Michigan tilts water access to wealth
Michigan shows favoritism to wealth when it comes to allocating Great Lakes water.
* The state is considering a 167% increase to the millions of gallons of water it already allows the Nestle conglomerate to withdraw for sale from the Great Lakes watershed - - water the company is allowed to truck out in bottles holding up to 5.7 gallons without limitations through a protectionist loophole in diversion prohibitions Michigan negotiated for into the Great Lakes Compact.
I'd written about the loophole as far back as February 5, 2007.
* Michigan also voted along with the other Great Lakes states except Minnesota to allow a controversial first-ever-out-of-basin Great Lakes water diversion to the relatively affluent City of Waukesha, Wisconsin through a different diversion exemption in the agreement so the city could soon shift away from using well water tainted with naturally-occurring radium.
Yet residents in the far poorer and more heavily African-American City of Flint, Michigan still cannot turn on their spigots and receive clean, safe drinking water.
Where is the equity?
* The state is considering a 167% increase to the millions of gallons of water it already allows the Nestle conglomerate to withdraw for sale from the Great Lakes watershed - - water the company is allowed to truck out in bottles holding up to 5.7 gallons without limitations through a protectionist loophole in diversion prohibitions Michigan negotiated for into the Great Lakes Compact.
I'd written about the loophole as far back as February 5, 2007.
* Michigan also voted along with the other Great Lakes states except Minnesota to allow a controversial first-ever-out-of-basin Great Lakes water diversion to the relatively affluent City of Waukesha, Wisconsin through a different diversion exemption in the agreement so the city could soon shift away from using well water tainted with naturally-occurring radium.
Yet residents in the far poorer and more heavily African-American City of Flint, Michigan still cannot turn on their spigots and receive clean, safe drinking water.
Where is the equity?
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