Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers
The Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers is a North American intergovernmental organization led by the governing chief executives of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Québec and the US states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Through the organization, they seek to grow the region's economy and protect the Great Lakes. The organization began in 1983 as the Council of Great Lakes Governors to encourage and facilitate environmentally responsible economic development. The Council now serves as secretariat to the Governors’ Compact  Council and the Governor and Premiers’ Regional Body. History. The Conference Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers is an organization of the chief executives from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Québec and Wisconsin. Through the organization, the Governors and Premiers seek to expand the regional $6 trillion economy and protect the world's largest system of surface fresh water. The Conference builds upon over 30 years of work by the US's Council of Great Lakes Governors to encourage and facilitate environmentally responsible economic development. The Governors of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio  and Wisconsin created the Council of Great Lakes Governors in 1983. The original goal was to create a non-partisan forum to promote regional agreements on issues of concern for the states of the Great Lakes region. In 1989, the Governors of New York and Pennsylvania joined the council. In more recent years, the Premiers of Ontario and Quebec joined with the Governors as associate members, and in 2015, the organization launched the "Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers," to signify the increasing binational cooperation. Since its inception, the Conference has led regional efforts to protect  the environment and accelerate the region's economy. The initial focus of the organization was biomass energy. The organization administered the regional biomass energy program in coordination with the United States Department of Energy from 1983–2009. They received over $13 million in federal funding which was then provided as grants to the states geared toward biomass energy promotion. In the following years, the Governors and Premiers entered into a number of agreements developed through the organization. In 1985, the Governors and Premiers signed the Great Lakes Charter, a regional water management agreement. In 1986, the Governors signed the Toxic  Substances Control Agreement, ultimately resulting in the establishment of the Great Lakes Protection Fund in 1989, the first multi-state publicly seeded foundation and trust fund dedicated to the environment. The TSCA also helped launch the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Great Lakes Water Quality Initiative in the 1990s. In 1988, the Governors signed the Economic Development Agreement, and with the Premiers in 1989, created Great Lakes of North America (now Great Lakes USA), a tourist promotional arm of the organization. In 1990, they opened their first international trade office in Canada. The organization has since opened trade offices in  Brazil, Chile, Mexico, South Africa, Australia, India, the United Kingdom, Germany and China. In 2003, the organization identified nine priorities to restore and protect the Great Lakes. These priorities served as the basis for the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration, which was launched following a Presidential Executive Order. In 2009, President Barack Obama launched the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative which has already provided over $2 billion in federal funding to help achieve the priorities. In 2005, the organization completed the creation of a binding, regional framework to manage and protect the water supply of the Great Lakes—St. Lawrence River  Basin. The Governors and Premiers signed the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement and the Governors endorsed the companion Great Lakes Compact. This Compact was enacted into United States law in 2008 following approval by the state legislatures and the United States Congress. Economic development. The organization's goals are to enhance competitiveness, grow the regional economy and create jobs. Ongoing initiatives include: Environmental protection. The organization's goal is to restore and protect the region's waters. Ongoing initiatives include: