A long AP story in the LA Times today reports that "U.S. states and Canadian provinces are developing rules for how and when the inland seas can be tapped for fresh water." According to the story:
Of particular concern is the western United States, with its surging population, demand for water — and political clout."There are threats, and they promise to increase over time," said David Naftzger, executive director of the Council of Great Lakes Governors.
Now, the region's governments are debating how to protect the inland seas, tributaries and connecting channels that make up 20% of the world's fresh surface water.
Although vast enough to spread a 9 1/2 -foot-deep sheet across the continental United States, the lake system is heavily burdened.
Nearly 40 million thirsty people live in the region, and its $2-trillion economy features water-dependent industries such as auto manufacturing, shipping, tourism and agriculture. * * *
Three years after agreeing to regulate large-scale water withdrawals, the Council of Great Lakes Governors released a detailed plan in July.
A public comment period ended in October, and the region's eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces plan to vote on a revised version in the spring.
Some environmentalists praise the plan for requiring that any new diversion of water outside the Great Lakes drainage basin meet tough conservation standards.
But critics say there's a fatal flaw: The plan concedes that such diversions could happen instead of simply prohibiting them.
Regional business groups are worried too because the plan would regulate major new uses of Great Lakes water within the region itself.
That could inhibit economic growth by creating more bureaucracy and leaving companies uncertain about future water availability, they say.
"If we want to grow and prosper, we can't lock up our water," said George Kuper, president of the Council of Great Lakes Industries, whose members include the likes of General Motors Corp. and Eastman Kodak Co. "We should remember that it's a recyclable resource, and focus on how to use it wisely and efficiently."
Defenders of the plan say it's unrealistic — and probably unconstitutional — for people in the region to treat the lakes as a bottomless well while demanding frugality of others.
"We should do better at living within our own means," said Emily Green, Great Lakes program director for the Sierra Club's Midwestern office in Madison, Wis.