How soon before they start pumping and transferring water from the Great Lakes to the West??

[Ocelot II]

26. None of this can happen because of the Great Lakes Compact.

https://www.protectourgreatlakes.org/compact

THE GREAT LAKES COMPACT

The 2008 Great Lakes Compact is a federal law and binational agreement between Canada and US. It exists to safeguard the largest freshwater ecosystem in the world, the Great Lakes. It’s a unique agreement among eight states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) and two provinces (Quebec and Ontario) to protect the greatest source of freshwater in the world today.

The Great Lakes Compact was created to protect the Great Lakes as a vital economic and cultural resource. The compact details how the Great Lakes Basin’s water supply is used and managed. Included in the compact, is a ban on water diversions outside the Great Lakes Basin, except in rare instances.

COMPACT BECOMES LAW

Environmental groups worked for years with state and federal partners to advocate for passage of a strong Great Lakes Compact, and in 2008 the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact was signed into law.

The process has been long with its first major accomplishment in 2005 when following a nearly five-year negotiation, the Governors of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin reached agreement on the Compact. The Compact provides a comprehensive management framework for achieving sustainable water use and resource protection. The eight Great Lakes States reached a similar, good faith, agreement with Ontario and Québec.

The Great Lakes are a national treasure—important to our nation and the world as both an environmental and economic asset. Our national economy depends on the Great Lakes for industrial uses, hydropower, maritime commerce, agricultural irrigation and many other uses. The Great Lakes are also a globally unique and important environmental resource. The Compact will ensure that the Lakes are used sustainably in order to continue to provide benefits to us all.

The Compact includes the following points:

Economic development will be fostered through sustainable use and responsible management of Basin waters.
In general, there will be a ban on new diversions of water from the Basin but limited exceptions could be allowed in communities near the Basin when rigorous standards are met.
Communities that apply for an exception will have a clear, predictable decision making process; standards to be met; and, opportunities to appeal decisions. …..