Pennsylvania state Rep. David Maloney, a Republican, has introduced a resolution urging President Donald Trump to rename Lake Erie to 'Lake Pennsylvania', citing the lake’s economic and cultural ties to the state.
The resolution, which Maloney is preparing to introduce, calls on Trump, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Capitol Hill lawmakers to support the renaming effort. Maloney argued in a statement that Lake Erie is Pennsylvania’s only Great Lake and that its modern identity is closely linked to the state’s tourism, fishing, and boating industries.
"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. "Ohio has plenty of shoreline. New York already has two Great Lakes. Canada has four others."
The proposal follows Trump’s recent executive order renaming Lake Ontario to 'Lake America', a move that has drawn criticism from Canadian officials. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stated in response, "Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always."
Lake Erie is the smallest and shallowest of the Great Lakes by volume, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. It has a watershed of about 12 million people, including 10.5 million in the U.S. and 1.9 million in Canada.
The renaming effort applies only to U.S. federal government references, meaning Canada, other international bodies, and U.S. states are not required to acknowledge the change. However, Apple Maps and Google Maps updated their U.S. versions to reflect the new name for Lake Ontario after Trump’s order.
Maloney’s resolution has not yet been formally introduced in the Pennsylvania legislature, and its prospects for passage remain unclear. The proposal comes amid broader debates over state identity, federal authority, and international relations in the context of geographical naming conventions.