A portion of Indiana lies within the Great Lakes basin including Fort Wayne. The only state entirely within the basin is Michigan, (see map below). There is a raging debate over who has the right to the water.
From the Escanaba Daily Press.
Water agreement a bad deal
MIDLAND — In 2001, the governors of states and premiers of Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes region reached an agreement on a charter for dealing with Great Lakes water issues. In order to be binding, it must be put into statute by each of the seven states and two provinces as well as the federal government. To date, only Minnesota, Illinois, Ontario and Quebec have done so.[...]
Under the federal Water Resource Development Act of 1986 (WRDA), the governor of any Great Lakes state has the authority to veto proposed water diversions out of the Great Lakes basin by any other state. Michigan governors of both parties — including Gov. Jim Blanchard and Gov. John Engler — took advantage of this veto power to deny proposed diversion projects.
This has caused tension with other Great Lakes states, which unlike Michigan are not entirely within the basin. For example, while governors of Ohio or Indiana certainly would oppose diverting water to non-Great Lakes states, they may well support diversions to areas that are in their state but outside of the basin. These other states have claimed at times that Michigan is “hypocritical†in denying the use of water to out-of- basin communities in their states, while allowing access to water by communities, utilities and businesses anywhere in Michigan.
[...]
– Michigan would give up its sovereignty regarding water use decisions in the state. A majority of governors could halt particular water-using economic development projects in Michigan, even though this state lies entirely within the basin. Michigan would be turning over water use decisions to the governors of states with which we often compete for jobs.
From the Detroit Free Press.
Let us all in Michigan thank New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson for bringing us together in defense of the Great Lakes. In a state that’s so politically fractured, it’s good to see so many leaders standing side by side on our shores, dukes up and determined.
Richardson, a Democratic candidate for president who will never carry Michigan now, had the nerve to suggest recently that the country needs a “national water policy,” given how parched things are in some states, like his, while “states like Wisconsin are awash in water.”
Since “states like Wisconsin” would include Michigan, battle lines have been drawn to safeguard our most precious natural resource against the nightmare scenario in which the sucking end of a pipeline is dipped into Lake Michigan under some new federal law that says water can be pumped to wherever people need it, even if they choose to live in a desert.
Not long after Richardson’s splash, the state Legislature took up way overdue bills to join a regional compact to keep Great Lakes water in the Great Lakes region. Then Gov. Jennifer Granholm joined the other Great Lakes governors in a message to all presidential candidates demanding to know what plans they have for protecting and restoring the Great Lakes. And in Washington, two members of the Michigan congressional delegation testified on a bill to create a “21st Century Water Commission” for the nation, warning that any commission that tries to tap the Great Lakes invites regional warfare.
“If anyone would try to divert water, I would suspect we’d call up the militia and take up arms,” said the usually reserved Rep. Vern Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids. “We feel that serious about it.”
So Michigan’s ready to bring out their militia to protect their water. It’s not really “their” water, in my opinion anyway. Surrounding states within the basin have a right to the water as well. Reselling it has a commodity to states outside the basin should not be allowed to happen.
Calling the legislation a “subversive attempt” to tap the Great Lakes, Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, said people cannot just keep moving to places without the natural resources to sustain them.
“My constituents are not going to support diverting Great Lakes water, particularly to areas of the United States that have lured jobs and people from Michigan,” she said.
Two very valid points. Maybe those living in Phoenix should shut the sprinklers off on their golf courses.
So – who’s water is it?
DT
If you find this article informative? Consider donating any amount you choose.
No related posts.
Entries (RSS)
It should be availabe proportionately to the states on which it borders. Much like the wildfire situation and katrina, if your dumbass enough to move there, you damn well better be prepared to suffer the consequences without asking us to bail your dumb ass out.
I don’t have time to go into this but some of you may find these links interesting, in addition to the articles Dan commented on:
The IDNR held a public information session in September in Fort Wayne to explain what they wanted to achieve.
“Ron McAhron, Deputy Director, Division of Water, Indiana
Department of Natural Resources, will lead the discussion.
The public meeting on Sept. 26 kicks off a series of three
meetings in northern Indiana to preview state legislation that will
implement the Great Lakes Compact signed by Governor Mitch Daniels and the other seven governors of the Great Lakes States. All of the Great Lakes are threatened by pipeline schemes that would divert water out of the Great Lakes to dry states in the southwest as well as suburban cities outside the watershed. The Great Lakes Compact legislation will create water conservation policy for the eight Great Lakes States.
Fort Wayne’s three rivers are at the top of the Lake Erie
watershed. Over 28 million people drink the Great Lakes water.”
About the GLBC:
http://www.glc.org/about/glbc.html
The blog:
http://wordpress.com/tag/great-lakes-compact/
What the State of Indiana has to say:
http://www.in.gov/dnr/GLWMagreement/index.html
Tim,
With that attitude I hope a tornado knocks your house down but spares your neighbors’. I bet you will ask someone “… to bail your dumb ass out.” That WAS a joke, right? Nobody is that ignorant (I hope).
I kinda have to agree with Tim. There are consequences for living in certain areas. If you live in a dessert, you risk having to suffer out droughts. You live in Ft. Wayne, you have to put up with tornadoes. In either case, you need to do ahead of time things to prepare yourself. No insurance here for wind damage is a mighty fool thing to do. In the desert, cities need to plan ahead for water before they outgrow their supplies. This is serious stuff. Wars have broken out when one region runs out of resources and tries to take another’s. Especially water. And those that have are going to defend it. Good ol’ Vern may not have been joking.
Oh and Tim, Ms. B was at Snider when I had her as a teacher and I did not have your Mom. I brought up the Ms. B when replying to Roach because he had a long post on his website that referred to Ms. B. being a “hot teacher.” Just wanted to give a clue that I read his site.
Ken
Phil, I wouldn’t ask someone to bail my dumb ass out. I’d call my insurance agent, as I have before. Being prepared is sort of a bad habit of mine.
This is my favorite analogy:
You are sitting on the train tracks, and you can hear the whistle blowing far off in the distance, from previous experience you realize a train is headed your way. The cops come by and tell you, Hey…Dumbass…there’s a train coming through here in exactly 5 days between 9:00 and 10:00, you might want to get your dumb ass off the track, cuz see, the train might kill ya. Oh, and dumbass, you might want to take your suitcase off the tracks too.
Every day for 5 days once every hour the cops come by and tell you, “hey dumb ass, there’s a train coming you better move out of the way….If you decide to stay put, you my friend are a dumb ass……
Same kind of analogy can be applied to building a home in the desert and not clearing away the brush from your structure that’s made of uh, wood.
Sorry but stoopid is as stoopid does.
Ken, Diane was an attractive teacher and a hell of a nice lady! She spent a lot of time at my house, I was quite smitten with her.
By the way Phil, I’m NOT averse to helping anybody out in times of need, I’m averse to subsidizing stupidity with tax dollars, as it just breeds more stupidity. Just look around…..
The rain falling on coordinates 41n08 85w08 is MINE!!!!