Water
Brendan’s Plan for the Great Lakes and Our Water
Humans, like all living creatures, need three basic things to survive: food, water, and shelter. While hunger and homelessness are chronic problems the entire world has struggled with for millennia, the one vital resource that should not be a problem for any Michigander is our access to safe, clean, fresh water. The Great Lakes Basin is home to 21 percent of the entire planet’s accessible fresh water resources (95 percent of the fresh water in the United States!), and yet lead and PFAS contamination have made headlines worldwide, giving the Water Wonderland a deservedly infamous reputation. As the most-populated areas of the world prepare for a water scarcity dilemma worse than anything humanity has ever known, it is our moral obligation here in Michigan to be better stewards of our most important natural resource.
So here’s Brendan’s plan:
Defending the Great Lakes
Champion the integrity of the Great Lakes Compact. Every year or so, it seems that various states in the southwest region of our country propose siphoning off some of our abundant fresh water to rescue their unsustainable housing and agricultural habits. Fortunately the ten Great Lakes states and provinces have a legal framework (the Great Lakes Compact) to prevent this. In 2016 we began seeing legal challenges to this Compact, and we must remain vigilant in protecting its integrity.
Demand equitable and sustainable business contracts. It is no wonder that Michigan is home to several wells for bottled water. Nestlé extracts and exports upwards of 576,000 gallons of water per day – that’s 400 gallons every minute – and pays only a $200 per year paperwork fee, far less than what Michigan’s most valuable resource is worth.
Remove the threat of a rupturing Enbridge Line 5. A rogue anchor strike in 2018 damaged the 67-year-old Enbridge Line 5 oil and natural gas pipeline and could have had potentially catastrophic repercussions on our Great Lakes. Unless they pass independent, third-party safety inspections, pipelines that run under our Great Lakes should not operate.
Collaborate with researchers and the agricultural industry to reduce nutrient runoff and Lake Erie algal blooms. High-phosphorus, nutrient-rich fertilizers used in agriculture are one of the biggest contributors to the massive algal blooms we have seen develop in Lake Erie over the last several years. The State must work with farmers in Michigan, especially in the Maumee River Basin, to implement runoff-prevention techniques to prevent the phosphorus from entering the Lake.
Eradicate invasive species in our Great Lakes. Ballast water from ocean-going ships has introduced zebra mussels, sea lampreys, and asian carp among other invasive species which are disrupting native food chains and ecosystems. Though Michigan’s current regulations are stricter than the federal government’s, some legislators (including our own Rep. Mike Webber) voted to curb regulations and make it easier for alien species to invade our fresh waters. Fortunately this bill was vetoed by then-Gov. Snyder. We cannot let down our guard when it comes to invasive species.
Securing our Water Infrastructure
Work with municipalities to identify and remove all lead water pipes. Since the Flint Water Crisis began, Michigan has been a leading state on strict lead level requirements, however many cities have fought back, saying that the financial burden of removing the lead pipes is too extreme. The State of Michigan must be both fervent in its commitment to the health of our neighbors and also accessible to working with municipalities to ensure this reality can come to fruition. We don’t have time to wait.
Maintain pressure on the federal government to reconstruct the Soo Locks. Critical to Michigan’s shipping industry as well as our homeland and national security, the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie must be reconstructed. Our leaders in Congress including Sen. Debbie Stabenow have been working hard to secure funding for this project, and we must continue to pressure them and the White House from Lansing.
Building Capacity and Disaster Readiness
Properly fund the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. Governor Whitmer made waves when she reorganized and expanded Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality into the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. Unfortunately many in the State Legislature have been uncooperative. We should be working together to improve our Great Lakes, not protect lobbyist boards like the Environmental Rules Review Committee.
Continue current PFAS remediation and protect against future poisoning. Fortunately one area of bipartisan cooperation at the state and federal level has been on issues of PFAS remediation. In the last year, Michigan has made several strides to protect residents against PFAS contamination, but there is yet much work to be done to prevent future contamination, including working toward completely phasing the chemical compounds out of industrial use.
Erect “rainy day funds” to anticipate the impacts of climate change. Though we are ironically a land-locked state, the erratic effects of climate change impact us and our Great Lakes ecosystems. Currently, unusually wet seasons are causing Great Lake levels to rise to record heights, only a few years after they had fallen to record low levels. Expenses due to erosion and property damage as a result of these record changes have prompted several cries for a state of emergency.
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