On Friday, the Associated Press reported that the governor of Ohio, Ted Strickland, had signed into law Ohio's agreement to be part of the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact.

The Great Lakes harbor 20 percent of the world's surface freshwater supply.This is another step forward for an effort that began in December 2005, with New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana. The compact prevents the pipelining of Great Lakes water away from, as well as requiring states to enforce conservation measures for water within, the Great Lakes drainage basin. Ontario and Quebec have enacted similar laws regarding conservation of the basin.

Right now only Michigan and Pennsylvania still have to pass the agreement, with Michigan's Gov. Jennifer Granholm ready to sign the bill, and Pennsylvania awaiting state Senate approval and ratification by the governor.

The Great Lakes agreement still has its fair share of hurdles before it is signed into United States law. After all the states surrounding the basin have ratified the bill, Congress and the president must also approve. Supporters of the compact believe that there is no majority opposition in either congress, President Bush's administration, or as part of the agenda's of either Sens. Obama or McCain.