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Thursday, July 17, 2008
Boating Scores Victory (TradeOnlyToday.com)
"It’s been 7½ years in the making, but last week the 8 Great Lakes states ratified an interstate Compact that will create unprecedented protections for the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin. The eight States of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin will now send their Compact to Congress.
The marine industry and recreational (and commercial) boaters have been among the strongest supporters of the Compact. Among many other things, the Compact bans any diversion of Great Lakes water to places outside its watershed, with limited exceptions. Also, any water that gets removed from the basin must be returned. The five Great Lakes comprise the largest surface freshwater system in the world.
In addition, the Great Lakes region is home to more registered pleasure boats than any other part of the country. Five of the nation’s top 10 states in boat registrations are contiguous Great Lakes states. The region is home to more than 4.6 million registered recreational boats. Moreover, lawmakers in the Great Lakes-bordering Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, where there are another 1.6 million pleasure boats, signed a companion agreement in a parallel process that respects Canadian laws." - Norm Shultz, Trade-Only Today Blog
Entire Post Here at TradeOnlyToday.com