Republican Representative David Maloney is seeking a resolution to rename Lake Erie as Lake Pennsylvania. This move follows an executive order by President Donald Trump that rebranded Lake Ontario as Lake America.
The push for Lake Pennsylvania as the Commonwealth's sole Great Lake
Representative David Maloney, a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, argues that the state deserves a naming honor because Lake Erie is the only Great Lake that Pennsylvania possesses. According to the report, Maloney believes the state's modern identity and economy are deeply linked to the tourists, anglers, and boaters who visit the shoreline.
The proposal emphasizes the economic importance of the region, specifically noting that tourism has beocme one of the largest industries in Erie County. Maloney highlighted that destinations such as Erie Bluffs and Presque Isle attract millions of annual visitors.. He further claimed that Pennsylvania "punches well above its weight" in the management of the lake's recreational fishery, contrasting the state's single-lake status with New York's two Great Lakes and Canada's four.
The Lake America precedent and the MapQuest defiance of September 10
The effort to rename Lake Erie is a direct response to President Donald Trump's executive order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America. This initial rebranding has sparked a significant divide among technology companies and government agencies. While Google Maps in the United States has already adopted the "Lake America" designation, other services have resisted the change.
As the report says, MapQuest has explicitly refused to follow the executive order. In a public display of defiance on September 10, 2026, MapQuest General Manager Doug Berger provided "Questies" with printed directions to Lake Ontario from Chicago. This conflict reflects a broader trend of using geographic nomenclature as a tool for political signaling, turning cartography into a battleground between federal mandates and corporate or regional identity.
Mark Carney's rejection of the Lake America rebranding
The geopolitical tension surrounding these name changes extends beyond U.S. borders, as Canadian officials refuse to recognize the "Lake America" label. Prime Minister Mark Carney has pointed out that the name Lake Ontario predates the existence of both the United States and Canada, suggesting that the historical legacy of the water outweighs modern political directives.
This international friction complicates Representative David Maloney's ambitions for Lake Erie. Because Lake Erie is shared between the United States and Canada—and touches New York and Ohio in addition to Pennsylvania—any formal name change would likely trigger similar diplomatic disputes. The current standoff between Ontario Premier Doug Ford and U.S. officials illustrates how these naming disputes can escalate into broader political fights.
The federal hurdle facing the Pennsylvania House resolution
Despite the enthusiasm of Representative David Maloney, the proposed resolution to create "Lake Pennsylvania" is nonbinding. For the name change to become official, the resolution would first need to be considered by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives before a formal request is sent to Washington. Even then, the process would require the cooperation of President Donald Trump,the U.S. Congress, and the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
Several critical details remain unknown, as Maloney's office has not yet specified when the resolution will be formally introduced to the House. Furthermore, it remains unclear if the U.S. Secretary of the Interior would be willing to initiate a renaming process for a body of water shared by multiple states and a sovereign foreign nation. For now, the lake remains officially Lake Erie, regardless of the legislative push in Harrisburg.
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