A U.S. congressman is pushing to rename another one of the Great Lakes. Rep. David Maloney says he is preparing a resolution urging U.S. President Donald Trump, Congress, and the United States Secretary of the Interior to begin the process of changing the name of Lake Erie to “Lake Pennsylvania.” “This is Pennsylvania’s only Great Lake. Its modern economy and identity are increasingly tied to the boaters, anglers, families and tourists who come to enjoy it” the Republican congressman said in a news release. “Ohio has plenty of shoreline. New York already has two Great Lakes. Canada has four others… Pennsylvania has one. Let’s call it Lake Pennsylvania!” The call comes in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America.” Despite the president’s executive order, multiple organizations and democratic lawmakers in the U.S. have mocked the decision, saying that they refuse to call the body of water anything but Lake Ontario. Canadian officials are also not recognizing the change, with Prime Minister Mark Carney previously pointing out that the Lake Ontario name predates both Canada and the United States. Trumps decision to change the name of the lake came after a war of words with Ontario Premier Doug Ford last month. While Google Maps in the United States has opted to change the name of the lake, MapQuest said it would not follow suit and even erected a six-foot billboard in Chicago with a tagline that read, “It’s still Lake Ontario. And we’re still here.” In making his case to change the name of Lake Erie, Maloney said visitors are increasingly coming from out-of-state to visit the shoreline in Pennsylvania. “Every summer, Pennsylvanians head toward the lake—north on I-79 from western Pennsylvania, west on I-80 from central and eastern Pennsylvania and along connecting highways from every corner of the Commonwealth—with boats, fishing gear and families in tow,” Maloney said. “They spend the weekend, and money, on Pennsylvania’s Great Lake shoreline and return home Sunday to communities across the Commonwealth. Presque Isle and Erie Bluffs attract millions of visitors annually, and tourism is now one of Erie County’s largest industries.” He noted that the state “punches well above its weight in maintaining the Great Lake’s recreational fishery. It is unclear if the president and other lawmakers will get behind the request.
