The Great Lakes loophole

[CHIMO]

The Great Lakes loophole
Section of deal to protect the lakes should

be removed or it could lead to mass diversion

A striking loophole, known as article 207.9, lurks in the final draft of the Great Lakes Annex Agreement and it should raise alarm bells for those committed to preserving and protecting the world's largest body of fresh water.

Under that article, water bottling companies will have free rein to extract water from any of the five Great Lakes and package it for human consumption, provided the containers they use are 20 litres or smaller in size.

Once water, as an economic good, is extracted and sold for commercial purpose, no government or regulatory regime would be allowed to put a ban or even a quota on it.

In other words, since Article 207.9 permits companies to extract water from the Great Lakes basin for sale as bottled water, it triggers the provisions and rules of NAFTA. Once this happens, there is nothing to stop a bulk water export company — or consortium of companies — from using the rules of NAFTA to compel governments to lift their restrictions on bulk water takings from the Great Lakes.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1124920223620&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795

So there it is folks. Water just waiting to make money. And because of NAFTA you won't be able to do a dam thing about it.

[wli]

1. people will die without water, so it's a moneymaking opportunity

All they have to do is pollute most of it and drain the rest en masse. Then the corporations can extort the poor for their last dimes by overcharging for it, and can duke it out over the thermal depolymerization rights on the bodies of those they killed that way.

[Karenina]

2. I recall reading about liquid pig shit

heading towards Lake Ontario a few days back. Another of those "voluntary compliance" with regulations deals...

[ClintonTyree]

5. Actually, it was cow shit..........

like that makes a big difference. Yes, 3 million gallons of liquefied manure from a farm in Lewis County, New York went directly into the Black River that flows directly into Lake Ontario.
They were fined $2 million and told to never do it again! :eyes:
These cattle and swine factories are all the same. They skimp on constructing retaining ponds because it's actually cheaper to pay the fines if there is an "accident". Bastards.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

3. Does anyone know...

...whether overseas shipping of water is a realistic prospect? Is any of this going on now?

Looking at the collection of water bottles at the local market, I see much that is bottled locally (meaning the EU) including the big brands.

Shipping water sounds like it might be prohibitively expensive.

[CHIMO]

4. Canada

Does not permit it at the moment. However, if this goes through the author interprets the effect as allowing bulk exports due to NAFTA.
It should be profitable as it sells for more than gas in the US.

But in addition to drinking water it could be piped out for irrigation purposes.

[HereSince1628]

6. Yes, the big threat is irrigation in the US.

With the deep aquifers going, the pressure is building to move water to the great plains states.

[etherealtruth]

7. Yet, "they" have golf courses in the plains and the west ...

... Go figure.

The availability of fresh water is a very serious (worldwide) problem.
Without a rambling tirade ... We are squandering our fresh water resources with the encouragement of our government.

There are many water conserving technologies (for croplands and industry) that the US simply CHOOSES not to use. Unfortunately, as far as personal use goes, most of the residents of the US REFUSE to conserve anything until it's too late!

[Callalily]

8. Water pipe lines

are being constructed to transport water from Lake Michigan to surrounding municipalities whose water tables have dropped so much that there isn’t enough water to supply its citizenry. That coupled with companies who intend to extract water simply to line their greedy pockets with no thought to the environment; well soon the Great Lakes will not be so great.

[LeftHander]

9. Milwaukee MMSD dumped 275 million gallons of sewage

Two years ago. They routinely are allowed to dump millions each year.

They have crews on small boats that go out into the harbor and fish used condoms and tampons out of the lake ealry in the morning.

two years ago I sailed into a sewage slick filled with thousands of dirty condoms.

No fines. All legal thanks to the Wisconsin DNR.

If a small boat dumps 6 gallons of grey water into the lake....they are fined. But it's okay for MMSD to dump millions.

[BiggJawn]

10. So "Milwaukee is for Lovers"?

Sorry, couldn't resist...Thousands of cock-socks, eh? :)

My duaghter lives in Chicago. She tells me that they routinely have "E-Colirific" days on the beaches and have to close them because of what drifts down from cities north.

[BiggJawn]

11. self-delete double post

It's acting up again this AM....

[noonwitch]

12. 12 years of John Engler's policies have played hell on the Great Lakes

Lake Michigan has been at lower levels over the past few years than I have ever seen it. I guess it's up a little this year, but not by much. Engler relaxed Michigan's polluter-pay laws and enforcement (policies begun by one of the last good republicans, William Milliken), and allowed other states to buy water. I will never swim in Lake St. Clair again-the beaches are frequently closed because of fecal coliform bacteria. When this first started happening in the 90s, the GOPolluters tried to say it was from the sea gulls. It was discovered that the bacteria was so high because of all the stuff that was being flushed into the Clinton River.