HARRISBURG, Pa. \u2014 A Berks County Republican who wants Lake Erie renamed \u201cLake Pennsylvania\u201d filed the paperwork Wednesday morning. As of Thursday, that paperwork is all there is.<\/p>\n
Rep. David Maloney, R-130th Dist., of Boyertown, circulated a co-sponsorship memo at 11:05 a.m. Sept. 9 telling House colleagues he will introduce a resolution urging the president, Congress and the interior secretary to rename the lake. The General Assembly\u2019s own page for the memo carries a one-line status: \u201cThis document has not been submitted for introduction yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
That means there is no bill number, no committee referral, no hearing date and no public list of co-sponsors. No member from Lehigh, Northampton or Carbon County has signed on, because nothing has been filed for anyone to sign.<\/p>\n
Maloney had made the case publicly a day earlier, posting a release to his X account Sept. 8 that said Pennsylvania \u201chas only one Great Lake and maybe it is time we put our name on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maloney Says It\u2019s Time for Lake Pennsylvania!
HARRISBURG \u2013 Rep. David Maloney (R-Berks) says Pennsylvania has only one Great Lake and maybe it is time we put our name on it.
Maloney is preparing a resolution urging the President of the United States, Congress, and the United\u2026<\/p>\n
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By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy<\/a> and consent to receive updates.<\/p>\n \t\u2014 David M Maloney (@davidmaloneypa) September 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Even fully passed, a House resolution of this kind urges. It does not rename. Federal name changes run through the U.S. Board on Geographic Names<\/a>, which holds the legal responsibility for standardizing names across the federal government and maintains the Geographic Names Information System.<\/p>\n The working example is two weeks old. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Aug. 27 renaming Lake Ontario as \u201cLake America,\u201d<\/a> directing the interior secretary to act \u201cin coordination with the Board on Geographic Names\u201d within 30 days and to remove all references to Lake Ontario from the database. The Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s Great Lakes statistics table now carries the lake as Lake America.<\/p>\n What followed is the template for a shared lake. Google said in a blog post it had changed the name in Maps for users in the United States, while users in Canada still see Lake Ontario and users elsewhere see both. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a video her state would not use the new name, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a billboard on the Canadian shore reading \u201cLake Ontario \u2014 Now and Always.\u201d<\/p>\n Erie is bounded by Ontario to the north and by Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and New York.<\/p>\n Stay informed on Lehigh Valley politics<\/p>\n Get the latest politics news and updates from across the Valley.<\/p>\n By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy<\/a> and consent to receive updates.<\/p>\n