ABSTRACT
It should be noted that an inherent strength of the Water Quality Agreement is that it provides a venue for government to government interaction and negotiation where the common interests of the Great Lakes supercedes the separate interest of the two countries. Changes in the relationships between U.S. EPA, Environment Canada and the IJC (which no longer retains its governmental oversight role) along with other factors, such as the U.S. countryspecifi c focus under both the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Restoration Strategy and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (to be discussed later) seem to be undermining the binational cooperation that has developed over the 30plus years of experience with the Water Quality Agreement (Botts and Muldoon 2005). Th is should be a concern to all who value the successful binational process that recognizes the ecosystem fi rst rather than country-specifi c priorities.
