TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — After four years of talks, negotiators have reached a deal aimed at preventing outsiders from raiding Great Lakes water and encouraging more efficient use of the coveted resource within the region.
"There were many difficult issues that required compromise, but a consensus has been reached," David Naftzger, executive director of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, said Friday.
Regulation of water use within the basin would be left up to each state and province, in keeping with standards designed to protect the ecosystem. They would be required to adopt conservation programs.
In other words, the concept of a common standard for all the states to enforce -- the ecosystem management rationale that inspired the document -- is now abandoned. The new drafts have some merit, but this is a disappointment.
Posted by Dave at November 18, 2005 07:06 PM