 

15 water is withdrawn; and 

16 (B) to create or establish that waters of 

17 the Great Lakes Basin are produced as a prod18 uct or have entered into commerce or constitute 

19 a good or commodity under the North American 


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•HRES 551 IH 

1 Free Trade Agreement or any other inter2 national trade agreement, law, or treaty; 

3 (2) the definition of ‘‘Diversion’’ in section 1.2 

4 of the compact, and the exception for ‘‘Products’’ 

5 from such definition, did not intend that water itself 

6 in any size container or package is a ‘‘Product’’ and 

7 exempt from the definition of diversion subject to 

8 the compact; and 

9 (3) the definition of ‘‘Product’’ in section 1.2 of 

10 the compact does not include the water itself in any 

11 size or type of container or package when produced 

12 in the Great Lakes Basin by human or mechanical 

13 effort or intended for intermediate or end use con14 sumers. 

Æ 


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