Justice Task Force Needs Role In New SEWRPC Consultant's Work

Sorry for than long title, but here's the deal:

After pressure from its Environmental Justice Task Force, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission agreed, at the 11th hour, to add to its nearly four-year long regional water study an independent, socio-economic analysis of water planning in the region.

SEWRPC recently selected the UW-M Center for Economic Development to conduct the study.

Now comes the important work: the Center has begun drafting the essential scope that will determine just what gets studied.

I think the EJFT needs to be in the room to make sure that the study hits the points it wants included.

This is a problem, as the EJTF is not scheduled to meet for another three weeks, on 9/24, by which time a contract between SEWRPC and the UW-M center could easily be set, along with the scope of work.

SEWRPC has not let the EJTF select its own officers, but the staff could easily poll the members electronically and have them select a representative to sit in on the scope planning meetings.

Until that representative is selected, those meetings should stop.

You can see from the description SEWRPC posted when it advertised for consultants - - especially see page 11 of the document - - that it wants the consultant to look at the potential implications of the water study's basic recommendation: that water be diverted from Lake Michigan to Waukesha and several other communities.

This validates the fact that the water supply study's recommendation were made long before the notion of socio-economic considerations were put on the table - - forced there by the EJTF.

Had these issues been included from the beginning, the recommendations for Lake Michigan diversions might have been different, broader.

There might have been a fresh approach to defining what actual resource sustainability might look like if socio-economic factors, and not just dollars-and-cents, or aquifer conditions beneath the region were included.

Remember, the consultant will have just 90 days to finish its study, so there is little time after the opening gun to add elements that would require more work.

And the EJTF needs to make two other big questions are answered in advance:

1. Is this new study going to be an appendix added at the end of lengthy, multiple chapters that have already been approved by the water supply advisory committee. In other words, will SEWRPC agree to integrate the findings with all the data and conclusions agreed upon by the advisory committee, staff and the earlier consultants?

2. Will the new study seriously look at the overarching Land Use Plan, to which the water study is supposed to connect, and make a judgement if the Land Use Plan, with the water study attached, is also adequate from a socio-economic perspective?

This is the best chance since SEWRPC was founded 50 years ago to truly open up the agency and its work to economic justice considerations.

That is the real task of the work that the UW-M center has before it, and only the EJTF, an arm of SEWRPC, can make sure that happens.