- A FIRST LOOK TONIGHT AT FOXCONN
AND ITS THIRST FOR WATER.
AND WHY ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY FOXCONN SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO
TAKE SEVEN MILLION GALLONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN WATER PER DAY TO
RUN ITS PLANT.
MIDWEST ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES FILED LEGAL ACTION OPPOSING THE
DIVERSION OF THE WATER FOR USE BY FOXCONN TECHNOLOGY GROUP.
THE STATE DNR APPROVED THE CITY OF RACINE'S REQUEST TO DIVERT
THE SEVEN MILLION GALLONS OF WATER PER DAY.
OPPONENTS SAY THE GREAT LAKES COMPACT
PROHIBITS SUCH A DIVERSION.
JIMMY PARRA IS THE LEAD ATTORNEY ON THE CASE FOR MIDWEST
ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES AND THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
WHY DOES THIS DIVERSION FOR FOXCONN'S USE OF LAKE MICHIGAN
WATER VIOLATE THE GREAT LAKES COMPACT?
- SURE.
SO ONE OF THE KEY REQUIREMENTS AND ONE OF THE ONLY REQUIREMENTS
FOR THIS TYPE OF DIVERSION OF GREAT LAKES WATER IS THAT THE
DIVERSION BE FOR PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY PURPOSES.
I THINK ON A SORT OF COMMON SENSE LEVEL, MOST PEOPLE HAVE A
SENSE OF WHAT THAT MEANS AND IT'S NOT TO SEND WATER TO ONE
PRIVATE INDUSTRIAL CUSTOMER FOR THEIR EXCLUSIVE USE.
FURTHER THAN THAT, WE HAVE LANGUAGE IN THE COMPACT WHICH
SAYS THAT PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY PURPOSES IS DISTRIBUTING WATER
THROUGH A SYSTEM THAT SERVES PRIMARILY RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS.
AND WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED BY THE CITY OF RACINE AND WAS APPROVED
BY THE WISCONSIN DNR IS TRANSFERRING WATER OUT OF THE
BASIN FOR EXCLUSIVELY INDUSTRIAL/COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS.
THERE'S NO AMOUNT OF WATER THAT IS BEING SENT TO RESIDENTIAL
CUSTOMERS.
- WE ASKED THE DNR, AS YOU SAY, WHICH APPROVED THIS, FOR A
STATEMENT FOR THIS PROGRAM TODAY, AND
THEY DECLINED TO PROVIDE THAT.
BUT THE MAYOR OF RACINE, CORY MASON, DID PROVIDE ONE AND HE
SAYS THIS.
QUOTE, THE DECISION TO APPLY FOR THE DIVERSION FOR MOUNT PLEASANT
WAS MADE BEFORE I CAME INTO OFFICE.
THE QUESTION RAISED BY THE LAWSUIT SEEMS TO QUESTION
WHETHER OR NOT THE AREA SERVED IS FOR PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY OR
NOT.
THE GREAT LAKES COMPACT DEFINES PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY AS WATER
DISTRIBUTED TO THE PUBLIC THROUGH A PHYSICALLY-CONNECTED
SYSTEM OF TREATMENT, STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION FACILITIES SERVING
A GROUP OF LARGELY RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS THAT MAY ALSO SERVE
INDUSTRIAL, COMMERCIAL AND OTHER INSTITUTIONAL OPERATORS.
HE GOES ON TO SAY RACINE'S WATER UTILITY CERTAINLY MEETS THAT
DEFINITION AND WOULD CONTINUE TO MEET THAT DEFINITION IF A SMALL
PART OF MOUNT PLEASANT WERE SERVED WITH GREAT LAKES WATER.
SO WHAT ABOUT ALL OF THAT?
- YEAH.
SO THAT'S KIND OF THE HEART OF THE DEBATE HERE.
BUT A COUPLE IMPORTANT THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND.
THE CITY OF RACINE AND ALL OF THE RESIDENTIAL USERS IT
CURRENTLY SERVES ARE IN THE GREAT LAKES BASIN.
AND WHAT WE THINK THE COMPACT SAYS IS YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE
AREA OUTSIDE OF THE BASIN WHERE THE WATER IS BEING SENT.
THERE'S LANGUAGE THAT SAYS ALL THE WATER SO TRANSFERRED MUST BE
USED FOR PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY PURPOSES.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE WATER THAT'S BEING TRANSFERRED HERE,
IT'S CLEARLY NOT SERVING PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY PURPOSES, AS THAT
TERM IS DEFINED IN THE COMPACT.
- SO THOSE ARE YOUR LEGAL ARGUMENTS, BUT WHAT ABOUT YOUR
OPINION AS TO THE HARM THAT THIS DIVERSION OF WATER FROM LAKE
MICHIGAN WOULD CAUSE?
- SURE.
SO -- AND THE WISCONSIN DNR HAS MADE THIS POINT, WHICH IS THAT
THE VOLUME OF WATER WHEN YOU COMPARE IT TO THE TOTAL VOLUME
OF WATER OF THE GREAT LAKES IS NOT A PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT
AMOUNT.
BUT WHAT IT DOES IS OPENS THE DOOR AND UNDERMINES A KEY
COMPONENT OF THE COMPACT TO FURTHER DIVERSIONS IN STRADDLING
COMMUNITIES, WHICH ARE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE PARTLY
WITHIN THE BASIN AND PARTLY OUTSIDE THE BASIN.
SO THE CO COMPACT ITSELF IS A FORWARD-LOOKING DOCUMENT, HOW DO
WE JOINTLY MANAGE AND PROTECT THE GREAT LAKES FOR YEARS TO
COME.
AND THIS PROVISION, THE WAY THE DNR HAS INTERPRETED THIS
PROVISION, OPENS THE DOOR.
THERE'S AN EXAMPLE I THINK OF SORT OF WHAT TYPE OF IMPACTS IT
COULD HAVE ACROSS THE BASIN THAT'S PARTICULARLY SALIENT.
SO IN MINNESOTA THERE'S A NUMBER OF MINES OR MINERAL DEPOSITS
THAT ARE CLOSE TO THE BASIN LINE IN THE IRON RANGE.
AND UNDER THE WISCONSIN DNR'S INTERPRETATION IT'S POSSIBLE
THAT GREAT LAKES WATER COULD NOW BE USED TO SUPPLY THAT VERY
WATER-INTENSIVE INDUSTRY.
SO IT'S NOT THIS PROJECT.
IT'S WHAT COMES NEXT.
- IT'S THE PRECEDENT, IN YOUR MIND, THAT IT SETS.
- EXACTLY.
- WHAT ABOUT THE ARGUMENT THAT MOST OF THE WATER THAT IS
DIVERTED AND USED FOR INDUSTRIAL PURPOSES IS RETURNED TO THE
LAKE?
- YEAH.
SO A LOT OF THE WATER IS RETURNED, BUT FOR THE WATER
THAT'S BEING SUPPLIED TO FOXCONN, THE FIVE MILLION
GALLONS PER DAY, I THINK 38% OF THAT WATER WILL BE CONSUMED AND
NOT RETURNED.
AND, AGAIN, THAT'S NOT AN ISSUE THAT WE'VE RAISED IN OUR
LAWSUIT, BUT IT'S -- AGAIN, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS THE
PRECEDENT IS SET AND OPENING THE DOOR TOO WIDE AT THIS POINT.
- I READ THAT PENNSYLVANIA BELIEVES THAT THE WISCONSIN
APPROVAL OF THE DIVERSION COMPLIES WITH THE COMPACT.
WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD FROM OTHER GREAT LAKES STATE GOVERNORS?
- SO A COUPLE OF STATES SUBMITTED COMMENTS ON THE
APPLICATION THAT RACINE SUBMITTED.
ILLINOIS AND MICHIGAN AND NEW YORK.
AND MICHIGAN AND NEW YORK RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DNR'S
INTERPRETATION.
THEY DIDN'T GO AS FOR TO SAY IT WAS WRONG, BUT RAISED QUESTIONS
ABOUT HOW IT WAS BEING SUPPLIED, THE PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY PURPOSES
WAS BEING APPLIED.
WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN FOLLOW-UP FROM THOSE STATES TO SEE WHERE THEY
STAND AT THIS POINT, BUT THERE IS CONCERN AROUND THE REGION.
- GOING BACK TO THE WAUKESHA WATER DIVERSION FROM LAKE
MICHIGAN, KIND OF SET THE STAGE, SET A PRECEDENT FOR THIS?
- WELL, THE CITY OF WAUKESHA, THAT WAS FOR PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY
PURPOSES.
THAT SERVED THE COMMUNITY.
SO THIS WASN'T AN ISSUE IN THE WAUKESHA DIVERSION SITUATION.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY UNIQUE TO FOXCONN AND IS SORT OF
A PRECEDENT-SETTING SITUATION THAT WE DON'T THINK SHOULD
STAND.
- ALL RIGHT.
WELL, WE'LL BE WATCHING.
JIMMY PARRA, THANKS VERY MUCH.
- THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
APPRECIATE IT.