A southeastern Pennsylvania legislator, who lives more than five hours from Erie County, wants to rename the Great Lake it borders.
State Rep. David Maloney of Berks County, R-130th Dist., issued a Sept. 9 memo to all Pennsylvania House of Representatives members titled “It’s Time for Lake Pennsylvania.” His effort to rename Lake Erie comes just weeks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America.
But those who live and work closer to Lake Erie oppose a change of its name. Local leaders and legislators called Maloney’s proposal a political stunt and said it takes away from centuries of history here, including that of the Native American people known as the Eriez or Erie and the local connections to the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812.
What is Maloney proposing?
In his memo, Maloney said: “In the near future, I will introduce a resolution urging the President of the United States, Congress and the United States Secretary of the Interior to take the necessary steps to rename Lake Erie as ‘Lake Pennsylvania.’”
Why change Lake Erie’s name?
In Maloney’s justification for the name change, he said that Pennsylvanians head to Lake Erie every summer and “tourism is now one of Erie County’s largest industries.” He also cited Pennsylvania’s efforts to maintain the Great Lakes recreational fishery, saying that despite a relatively small share of Lake Erie’s shoreline, the state stocks the waters with steelhead and brown trout.
“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,” he went on to say. “Ohio has plenty of shoreline. New York already has two Great Lakes. Canada has four others,” Maloney said while pointing out that Pennsylvania only has Lake Erie. “Let’s call it Lake Pennsylvania,” his memo said.
In a Sept. 11 newsletter distributed via email with a subject line of “Lake Pennsylvania Proposal Generates Democrat Threats and Hate Mail,” Maloney said, “Unfortunately, calls and emails to my office don’t seek to discuss the issue. Instead, I get messages calling me names and spewing invective that my staff has read and hear as well. Are folks not aware that it’s not unusual for different peoples to refer to the same thing by different names? Can they not engage in conversation?”
Reaction of Erie-area leaders
The Erie Times-News reached out to various area leaders and legislators for their reaction to Maloney’s memo. Here is what some had to say:
State Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, of Millcreek Township, D-3rd Dist.: “When Trump pulls a stunt like this, it’s usually because he wants you looking anywhere but at soaring costs or the Epstein files he still hasn’t fully released.
“So what exactly is this ridiculous stunt supposed to distract Pennsylvanians from?
“Enough of Maloney’s malarkey. Lake Erie is Lake Erie. Period.”
Erie County Executive Christina Vogel: “Lake Erie’s name reflects the layers of our history, from the Indigenous Erie people to the pivotal role our region played in the War of 1812. Preserving this name honors our past and the contributions that helped shape our nation.”
A statement sent on behalf of Erie County affirms that the name should remain unchanged. The statement said the legacy of the Indigenous tribe “is woven into the identity of both Lake Erie and Erie County, and we remain committed to recognizing and respecting that history.” It also said that “Lake Erie holds national significance” because the American victory in the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie “marked a turning point for the young United States.”
State Sen. Dan Laughlin, of Millcreek Township, R-16th Dist.: “This political stunt is ridiculous and shows a complete lack of understanding of Erie’s history and what this lake means to our region. Lake Erie itself takes its name from the Erie people who lived along these shores long before our nation was founded. Later, Oliver Hazard Perry built his fleet right here in Erie before defeating the British in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. That legacy is woven not only into the identity of our community, but into the story of our nation. I’m not sure why a legislator from a landlocked district on the other side of Pennsylvania thinks Lake Erie needs a new name, but I’m quite confident it will still be Lake Erie long after this stunt.”
State Rep. Pat Harkins of Erie, D-1st Dist.: “When I learned of my colleague, Rep. Maloney, suggesting that he intended to introduce legislation to rename Lake Erie to Lake Pennsylvania, I chuckled to myself and chalked it up to mere silly political opportunism of the moment. After I dug deeper into the issue I was saddened; there is no humor in it at all and it is, indeed, rank political opportunism at the expense of our regional history and a people. …
“As a proud member of the Great Lakes Commission, I have always represented Lake Erie with honor and I, in league with my colleagues on the commission, adamantly resist and reject any attempts to marginalize or undermine any aspect of the significance of the Great Lakes, along with our friends and allies in Canada and their waterways. …
“We always welcome friends and colleagues to our communities with open arms and feel enriched to share the awe of our Lake and our Region but please respect our history and our public trust responsibility; don’t advocate for and try to change something so significant to so many just to try and curry favor with a very few in a short sighted, politically opportunistic and thinly veiled act of diversion from the real issues faced by real people in our region.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly of Butler, R-16th Dist.: “Lake Erie should always be named Lake Erie. Plain and simple.”
Erie Mayor Daria Devlin couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
