By John Bebow - February 8, 2008
Last week we discussed the ongoing wrangle over the finer points of legislation to enact the Great Lakes Compact.
There's nearly universal agreement that the multi-state compact is a key bulwark against water diversions. And, as longtime political columnist George Weeks notes, there's plenty of lip service, and, in this election year, seeking of even more lip service, to protect the Great Lakes.
But, as the Holland Sentinel succinctly explains, the devil is in the details -- and environmental groups and business groups need to get around a table and seek to work out their differences on water withdrawal details.
Last week, we outlined environmentalists' concerns over new water withdrawal rules. This week, here are the business community's concerns over the possible negative economic consequences of greater regulation.
Both sides make good points.
Here's hoping the two able legislators running the Compact through the Legislature -- Senator Patty Birkholz (R-Saugatuck) and Representative Rebekah Warren, (D-Ann Arbor) -- will soon find common ground and hammer out a workable agreement.
2 Comments
In response to "Compromise and the Great Lakes Compact," I hope the Michigan House and Senate will resolve their differences and approve legislation that promotes the goals of the Great Lakes Compact. I am a proud Michigan native, and I have also lived in arid Western states, including California, Colorado, and New Mexico. I currently reside in Maryland, which is a heavily regulated Mid-Atlantic state adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay. In each of these states, fresh water is regarded as an increasingly precious commodity that must be carefully managed. I sincerely hope that neither environmental extremism, nor the avarice of certain business interests, will prevail in this struggle over Michigan's natural resources, including the fresh water of the Great Lakes Region. A reasoned and balanced approach is essential to the future of Michigan's economy.
We have to change the mindset of people when it comes to water. People must realize that water use is a serious issue and as the population grows, it will become that much more serious. We can reduce water demand by reducing our choices for use(washing our cars, hosing down our driveways, soaking our lawns so we cut can cut them so we can water them so we can..., 40 minute showers, giving our children free reign of the water hose in Summer, but these demand reductions will only work for so long. Eventually, the population size will have to be addressed. Giving our water to bottling plants? Stop, already!
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