Annex 2001 Moves Forward

State legislatures around the Great Lakes will be the next stop for a water diversion plan recently endorsed by the region’s governors and provincial leaders. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Chuck Quirmbach reports:

Transcript

State Legislatures around the Great Lakes will be the next stop for a
water diversion plan recently endorsed by the region’s Governors and
provincial leaders. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Chuck
Quirmbach reports:


The Annex 2001 implementing agreements aim to block any long-
distance diversion of Great Lakes water. The plan may allow some
water to go to communities that straddle the Great Lakes basin. All eight
state legislatures in the region must okay the agreements.


Wisconsin Governor, Jim Doyle, is chair of the Council of Great Lakes
Governors. He says he hopes lawmakers give the plan bi-partisan
support. He says it tries to fairly handle water requests.


“We now have standards, we have a framework, we have a way to
discuss these issues.”


Some lawmakers on the edge of the Great Lakes basin are seeking more
lake water for their communities. So, the debate over the diversion
plan could take several months. If the states sign on, the proposal would
then go to congress for final approval.


For the GLRC, I’m Chuck Quirmbach.

Related Links

Ijc Chairman to Win Confirmation?

President Bush’s nomination to lead a Great Lakes governing council has been held up in the U.S. Senate for 15 months. But there are signals that interim International Joint Commission Chairman Dennis Schornack might soon win confirmation. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Rick Pluta has more:

Transcript

President Bush’s nomination to lead a Great Lakes governing council has been held up in the U.S.
Senate for 15 months. But there are signals that interim International Joint Commission Chairman
Dennis Schornack might soon win confirmation. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Rick Pluta
has more:


Dennis Schornack is President Bush’s nominee to be the U.S. chair of the International Joint
Commission. The IJC resolves disputes over the use of the Great Lakes.


Senator Debbie Stabenow is using a prerogative of her office to hold up his confirmation. The
two are long-time political adversaries. And Stabenow says she has questions over Schornack’s
positions on Great Lakes drilling, and water diversion. But she’s willing to give his record a
second look.


Schornack says he expects she’ll find they agree on a lot – especially the position that Congress
should not have the final word on Great Lakes decisions.


“States and provinces should be in charge. They’re the people with the resources, they’re the
people with the real stake in the Great Lakes.”


Stabenow says she’ll make a decision by September. Schornack’s appointment expires at the end
of the year if the Senate does not act on it.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, this is Rick Pluta.

Related Links

Ijc Hears Concerns Over Task Force Report

An international group that monitors the health of the Great Lakes is working on a report that they hope will help policymakers manage the waters in the basin. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Annie MacDowell reports on a public hearing that took place in Chicago:

Transcript

An international group that monitors the health of the Great Lakes is working on a report that
they hope will help policymakers manage the waters in the basin. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Annie MacDowell reports on a public hearing that took place in Chicago:


Concerned groups responded to a report that came out two weeks ago by the International Water
Uses Review Task Force. The International Joint Commission appointed the task force to
provide an update on developments that have taken place in the basin since the Commission’s
2000 report.


Noah Hall is from the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Office. He says he’s
concerned the task force’s report does not emphasize how serious threats to the Great Lakes have
become.


“The report could mislead the public or interested policy makers and lull policy makers into
complacency in terms of the need and the urgency for basin-wide protection for the Great Lakes,
particularly for ground water.”


Hall said ground water depletion is causing problems in the communities around the Great Lakes
Basin. Other criticisms of the report were its failure to look toward the future on issues like
climate change and water diversion. The U. S. Chairman of the IJC says the Commission will
study all the public’s comments at a retreat and write their official report within two to three
months.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Annie MacDowell.

Commentary – NAFTA Used to Sue Province

Late last month (October) Sun Belt Water of California filed a $10.5
billion suit against the Canadian government under the North American
Free Trade Agreement. The company claims that it has been mistreated
because the province of British Columbia banned the bulk exports of
water. As Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator Suzanne Elston points
out, the outcome of the suit will probably cost us all a lot more than
money:

More Hearings on Water Diversion

A report that recommends a moratorium on exporting Great
Lakes water will be the subject of a series of public hearings. The
Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:

Selling Great Lakes Water

Ever since last year’s attempt by a Canadian company to sell Lake
Superior water to Asia, the issue of Great Lakes water diversion has
been a hot topic. The International Joint Commission has been asked by
the U-S and Canadian governments to prepare a recommendation on the
issue by August. Over the last three weeks, they have been holding a
series of hearings throughout the Great Lakes region to try and gauge
public sentiment. So far, an overwhelming majority of people have been
speaking out against selling or diverting water, but as the Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Mike Simonson reports, that doesn’t necessarily mean
the I-J-C will prohibit the practice:

Great Lakes Diversion

The International Joint Commission is looking into the issue of
diversion of Great Lakes water. They’ve been given six months to
recommend an interim policy. Over the last two weeks, they’ve been
conducting a series of public forums on the issue. I-J-C Chairman Tom
Baldini has a few thoughts:

Water Diversion Plan Dropped

An Ontario company has withdrawn its bid for a permit to sell Lake
Superior water to Asian countries. But, as the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Mike Simonson reports, it probably won’t be the last time
someone will try to divert water from the Great Lakes: