February 9,
2006
Governor Applauds
Passage of Water Withdrawal Legislation
LANSING ? Governor
Jennifer M. Granholm today praised the Legislature for taking decisive action to
protect Michigan?s water resources. The passage
of the legislative package, which Granholm called for in a January 2004 special
message to the Legislature, will, for the first time, give Michigan the tools needed to protect the Great Lakes from unwise and excessive
withdrawals.
?Our success as a state depends on
our success in protecting the Great Lakes,?
said Granholm. ?We are blessed by being surrounded by 20 percent of the
world?s freshwater supply, and we must implement the best possible protections
that we can provide.?
The bipartisan legislation, Senate
Bills 850, 851, 852, 854, and 857, provides an important framework for
comprehensive water management in Michigan. It allows the state to manage
large quantity water withdrawals of over 100,000 gallons per day and prohibits
withdrawals that would have an adverse impact on the water resource. The
legislation requires all new or increased bottled water operators with
withdrawals of over 250,000 gallons per day to meet high standards, including no
adverse resource impact, no impact on riparian rights or common water law, and
must address hydrologic impacts.
The bills passed both the House and
Senate today with overwhelming bipartisan support, prompting the Governor to
state, ?The effort in passing these bills shows that the protection of our water
is not a partisan issue, but rather a Michigan issue.?
Governor Granholm originally called
on the Legislature to take action on this issue to allow Michigan to meet a
commitment made in 1985 under the Great Lakes Charter agreement to regulate
water withdrawals. Granholm today applauded the Legislature for finally
allowing our state to fulfill that commitment.
?Today we are living up to our
state?s proud tradition as a leader in protecting and enriching the Great Lakes,? added Granholm. ?All of us must now
work to live up to these ideals each and every
day.?
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