Pennsylvania Republican state Representative David Maloney is pushing to rename Lake Erie to “Lake Pennsylvania,” arguing that the state’s economic ties, tourism, and recreational fishery warrant the change, according to a news release. Maloney plans to introduce a formal resolution urging President Donald Trump, Congress, and the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to make the change in federal records.
The Push for Lake Pennsylvania
The proposal targets the state’s only Great Lake, a body of water that lawmakers argue holds outsized importance for Pennsylvania’s modern identity and local economies. According to a memo sent to fellow lawmakers by Maloney and cited by The Philadelphia Inquirer, millions of visitors travel to Presque Isle and the Erie Bluffs annually, driving vital tourism revenue for Erie County.
Maloney highlighted Pennsylvania’s heavy investment in the lake’s recreational fishery. Citing the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s 2025 report, Maloney noted that Pennsylvania stocked nearly 500,000 yearling steelhead last year. That figure accounts for roughly 40% of all steelhead in the lake, representing a larger stocking share than any other bordering U.S. state or Canadian province.
“This is Pennsylvania’s only Great Lake,” Maloney said in a post on X, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer. “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!”
Precedent From Lake Ontario
The legislative effort follows a recent federal action involving another Great Lake. On Aug. 27, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Secretary of the Interior and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to update federal records and begin calling Lake Ontario “Lake America,” according to reporting by CBC News and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Maloney’s proposed resolution mirrors that federal momentum, seeking to shift official nomenclature to better reflect regional stewardship. However, the measure has not yet been formally introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Historical and Environmental Concerns
The naming proposal has drawn pushback and caution from academic and historical experts. Ken Drouillard, a professor at the University of Windsor who teaches a course on the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and works with the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER), told CBC News that renaming watercourses with deep historical significance breaks vital connections to the past.
“We ultimately become poorer for this loss,” Drouillard told CBC News. “Names are more than just labels on a map, they connect us to place and history.”
Drouillard noted that Lake Erie’s name derives from First Nation naming conventions that predate both the United States and Canada. The name originates from a short form of the Indigenous word erielhonan, which translates to “long tail.” Drouillard also pointed out that altering the lake’s name could complicate historical references, such as the Erie Canal—an engineering marvel opened in 1825 that connected Lake Erie to the Hudson River and the Port of New York City.
Meanwhile, local and international officials have largely withheld immediate comment. According to CBC News, the office of Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament Trevor Jones declined to provide a statement on the proposal, while federal representative MP Dave Epp’s office cited prior commitments preventing an interview.