Governor Quinn Welcomes Great Lakes Governors and Canadian Premiers to Chicago

CHICAGO – Governor Pat Quinn today welcomed Governors and representatives from the eight Great Lakes states and two Canadian provinces to Chicago for the Council of Great Lakes Governors 2014 executive meeting. The two-day summit is focused on protection of the Great Lakes and finding innovative ways to grow the economy throughout the Great Lakes region.

“We all share the Great Lakes and the responsibility to protect them,” Governor Quinn said. “I look forward to working with this group of regional leaders and taking action on important economic and environmental issues facing the Great Lakes. Together we will find ways to grow the regional economy and ensure safe and clean Great Lakes for generations to come.”

The Council of Great Lakes Governors, which was formed in 1983, is a non-partisan partnership of the Governors of the eight Great Lakes states to tackle the severe environmental and economic challenges then facing the Great Lakes region. In more recent years, the Premiers of Ontario and Québec have joined with the Governors in advancing the high performance economy of the Great Lakes region.

The Great Lakes Governors share a dual stewardship for both the world’s single largest source of fresh water and the economic heartland of North America. The Great Lakes contain one-fifth of the world’s fresh water. The region generates nearly 30 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product and about 60 percent of all U.S. manufacturing. Today, the Council's Governors lead strategic alliances to protect our region's natural resources and sustain the region’s economy.

Governor Quinn and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, Co-Chairs of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, are hosting the event and are being joined by representatives of Québec Premier Philippe Couillard and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne; Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker; and Senior representatives of Indiana Governor Mike Pence, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Ohio Governor John Kasich and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett.