With just 34 days to go until Election Day, the choice in this election is becoming clearer by the day. Over the next couple weeks, I hope to highlight the differences my opponent and I have on a number of key issues facing our state and our communities. Today we begin by highlighting our differences on the Great Lakes.
The difference on Great Lakes issues couldn’t be clearer. I have been a champion of efforts to protect the Great Lakes from a range of threats. As State Representative I will close the loopholes that allow private companies to take our water and will reaffirm the fact that Michigan’s water is a public resource belonging to the people of Michigan. Simply put, our water is not for sale.
Incredibly, my opponent takes a very different view. As recently as last week, at a candidate forum in Frankfort, he called the idea that our Great Lakes are at risk a “mis-begotten fallacy.” He went on to say that “the western states that want our water won’t be coming to Lake Michigan to get your water, they’re gonna go to the Mississippi River and stop there; it makes no sense to put a pipeline all the way to Lake Michigan.”
This is a dangerous position to take.
My opponent is essentially saying that we don’t have to worry about our lakes and that no protections are needed. His strategy for ensuring that future generations are able to enjoy all that Lake Michigan has to offer essentially comes down to hoping that western states and others are not thirsty enough to take our water. This is consistent with his earlier positions on Great Lakes issues where he called the recently signed Great Lakes Compact unnecessary and the idea that we should do more to protect the Great Lakes, ridiculous. This approach, of ignoring the very real threats facing the Great Lakes and burying your head in the sand when it comes to finding ways to protect them is wrong for Michigan and wrong for the voters of this district.
Not only is fresh water our most precious and abundant natural resource – it is our most defining in terms of our history and legacy as a state. As our nickname so aptly points out the “Great Lakes State,” which is often referred to as our country’s “third coast,” has been our lifeblood since even before statehood. From early settlement and the fur trade, to the lumber industry, and the mining boom of the Upper Peninsula, to regular shipping and trading, to the tourism boom… the Great Lakes define us as people and workers, and are part of our culture as Michiganians.
Anyone who represents the 101st district, with its hundreds of miles of lakeshore along Lake Michigan must be a champion in the legislature on issues pertaining to the Great Lakes and protecting Michigan’s water. With my background in environmental law and the support of a wide range of conservation organizations, I will be a strong and consistent voice for our Great Lakes. My opponent fails this crucial test.
