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Hamilton Reef
04-10-2007, 09:58 PM
"Managing Diversions From Our Great Lakes"

April 23rd, 7-9p.m.

Holland City Hall Council Chambers

Sponsored by the Holland Area League of Women Voters

In December, 2005, the Council of Great Lakes Governors in concert with two Provinces of Canada endorsed an agreement that provides for comprehensive water use protections throughout the Great Lakes basin. Although it took over five years to negotiate the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact, the agreement must still be ratified by all eight states and approved by Congress to become legally enforceable.

The compact allows the Great Lakes states to maintain control over Great Lakes waters in the face of growing demand for fresh water from communities across the nation and world. It also protects the Great Lakes from harm by implementing strong and effective water management programs within the basin.

Speakers will include

* Senator Patty Birkholz, State Senator from the 24th District, Chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee

* Ken DeBeaussaert, Director of the Office of the Great Lakes for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

* Dr. Alan Steinman, Director of the Grand Valley State University Annis Water Resources Institute and Chair of the Michigan Groundwater Conservation Advisory Council.

* Dave Dempsey, Great Lakes Policy Advisor for Clean Water Action and the Michigan Environmental Council

The meeting will be facilitated by Mary McKinney Schmidt, Great Lakes columnist for The Holland Sentinel.

Great Lakes will be Holland LWV 2007 Top Priority

If you would like to join the Holland League of Women Voters Great Lakes team, contact Suzanne Dixon at sydbarret7@aol.com or call the LWV at 616-392-1637. Non LWV members are welcome. The League is looking for people in the community interested in creating a community-wide plan to inform voters and hold elected officials and 2008 candidates accountable for prioritizing Great Lakes legislation.




Ozzman
04-12-2007, 12:43 PM
Having previously listened to Senator Birkholz at MUCC Lobby day last month, some good followup questions for the Senator could be:

1) What exactly are the three bills Senator Birkholz mentioned during the MUCC Lobby day?
2) Are these bills to be submitted this April as Senator Birkholz had mentioned?
3) Has the State considered suing the Shippers (those who recently filed a law suit to repeal the Ballast Water law) for monetary damages for continued introduction of invasive species.
4) Where are the other states/proviences in writing and or enacting similar ballast water laws.

The three bills I believe are:
A) Approval of teh Great Lakes Compact
B) Strengthening and tightening the guidlines regarding large scale ground water diversions
C) Streghtening and controlling water diversions in containers under 5.7 gallons.

Ozzman