MI should share water, N.M. governor says

 Remarks set off alarms for Great Lakes states

October 11, 2007

BY TINA LAM FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Environmental groups on Wednesday blasted comments by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson that northern states with plenty of water should share it with parched states.  “It shows we need the strongest possible protection for the

Great Lakes, especially when water levels are declining,” said Liz Boyd, spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm, adding that legislators need to approve a water compact Granholm and other governors signed in 2005, when they saw growing threats to the lakes.  “His comments prove those threats should not be taken lightly,” Boyd said.

Richardson, also a Democratic presidential candidate, has been campaigning heavily in Nevada hoping for a strong showing in the state’s Jan. 9 primary. He told the Las Vegas Sun last week that if elected, he would bring states together to discuss how water-rich northern-tier states could help with shortages in the southwest.

“I want a national water policy,” Richardson told the paper. “We need a dialogue between states to deal with issues like water conservation, water reuse technology, water delivery and water production. States like Wisconsin are awash in water.  “That last remark set off alarm bells with environmental groups in the Great Lakes.  “It’s ridiculous to say that,” said Hugh McDiarmid, spokesman for the Michigan Environmental Council. “Until the compact is passed, our water protections are hanging on by a thread.”

Richardson is a long shot for president, but his comments carry weight as a western governor.  “With so many thirsty states with growing populations, it’s a wake-up call for us,” said Lisa Wozniak, director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters.  Water shortages are a key issue in Nevada, where water could run out by 2010 because the Colorado River is in an 8-year drought.  Officials are studying a pipeline to pump water from rural areas to booming Las Vegas and a new $800-million intake valve from Lake Mead. 

Lake Superior is in a drought, too, hitting an all-time low last month, and all the upper Great Lakes are well below their longtime average levels.  Tom Reynolds, spokesman for Richardson‘s campaign, did not respond to an inquiry about the governor’s comments.  In 2004, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry told the Free Press that Great Lakes water diversion issues required a “delicate balancing act” to provide for “national needs.” A day later, his spokesman took it all back, saying Kerry did not think water should be diverted from the Great Lakes.