Protecting our Great Lakes is good for Wisconsin's economy
Melissa Malott
While lobbying one of our state representatives recently, I was confronted with the typical false dichotomy that any environmental regulation is bad for business and specifically, that the Great Lakes Compact will negatively effect Wisconsin's economy. How, I wondered, could protecting our state's greatest resource — the cradle of our economy — be harmful towards our businesses?
Now, this assemblyman was drawing on an extreme ideological line of thinking that all regulations on resources impede our economy. True, regulations are limitations. But some limitations are good, especially when they keep our precious resources from being stolen or abused.
The Brookings Institute recently did a study on the future of the Great Lakes region. A major component of this research was recognizing the amazing value the Great Lakes offer our region.
The Great Lakes: Cradle to the Wisconsin Economy
Wisconsin's three biggest industries are manufacturing, tourism and agriculture. A large part of the manufacturing sector is forestry and paper mills. Many of these industries directly rely on Great Lakes basin waters. For instance, imagine what our paper industry would amount to without the Fox Valley. Or how Wisconsin's $12 billion per year tourism industry would be diminished without Door County and the area around the Apostle Islands. Truly, our Great Lakes are natural amenities without which our three major industries would be much smaller. Clearly, preserving the Great Lakes helps preserve our economic future.
The Great Lakes Compact: Growth for Our Economy and Communities
Looking at Wisconsin's major industries, two assets stand out — our natural resources and our way of life. Our Great Lakes sustain these assets; they provide water vital for our economic engine and they are the basis for our beloved way of life, whether found in aesthetics or in the ability to spend time on the water with family and friends.
In order to continue to grow our economy we need a strong workforce and business resources. The Great Lakes are at the heart of both.
Stopping the Brain Drain
We are beginning to hear Wisconsin is experiencing a brain-drain, wherein highly educated graduates of our world-class universities and entrepreneurs are moving to other states. These graduates are mobile and looking for locations that offer a high quality of life; many of them are looking for locales where they can be closer to nature and be involved with outdoor activities. Wisconsin, like Colorado and Oregon, offers beautiful back-to-nature experiences and outlets for outdoor activities. Protecting our natural resources can help Wisconsin become the Midwest outdoors mecca that people will flock to and help build strong Wisconsin communities. Protecting the natural places in Wisconsin, many of which are in the Great Lakes Basin, requires passage of the Great Lakes Compact.
Protecting Our Greatest Economic Resources
Wisconsin's Great Lakes are the backbone of our economy, providing water for forestry and agricultural products and beautiful places to boat and spend time with family and friends. Yet, this resource is threatened with depletion from outsiders in the form of a huge pipe or more subtle, "death by a thousand cuts" multitude of smaller pipes. Without Great Lakes protections we are risking our most important economic asset, and thereby our economy. Fortunately, the Great Lakes Compact will go far to combat these threats. The Great Lakes Compact will outlaw outsiders from taking our Great Lakes water and will require those allowed to tap the Great Lakes to implement water conservation standards so as not to waste it.
The Great Lakes Compact: Economic Security for Wisconsin
The Compact limits withdrawals from the Great Lakes, thus providing security to our businesses and communities knowing that the preservation of, and access to, our greatest asset is in place. Often we hear business talk about the danger of uncertainty of rights and resources. With the Compact, we will know exactly who has access to Great Lakes water and who doesn't. This will provide the certainty needed to continue in our plans to grow our communities and businesses.
A Strong Great Lakes Compact for a Strong Wisconsin
The Great Lakes Compact will help Wisconsin's economy by protecting our biggest environmental and economic asset. However, we have the opportunity to shape the Compact to better fit Wisconsin's needs. Tailoring the Great Lakes Compact through strong implementing language will help us better protect and responsibly use our natural resources, and will strengthen our state. Clean Wisconsin is working to strengthen the compact in six ways:
- Thresholds for increased uses will require monitoring and regulations for large water users.
- Strong conservation language for responsible use of our vulnerable water resources.
- Return flow requirements so that water diverted out of the Basin will be treated and returned back to the Basin in a clean and sustainable way.
- Fixed boundaries for who does and doesn't qualify for Great Lakes water.
- Eliminate the bottled water loophole so multinational corporations won't abuse our Great Lakes for their own profit.
- Public Participation opportunities because YOU should have the right to know how decisions are being made about your Great Lakes water.
Strengthening the Compact will help strengthen Wisconsin because it will better protect the resources we rely on for life. To get more involved in the Compact, please contact Melissa Malott at (608) 251-7020, extension 13.