The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) is a non-binding agreement between the U.S. and Canada that was first signed by Prime Minister Trudeau and President Nixon in 1972, and subsequently revised in 1978 and 1987. It commits the two countries to protecting the health of the ecosystem, prohibiting the discharge of pollution in toxic amounts, and to virtually eliminating dangerous, persistent toxic substances. Discussions about renegotiating the GLWQA began in 2006, followed by a series of public meetings around the Great Lakes basin organized by the International Joint Commission on the Great Lakes and additional public comment was over the Internet. There was significant agreement that, while the GLWQA remains critically important to fostering binational cooperation in the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes, it is necessary to bring the GLWQA up to date to reflect the science and policy advances of the past twenty years.  You can visit www.binational.net for more information on the process and opportunities for your input.

As a result of these discussions, the GLWQA is now being renegotiated, and unfortunately, their plan for including public input falls far short of what we would like to see. We have joined with several other Great Lakes groups to request major changes in the outreach and commenting plan. You can read the press release issued by Great Lakes United explaining these changes here. We encourage you to contact the parties to let them know that you support the recommendations outlined below, and that you will be watching the process to assure the maximum amount of public input from all stakeholders.

The Great Lakes Green Chemistry Network will be taking an active role in promoting the adoption of the principles of green chemistry as one of the tools the parties turn to in their effort to eliminate and reduce chemicals contamination of the Great Lakes. We will be drafting an Green Chemistry Annex which we will submit to the parties to be included in the Agreement, and we will continue to press for the maximum opportunities for public engagement in this process.

We will report all developments here and will post the draft Annex when it is ready and encourage comments and suggestions. We believe that the principles and science of green chemistry represent an unparalled opportunity to advance the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes, and to promote new research not only in the design, production and use of chemicals which affect the Lakes, but also in innovative approaches to addressing legacy contamination. We look forward to your suggestions of ways in which the Great Lakes Green Chemistry Network work to advance these goals.