Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resource Management in the Great Lakes

This article provides a brief overview of hydraulic fracturing regulation in United States and Canada, with a focus on the state of Michigan and the province of Ontario. It then discusses the ban on new and increased diversions of Great Lakes water in the Agreement and the Compact, and how this ban might be used to protect the Great Lakes from the potentially hazardous practice of fracking. The article also proposes the promulgation and implementation of new rules and regulations under the Compact by the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Council, which would promote sustainable energy development in the Great Lakes Region by giving special attention to the protection and conservation of Great Lakes water resources. Finally, this article concludes that while both the Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces have made a start at regulating hydraulic fracturing, more work needs to be done in order to create a region-wide, comprehensive regulatory system that will ensure the environmental integrity of Great Lakes water for years to come