2 ms·
As a Michigan resident, I would love it if we were able to create a "council of the Great Lakes", made up of all states that share coastlines with one of the 5
by headcanon 8y ago
As a Michigan resident, I would love it if we were able to create a "council of the Great Lakes", made up of all states that share coastlines with one of the 5 lakes, including Ontario and possibly Quebec, and federal representatives from US and CA. The goal would be to align each political unit with environmental regulations that affect the lakes, since what happens to one inevitably affects the rest, especially the downstream lakes Erie and Ontario.
One example would be to prevent things like different regulations between the US side and CA side that allow for barges to dispose of semi-toxic sludge they collect in the CA side of Lake Huron, since they have to clean it properly in the US side per EPA regulations. No citations for the above but I've heard rumors.
Even more serious is the underwater Line 5 Oil Pipeline that runs parallel to the Mackinac Bridge. A spill in that region affects the entire region, yet only MI and the Trump-led EPA have any decision power as to what to do about it.
Natural bodies transcend political units, and environmental regulations need to do the same, as pessimistic as I am about how realistic that is.
- Scoundreller 8y agoIt sorta exists: the Canadian/U.S. Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries. And the Great Lakes Fishery Commission: http://www.glfc.org/index.php http://www.glfc.org/index.php
- jt2190 8y ago> ... I would love it if we were able to create a "council of the Great Lakes", made up of all states that share coastlines with one of the 5 lakes, including Ontario and possibly Quebec, and federal representatives from US and CA. International Joint Commission https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Joint_Commission https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Joint_Commissi...
- ahartman00 8y agoHow about a charter, or compact :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes_Compact https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes_Compact https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes%E2%80%93Saint_Lawrence_River_Basin_Sustainable_Water_Resources_Agreement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes%E2%80%93Saint_Lawr... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes_Charter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes_Charter