A Pa. state lawmaker wants to turn Lake Erie into Lake Pennsylvania

Abigail Covington, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Sep 11, 2026

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PHILADELPHIA — Rep. David Maloney, a Republican who represents parts of Berks County, wants to rename Lake Erie to “Lake Pennsylvania,” arguing that the state’s only Great Lake has become increasingly important to Pennsylvania’s economy and identity.

Maloney plans to introduce a resolution that would urge President Donald Trump, Congress, and the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to take the necessary steps to change the lake’s name, according to a recent news release.

In a memo to fellow lawmakers, Maloney pointed to the millions of Pennsylvanians who visit nearby Presque Isle and the Erie Bluffs each year, and to tourism’s importance to Erie County. He also argued that Pennsylvania plays an outsized role in supporting the lake’s recreational fishery, despite having a small share of its shoreline. According to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s 2025 report, Pennsylvania stocked almost 500,000 yearling steelhead last year, or roughly 40% of all steelhead in the lake, and more than any other state or Canadian province.

“This is Pennsylvania’s only Great Lake,” Maloney said in a post on X. “Its modern economy and identity are increasingly tied to the boaters, anglers, families and tourists who come to enjoy it.”

“Ohio has plenty of shoreline. New York already has two Great Lakes. Canada has four others,” he said. “Pennsylvania has one. Let’s call it Lake Pennsylvania!”

The proposal comes shortly after Trump ordered the federal government to begin calling Lake Ontario “Lake America.” Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 27 directing the Secretary of the Interior and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to make the change in federal records.

Maloney’s resolution has not yet been formally introduced in the Pennsylvania House.