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History of the Fund

The Great Lakes Protection Fund was developed after two decades of increasingly cooperative efforts to address the lakes' ecological problems. Since the 1972 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada, major regional efforts have resulted in:

• the 1985 Great Lakes Charter, which regulates diversions of Great Lakes water;
  
• the 1986 Toxic Substances Control Agreement, which established a regional framework for controlling toxic pollutants; and
  
• a 1986 oil drilling ban to reduce damage to beaches and wildlife.
  

In 1988, the Council of Great Lakes Governors and the Center for the Great Lakes developed a structure for the Great Lakes Protection Fund, and the Great Lakes states pledged $97 million to create the permanent endowment.

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