Although the Great Lakes Compact failed to move out of the state Assembly Tuesday, Gov. Jim Doyle recently said he would call a special legislative session to pass the bill.

The GLC is a propsed agreement agreement between areas surrounding the Great Lakes and aims to conserve the water in the region and reduce future depletions. Doyle spokesperson Carla Vigue said the governor hoped the GLC would pass earlier in the Assembly, but would call a special session once he was sure there were enough votes to pass it.

Mike Bruhn, spokesperson for state Rep. Scott Gunderson, R-Waterford, the chair of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, said Assembly Republicans wanted to protect the state’s best interests.

“We want to make sure whatever we pass, it does not put Wisconsin at an economic disadvantage to the rest of the [Great Lakes] basin,” Bruhn said.

Bruhn said Gunderson is concerned about the GLC changing groundwater laws to adversely affect property owners, along with other states having too much authority over future Wisconsin water projects.

Melissa Malott, water program director at the environmental group Clean Wisconsin, said the Assembly Republicans are debating are “red herrings.” Malott said the Senate version of the bill, which recently passed 26-6, would give Wisconsin more authority in future regional water projects than under current law.

She said the GLC compact does not change existing water laws, and negotiations over a special session are already going on.