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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake located
3entirely in the United States; and
 
4    WHEREAS, When measured by water surface, Lake Michigan is
5the third largest of the Great Lakes; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Lake Michigan is the second largest of the Great
7Lakes by volume; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Approximately 12 million people live along Lake
9Michigan's shore, including the 2.7 million residents of the
10City of Chicago; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Lake Michigan serves as a source of drinking
12water, as a place for swimming and fishing, and as a scenic
13wonderland; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Lake Michigan is a magnificent resource that
15provides an essential home for all kinds of wildlife; and
 
16    WHEREAS, In 2008, Illinois, along with Indiana, Michigan,
17Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin adopted
18a compact banning diversions without concurrence of all
19signatories, which President George W. Bush signed; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Diverting water from Lake Michigan out of the
2Great Lakes Basin would be exorbitant in cost, inefficient, and
3dangerous; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The declining water levels could negatively
5impact industries such as commercial shipping, hydroelectric
6power generation, and recreational boating and fishing, which
7would hinder the economic growth of the region; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The Great Lakes are large bodies of water that
9would not replenish easily; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Experts have already seen environmental changes
11created by the diversion of water; the Great Lakes ice cover
12has been decreasing, while air and water temperatures have been
13rising, which clearly illustrates global climate change in the
14region; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Removing water from this vital body of water sets
16a bad precedent for the protection of this finite resource and
17will put a strain on its water supply; therefore, be it
 
18    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
19ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we adamantly oppose any
20effort to divert water from Lake Michigan, or the other Great

 

 

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1Lakes, to outside of the Great Lakes Basin; and be it further
 
2    RESOLVED, That we strongly support the Great Lakes Basin
3Compact.