Pennsylvania Lawmaker Pushes Trump’s Nationalist Agenda with Absurd Lake Erie Renaming Scheme
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State Rep. David Maloney, echoing Trump’s nationalist rhetoric, introduced a resolution to rename Lake Erie as 'Lake Pennsylvania,' disregarding the lake’s shared heritage and the interests of neighboring states and Canada.
State Rep. David Maloney, a Republican from Pennsylvania, has announced plans to introduce a resolution urging President Donald Trump, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and congressional leaders to rename Lake Erie as 'Lake Pennsylvania.' This move, steeped in nationalist posturing, seeks to erase the shared history and ecological significance of the Great Lakes region in favor of parochial state pride. Maloney claims the change would reflect the lake’s role in Pennsylvania’s modern economy and tourism, ignoring the fact that Lake Erie is a vital resource for millions across state and national borders.
'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,' Maloney said, as if the lake’s value is exclusive to Pennsylvania. He further argued that neighboring states already have multiple Great Lakes shorelines, suggesting Pennsylvania deserves special recognition, a divisive stance that disregards regional cooperation.
This proposal follows Trump’s recent executive order to rename Lake Ontario as 'Lake America,' a move widely criticized and recognized only by U.S. federal agencies and some American mapping services. Canadian officials have rejected the renaming, highlighting the unilateral and isolationist nature of these actions. The order does not affect international or provincial usage, underscoring its symbolic, rather than practical, impact.
Lake Erie, the smallest and shallowest of the Great Lakes, sustains a watershed population of about 12 million people, including roughly 10.5 million in the United States and 1.9 million in Canada. Maloney’s resolution seeks to formalize a name change at the federal level, but it would not compel other nations or private map providers to adopt it, rendering the effort little more than a performative gesture in the ongoing culture war.