Michigan
Great Lakes, Great Michigan
Background
On February 28, 2006 Governor Granholm signed into law the first ever package of bills regulating water withdrawals in Michigan. The new water use laws, encompassed in Public Acts 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 of 2006, reflect a compromise with the then Republican-controlled legislature and, while they contained some new protections, they carry new risks for our water.
The new laws began regulating large quantity water withdrawals, which are defined as withdrawals over 100,000 gallons per day over any 30 day period.
While new laws offer some protections for Michigan's resources there are weaknesses in the new water laws. These weaknesses place Michigan's water resources at a greater risk of privatization.
Great Lake, Great Michigan 2007
This year, the state legislature is expected to review and debate passage of The Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact (the Compact) which is part of the Great Lakes Charter Annex 2001. The Compact is an interstate agreement between the eight Great Lakes states which must be adopted by each state legislature and ratified by Congress. The Annex is the international agreement with Canada. Together, they are designed to protect the Great Lakes from water exports.
We advocate passage of the Compact with strong implementing legislation and believe it presents a critical opportunity to improve our current state laws. We propose the Great Lakes, Great Michigan 2007 platform to accomplish two important things:
- bring Michigan into compliance with the Compact, and
- improve implementation of the Compact in Michigan by strengthening our state laws.
Combining passage of the Compact with these changes to Michigan law will result in strong protections for the Great Lakes and our valuable inland lakes, streams, ground water, and wetlands. This not only benefits the citizens of Michigan and the Great Lakes Basin, it also demonstrates our willingness to work with other states in this region and do our part to aggressively protect the waters that are so crucial to our livelihood and lifestyle.
Take Action: Ask your legislators in Lansing to close the legal loophole that takes control of the Great Lakes waters away from Michigan.
Share your knowledge: Tell your family and friends about the tips you've learned. Word-of-mouth is the best way to spread information!
Learn more about what you can do every day to help protect Michigan's water resources and fight climate change.
