Letter to John Kasich, Governor of the State of Ohio - Ohio House Bill 231 Jeopardize the Great Lakes and Surrounding States and Provinces

Letter

Dear Governor Kasich,

As members of the bipartisan House Great Lakes Task Force we write today to express our concerns regarding House Bill 231. The legislation currently awaiting your signature would allow for the unfettered use of Lake Erie waters and has serious consequences for the whole Great Lakes basin.

The Great Lakes Basin holds 95 percent of the United States surface fresh water, provides drinking water to 40 million people, supports 1.5 million jobs, provides transportation for raw materials and finished goods, and is home to more than 3,500 species of plants and animals. The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact (the Compact) represents a decade of collaboration and compromise among the eight Great Lakes states and the federal government that the Great Lakes are a national treasure and need to be protected. As a region with a unique asset we must continue to unite and uphold the Compact.

Specific concerns regarding Ohio House Bill 231 were brought to our attention through various outlets, including the testimonies from the University of Toledo, University of Michigan, Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, Ohio State University, Kent State University, and the National Wildlife Federation.

Ohio House Bill 231, amongst other things, would allow an excessive amount of water to be withdrawn from Ohio's portion of Lake Erie and its tributaries without any oversight. Under this legislation a water user would not have to seek a permit unless there was a new withdrawal of five million gallons of water a day averaged from Lake Erie, two million gallons a day averaged from a river or groundwater source, and 300,000 gallons of water a day averaged from a high-quality, small stream.

These threshold numbers surpass the states and provinces surrounding Lake Erie and the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are a shared resource. Withdraws that occur in Ohio's Lake Erie basin do not only impact Ohio, they also impact Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ontario, and Pennsylvania's waters.

In addition, an applicant can consume -- withdraw and not return -- up to 100 million gallons of Lake Erie water and 50 million gallons of water from a river or groundwater without being considered an impact to Lake Erie under Ohio House Bill 231. That is just one water user, multiply this by many and Lake Erie should anticipate lower Lake levels; increased harmful algal blooms, higher waste and drinking water infrastructure rates, decreased habitat for sport and commercial fishing, and decreased tourism revenue, jobs, and related taxes.

Three years ago, Ohio made a commitment to the Great Lakes states and provinces to conserve and sustainably use Lake Erie waters. Ohio House Bill 231 does not live up to this commitment and will jeopardize the Great Lakes and the surrounding states and provinces.

In all, we respectfully request careful consideration of our concerns as this legislation awaits your pending decision.

Sincerely,
Candice S. Miller
Member of Congress

John D. Dingell
Member of Congress

Louise M. Slaughter
Member of Congress

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