Reps Miller, Dingell Applaud Mayors’ Request to Examine the Merits of WI Water Diversion Request

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representatives Candice Miller (MI-10) and Debbie Dingell (MI-12) issued the following statement after the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative requested a hearing to examine the merits of Waukesha, Wisconsin’s water diversion request, which was approved by the Great Lakes Compact Council in June: 

“We applaud the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative’s request to hold a hearing, where they can closely examine the merits of Waukesha’s request to divert over eight million gallons of water from Lake Michigan per day. We agree with the local leaders’ assertion that Waukesha, in fact, did not exhaust all other options, and, therefore, its request did not meet the criteria required to divert water from the Great Lakes and should not have been approved.  It is our hope that the Compact Council will grant this request and seriously consider the ramifications of this approval allowing for the diversion of the precious, finite resources our magnificent lakes provide.”

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is a binational coalition of over 120 U.S. and Canadian mayors and local officials working to advance the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.