The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards recruited to an environmental partnership Monday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard Ninth District.
Rear Adm. Michael Johnston, Commander of the United States Coast Guard Ninth District joined Canadian Coast Guard Central Region Assistant Commissioner Marc-André Meunier for an updated signing of the Great Lakes Geographic Annex (CANUSLAK) agreement between the two coast guards in Montreal, Quebec on Monday.
The Coast Guard says that keeping these waters clean and safe from threats of pollution is a top priority for both coast guards. The agreement is an operational annex plan to the bilateral Joint Marine Pollution Contingency Plan between United States and Canada, established to ensure coordinated planning, preparedness and response to any pollution incidents in shared waters on the Great Lakes and connecting waterways between. It allows both coast guards to work together efficiently to mitigate any potential pollution impacts in the environment.
The area of responsibility under the agreement extends along the United States-Canadian border, from the St. Lawrence River to the western point of Lake Superior – a distance of approximately 2,400 kilometers.
The agreement is reviewed and updated (if required) every five years.