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Congratulations! On May 14, 2008 the Great Lakes Compact passed the state Senate (32-1) and the state Assembly (96-1)! Because of YOU the Wisconsin Legislature adopted a historic agreement to protect one of the world's most precious natural resources. There were points over the last two years when we did not believe that we could get this done, but YOU, the citizens of Wisconsin made it happen. Every phone call, every email every step along the way brought us to today. THANK YOU!!!
Contact your legislator and thank them for passing a Strong Great Lakes Compact. Every legislator voted in favor of adopting the Great Lakes Compact with the exception of Senator Lazich and Representative Albers. You can find your legislator's contact information at http://www.conservationvoters.org/Public/index.php?pageID=6
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The
one thousand miles of shoreline along Lake Superior and Lake Michigan
support Wisconsin’s economic health and excellent quality of life. The
Great Lakes are a vast resource unique to Wisconsin. They contain 20%
of the earth’s fresh surface water and support a $15 billion economy.
Unfortunately, while vast, the waters of the Great Lakes are not
limitless. With the increasing demands of industry and a growing
population here, the Great Lakes are becoming more vulnerable. However,
most urgently, the Great Lakes are threatened by the growing pressures
from other thirsty states and countries (like Arizona and China) that
are looking for Great Lakes water to solver their own shortages.
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When
Great Lakes water is used by communities within the basin, it generally
makes its way back to the lake it came from. When water is used – or
diverted – outside of the basin, there is no natural way to return it
to the lake. Right now, only 1% of the water in the Great Lakes is
renewed annually. A larger change in water levels will chip away at the
character of the Great Lakes and their ability to support us in the
future.
Fortunately, each of the
eight Great Lakes states and two Canadian provinces are currently
working to pass a base of protections called the Great Lakes Compact.
However, with Lakes Michigan and Superior already at near-historic
lows, a base is not enough for Wisconsin. Greater protections are
needed in Wisconsin because pressure is building to allow
precedent-setting water diversions that could damage our economy and
result in Great Lakes’ water being shipped across the country and even
the world.
The solution? The Strong Compact for a Strong Wisconsin.
must include the baseline Compact plus six points of enabling language
that will help the legislation to be better implemented and enforced,
including:
- Standards for environmentally responsible return flow;
- Mechanisms for managing and regulating in-basin water use;
- Requirements for communities seeking a diversion to meet enforceable, demonstrable water conservation standards;
- Requirements
for communities looking to extend or build new water supply systems as
part of a diversion request to comply with current regional water
supply and quality plans;
- Clarification of the Compact’s treatment of bottled water withdrawals;
- Provisions for adequate citizen participation in a practical and protective manner.
You can track how The Strong Great Lakes Compact progresses through the legislature on the Conservation Vote Tracker
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