WASHINGTON – U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) today urged members of the Michigan State House and Senate to enact water-use legislation that prohibits the large-scale use of Michigan water that is not in the public interest.  Stupak’s call for protecting the public trust in Michigan’s waters comes as the Michigan House and Senate continue to debate water-use legislation.  Stupak released the following statement:

“We must not allow the commercialization of surface or ground water from the Great Lakes or any of Michigan’s waterways.  As the world and even regions right here in this country face water shortages and begin to look toward the Great Lakes – and Michigan in particular – to meet their water needs, the Michigan Legislature should not allow our most precious resource to be outsourced.

“I have spent my Congressional career fighting to preserve and protect the quality and quantity of our Great Lakes water and other waterways across Michigan.  I have continually urged the Michigan Legislature to enact a comprehensive water use plan that protects Michigan’s most valuable resource.  The importance of our waters cannot be overestimated.  The Great Lakes are a vital resource not just for northern Michigan, but for all of the 45 million people throughout the United States and Canada who depend on them for drinking water, fishing, recreation, agriculture, industry and shipping.

“We are just starting to see the beginning of modern global water shortages.  Just as wars have been fought over oil, the wars of the 21st century will be fought over water.  Every 20 years the demand for water is doubling and by 2025 the World Bank predicts more than three billion people will suffer from water shortages.  Our Great Lakes alone represent nearly 20 percent of the world’s freshwater and we need to take action today to protect this valuable resource for generations to come.

“Large water withdrawals are the most imminent threat to Michigan’s waters.  Private companies do not own this water, the people in the Great Lakes basin do.  The Michigan Legislature must recognize and protect the public trust and take action to prohibit private sale or diversion of our waters.”