Lawmaker: 'Our Water Is at Risk'
To the Editor:

In October, presidential candidate Bill Richardson caused a stir when he told the Las Vegas Sun during a campaign stop in Nevada that he wanted a national water policy allowing water-rich northern states like Michigan to send our most precious resource to thirsty states out west.

Recently, Richardson backed off his statements, and his press secretary told the Detroit Free Press that Richardson "in no way proposes federal transfers of water from one region of the nation to the other."

No matter what Richardson or any other politician says, one thing should be clear to all Michigan residents: Our water is at risk. This was just the latest in a long line of ploys and trial balloons meant to divert Michigan's water away from where it belongs. Other states and countries covet our water. They want to turn it into a commodity to be sold for profit. A Canadian company floated the idea of shipping Great Lakes water to Asia in giant tankers. Other states have proposed building pipelines and canals to divert Great Lakes water for their municipal needs.

Threats to the Great Lakes jeopardize our economic future and our very way of life here in the Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan. These threats come at a time when our lakes are already under great pressure. In September, Lake Superior dropped to its lowest average in 147 years of government record keeping. The level fell 1.6 inches below the previous record set in September 1926 during a drought, according to an October 4 article in the Detroit Free Press.

The Great Lakes are absolutely vital to our economy. Michigan's three biggest industries - agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism - depend on healthy Great Lakes water. Boating and fishing alone contribute a combined $4 billion to our state's economy each year, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Many of our families rely on the Great Lakes to make a living, and our state depends on the Great Lakes to help its struggling economy.

That's why I have co-sponsored the "Great Waters, Great Michigan" plan, a package of bills that will protect our most precious natural resource from being taken away and sold for profit.

A big part of the plan involves ratifying the Great Lakes Basin Water Resource Compact. The pact bans diversions of water outside the Great Lakes Basin.

In order for the pact to be binding, all Great Lakes states must approve it. So far, only Minnesota has. It's time for Michigan to take action to ensure the fate of the Great Lakes remains in our own hands.

In addition, the "Great Waters, Great Michigan" plan gets tough with companies that want to use our water.

The plan requires the state to conduct more stringent reviews of companies and municipalities seeking to withdraw large amounts of water. The plan also gives the state the power to revoke a permit if the project is harming our Great Lakes ecosystem.

Another bill in the package increases enforcement of our water protection laws. This part of the plan allows regular citizens to hold companies accountable when they violate water protection laws. We all have a stake in the health of our water, and we should all have equal standing when it comes to protecting it. The bill also increases the maximum civil fine from $1,000 to $10,000 for most water-use violations.

Other parts of the plan require large-scale users, such as municipalities and utilities, to adopt tougher conservation practices. In addition, it allows anyone to file a complaint if they disagree with a permit decision made by the Department of Environmental Quality.

All the pieces of the "Great Waters, Great Michigan" plan work together to ensure that we, as residents of the Great Lakes State, continue to be good stewards of the largest source of fresh water on the planet.

I will be working with my fellow legislators to encourage the passage of these bills and I hope that you also will contact state legislators with your support for this very important issue.

State Representative Gary McDowell

Rudyard