Associated Press, 10.03.08
President Bush on Friday signed a long-debated compact designed to prevent Great Lakes water from being sent to thirsty areas while requiring the region's eight states to regulate their own water use.
It was the final step in a nearly decade-long quest to strengthen legal protections against diverting water from the system consisting of the five lakes, their connecting channels and the St. Lawrence River.
They contain nearly 20 percent of the world's fresh surface water and supply eight states and two Canadian provinces, which have a combined population of roughly 40 million.
President Bush on Friday signed a long-debated compact designed to prevent Great Lakes water from being sent to thirsty areas while requiring the region's eight states to regulate their own water use.
It was the final step in a nearly decade-long quest to strengthen legal protections against diverting water from the system consisting of the five lakes, their connecting channels and the St. Lawrence River.
They contain nearly 20 percent of the world's fresh surface water and supply eight states and two Canadian provinces, which have a combined population of roughly 40 million.