November 28, 2005, Tarrytown, New York - An international coalition of grassroots environmental advocates announced today its disappointment with several key provisions of the latest draft Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement and the companion state Compact.
Waterkeeper Alliance, one of the world’s fastest growing environmental coalitions, has 143 members around the globe, including 15 member programs in the Great Lakes Basin.
http://great-lakes.net/lists/enviro-mich/last30days/msg17656.html
The compact signed today in Milwaukee by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm and chief executives of other Great Lakes states reflects important improvements but does not go far enough to save the Great Lakes from the coming threats of large-scale water withdrawals, exports and water sales, Clean Water Action, Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation and PIRGIM said today.
The Compact signed by Governor Granholm is an improvement over the region’s patchwork of laws, the groups said. Admirably, the agreements ban all diversions of water by nearly any means out of the basin, except for diversions through the extension of water service pipelines to communities or growing urban areas that straddle the basin divide. They also impose standards on reasonable use of water inside the basin, including environmental and conservation measures.
But the Compact fails to close important holes in the region’s system of water protection, leaving a “leaky bucket” of protection, said David Holtz, Michigan Director of Clean Water Action. “Michigan will have to set a higher standard of stewardship if we’re to save the Lakes,” said Holtz.
http://great-lakes.net/lists/enviro-mich/last30days/msg17655.html
Posted by Dave at December 13, 2005 06:10 PM