Great Lakes for Sale: From Whitecaps to Bottlecaps

by Dempsey, Dave

• ISBN13: 9780472033713
• ISBN10: 0472033719
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-04-20
• Publisher: Univ of Michigan Pr

Summary

Great Lakes for Saleis a book for anyone interested in saving the Great Lakes, a huge fresh-water system that contains an estimated 6 quadrillion gallons of water and about twenty percent of the world's fresh surface water. The book poses---and answers---important questions about the export and diversion of Great Lakes water. Not only doesGreat Lakes for Saleexamine past and present water-diversion practices; it also shows readers what they can do to save this natural resource.It's difficult to understate the importance of the Great Lakes water system---economically, environmentally, or from a public-health perspective. The Great Lakes support year-round sport fishery, they provide a route for commercial and recreational navigation, and they supply many communities with drinking water. Water means jobs and life in the Great Lakes region. And, while residents of this huge region revel in a seemingly limitless quantity of fresh water today, it's likely that the future will see that same fresh water grow ever more scarce as well as become a source of contention between thirsty communities---and corporations---further afield and those who live in this giant watershed.Great Lakes for Saleis an important part of the effort to remind people why commercialization of Great Lakes water is a dangerous threat. It's not simply a matter of how much water in the short term is removed; the long-term threat is control of water and the possibility that non-Great Lakes interests will assert ownership of the very substance of the Great Lakes.Dave Dempsey is senior policy advisor for the Michigan Environmental Council and well known for his writings on environmental issues in the Great Lakes region. He is author of Ruin and Recovery: Michigan's Rise as a Conservation Leader and William G. Milliken: Michigan's Passionate Moderate . He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. Visit Dempsey's website at: http://www.davedempsey.org/ and his blog at: http://daviddempsey.typepad.com/ .

Author Biography

"Dave Dempsey's book is an important part of the effort to remind people why commercialization of Great Lakes water is a dangerous threat. It's not simply a matter of how much water in the short term is bottled and shipped away; the long-term threat is control of water and the possibility that private interests will assert ownership of the very substance of the Great Lakes. This is an issue that could determine the fate of the Great Lakes. I encourage the millions who care about the Great Lakes to read and act on this valuable book. Our Great Lakes water must always remain a public resource in public hands. It's a matter of prosperity, fairness, and survival." -Congressman Bart Stupak, First District, Michigan Dave Dempsey serves as Communications Director for Conservation Minnesota and consults for other environmental and conservation organizations across Minnesota and Michigan. He is author of William G. Milliken: Michigan's Passionate Moderate and Ruin and Recovery: Michigan's Rise as a Conservation Leader.

Table of Contents

Prologue	p. 1
Stumbling Toward a Charter	p. 5
Public Trust, but Verify	p. 15
Bottles Instead of Aqueducts	p. 29
A Giant Loophole	p. 39
How Far Can Commercialization Go?	p. 51
When Conservation Is (Trade) Discrimination	p. 61
A Compact Only a Lawyer Could Love	p. 73
Grassroots Ground Zero: Horsehead Lake	p. 81
Water for Life, Not Profit	p. 87
Great Lakes Not for Sale	p. 95
Afterword: So What's the Problem?	p. 101
Notes	p. 105
Index	p. 113
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