Chair's Letter

It was an honor to serve as the Chair of the Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers (GSGP) during the last two years. I thank Governor DeWine for serving as Vice Chair and for his shared leadership.

My term as Chair came to a close at the end of GSGP’s recent Leadership Summit that took place from October 4-6 in Québec City. It was a great opportunity to share the results of all of our hard work including: 

•    The launch of a regional Sustainable Agriculture initiative. I thank Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development Director Tim Boring for leading this initiative.
•    A Great Lakes Governors’ letter to the US Congress calling for full federal funding for operations and maintenance of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project.
•    A University of Michigan report on regional electricity supply, demand, and emissions. 
•    Resolutions on sustainable agriculture, regional economic development, and maritime transportation.  
•    44 companies have now signed the 100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge.
•    More than 27 million trees were planted across the region in 2024, working toward the goal to plant 250 million trees by 2033.

I congratulate Governor Shapiro, the new GSGP Chair, and Governor Braun, the new Vice Chair. I look forward to continuing to work with them and all of you on our agenda for growth.

Gretchen Whitmer
Chair, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers, 2023-2025
Governor, State of Michigan