IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 140
Recognizing and affirming the efforts of the Great Lakes Governors and 
Premiers in developing a common standard for decisions relating to 
withdrawal of water from the Great Lakes and urging that management 
authority over the Great Lakes should remain vested with the Governors 
and Premiers. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 27, 2005
Mr. ROGERS of Michigan (for himself, Mr. EHLERS, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. 
HOEKSTRA, Mr. CAMP, Mr. UPTON, Mr. KNOLLENBERG, Mrs. MILLER 
of Michigan, and Mr. SCHWARZ of Michigan) submitted the following con-
current resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
Relations 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Recognizing and affirming the efforts of the Great Lakes 
Governors and Premiers in developing a common stand-
ard for decisions relating to withdrawal of water from 
the Great Lakes and urging that management authority 
over the Great Lakes should remain vested with the 
Governors and Premiers.
Whereas the water resources of the Great Lakes Basin are 
precious public natural resources, shared and held in 
trust by the Great Lakes States of Illinois, Indiana, 
Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and
•HCON 140 IH 
Wisconsin, and by the Canadian Provinces of Ontario 
and Quebec; 
Whereas authority over the Great Lakes is vested in the Gov-
ernors of the Great Lakes States by the Water Resources 
Development Act of 1986 (Public Law 99–662); 
Whereas section 1109(b)(2) of the Water Resources Develop-
ment Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. 1962d–20(b)(2)) encour-
ages the Great Lakes States, in consultation with the Ca-
nadian Provinces of Ontario and Quebec, to develop and 
implement a mechanism that provides a common con-
servation standard embodying the principles of water con-
servation and resource improvement for making decisions 
concerning the withdrawal and use of water from the 
Great Lakes Basin; 
Whereas section 1109(d) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1962d–
20(d)) requires the approval of the Governor of each of 
the Great Lakes States prior to the diversion or export 
of Great Lakes water; 
Whereas the Great Lakes Charter of 1985 is a voluntary 
international agreement that provides the procedural 
framework for prior notice and consultation by the Great 
Lakes States and the Canadian Provinces of Ontario and 
Quebec concerning the withdrawal of water from the 
Great Lakes Basin; 
Whereas the Council of Great Lakes Governors and Premiers 
has drafted amendments to the Great Lakes Charter of 
1985, known as ‘‘Annex 2001’’; 
Whereas one of the primary purposes of Annex 2001 is to 
strengthen the authority of Great Lakes Governors and 
Premiers to make decisions concerning proposals to di-
vert or export Great Lakes water by establishing a com-
•HCON 140 IH 
mon conservation standard by which such decisions will 
be made; and 
Whereas the final commitments proposed in Annex 2001 to 
affirm in-basin authority by way of enacting a basin-
States compact and a cross-border accord with the Prov-
inces of Ontario and Quebec will be presented to Con-
gress for final approval: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress—
(1) recognizes and affirms the efforts of the 
Great Lakes Governors and Premiers in developing 
a common standard for decisions relating to the 
withdrawal of water from the Great Lakes that lead 
to improvement of this binational resource; and 
(2) urges that the management authority over 
the waters of the Great Lakes should remain vested 
with the Governors and Premiers of the eight Great 
Lakes States and two Great Lakes Provinces that 
share stewardship over this vast and valuable nat-
ural resource.
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