Letters 8/18/05

Aug. 17, 2005

Protect our Great Lakes
In 1998 a private Canadian company, the Nova Group, obtained a permit to remove 168 million gallons of water annually out of Lake Superior in (50) tankers and ship it to Asia. Because of public outcry, Great Lakes governors and premiers promised to provide stronger protections against water exports.
If you think that water diversion doesn’t impact our water reserves, consider the following scientifically proven and documented examples:
In Monroe County rock mining quarries doubled their water withdrawals to more than 20 million gallons a day, lowering groundwater levels so much that residential wells in an area of almost 12 miles went partially or entirely dry.
Residents in Mecosta County have experienced the lowering or depletion of well water levels since the Nestle Corporation began removing millions of gallons of water from local aquifers and selling it (Ice Mountain bottled water). Judge Root of Mecosta County ruled that the resulting loss of water was affecting nearby streams, wetlands and a lake, and was illegal.
The Saint Joseph River, considered to be one of the best steelhead fishing rivers in the entire country, has experienced, since 1998, a decline in water levels due to unchecked water use that has resulted in the reduction of fish population in the river by up to 80%.
Presently, 2 billion gallons of Great Lakes water is being withdrawn through the Chicago diversion, and that figure could increase by three-fold.
Kennecott Minerals Company holds leases on several thousand acres of Upper Peninsula land and is currently proposing to mine at the Eagle Prospect in northern Marquette County. Mining would require massive quantities of water, and the diversion of the headwaters of a class trout stream, the Salmon Trout River.
Even though the Great Lakes contain 20% of the world‘s fresh water, only roughly 1% is truly replenished through rainfall and snowmelt. It is blatantly obvious that water withdrawal and diversion seriously threatens our water resources.
Concerned with those threats, eight Great Lakes governors and two Great Lakes Canadian premieres have developed the Great Lakes Basin Water Resources Compact.
A coalition of groups including Sierra Club, Alliance for the Great Lakes, Clean Water Action, Michigan Environmental Council, Detroit Audubon Society, and Public Interest Research Group in Michigan support a platform that would: require permits for large water users (more than 2 million gallons a day); maintain the common law of riparian rights and publc trust; strengthen laws to further protect our wetlands, streams and small lakes; prohibit the sale of our water without legislative approval; allow our governor to veto water loss; lead the way on conservation and water use; use a uniform method of collecting data on water use.
Public comment deadline is August 29, 2005. Please visit www.cglg.org to read the draft Annex. Send comments to: annex2001@cglg.org or: David Naftzger, Executive Director, Council of Great Lakes Governors, 36 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 150, Chicago, Illinois 60601.
Monica Evans • Honor

No easy battle
In last week’s issue, beer and wine wholesaler Mark Ribel of Cox Distributors wrote eloquently about how Michigan’s 40 family-owned wineries are single-handedly turning our children into drunks who order cases of wine off the Internet. The fact is, in 30-plus years, not one Michigan winery has been cited for selling wine to a minor while hundreds of retail establishments in every corner of the state are cited every day for selling liquor to minors.
Don’t let the rich wholesalers fool you. There’s a reason why the Supreme Court of the United States and dozens of states in the Union have spoken out in favor of free trade and consumer wine shipments: because it makes sense.
Of course, Mr. Ribel did not disclose that the trade group to which he belongs, the Michigan Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association, pays each year to fly your state legislators to the Bahamas, Grand Cayman Island, Mackinac Island, and the state’s best golf courses.
The Detroit Free Press says, “The 75-member trade group spends hundreds of thousands of dollars a year showering legislators with generous campaign contributions, picking up large food and bar tabs and taking their friends on golf outings... in return, the wholesalers ask for one thing: Keep business just the way it is.”
The band of small Michigan wineries simply can’t compete. But I hope consumers and the wineries win this one. The rest of the nation, as well as common sense, are on their side. And fortunately, Northern Michigan’s legislators are working hard on the wineries’ behalf. But fighting against well-funded interest groups is never an easy battle.

Luke Haase • TC

Dunegrass most fun ever
Kudos to Dunegrass Productions for a great festival. I have attended many festivals and concerts over the years and this one was one of the most memorable. ALL the music was superb. The art of the stage and sand sculpture enhanced listening enjoyment. The staff was friendly and helpful and all details were taken care of. This was the first time I stood in a porta-potty, washing my hands with carpet under my feet!
That was the most fun I’ve had since Jerry Garcia died.

Keith Breuker • via email

Art is politics?
This is in response to a letter in the Aug. 11 Express claiming art is politics.
Mr. Kells in seemingly blind support for Mr. Moore has the same difficulty with facts. A simple review of his Webster would distinguish these important concepts.
ART- “the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects.”
POLITICS-”the science of guiding and influencing governmental policy.”
No matter your personal politics it‘s easy to see how cleverly Mr. Moore has co-mingled the two for a desired result.
So, Mr. Kells perhaps a Point Betsie painting, is art after all?

Adrian DenHaan • via email