LEADERS WHO OFFER THAT KIND OF
POLITICS.
>> IN WISCONSIN, WE ARE
FORTUNATE TO BE SURROUNDED BY
HUGE BODIES OF WATER, INCLUDING
THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI.
PARCHED STATES LIKE ARIZONA WITH
THEIR OWN RIVERS DRYING UP ARE
EYEING OUR WATER TO PUMP THEIR
WAY.
CONCERN OVER SUCH DIVERSION IS
PROMPTING ACTION TO PREVENT IT.
THIS MONTH, 30 MAYORS
REPRESENTING 10 STATES VOTED IN
FAVOR OF FORMING A MISSISSIPPI
RIVER COMPACT.
LACROSSE MAYOR, MITCH REYNOLDS,
IS AMONG THE MAYORS LEADING THE
EFFORT AND HE JOINS US NOW.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> WELL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING
ME.
IT'S A PLEASURE.
>> SO WHAT WOULD A MISSISSIPPI
RIVER COMPACT DO?
>> IT'S REALLY MODELLED AFTER
THE GREAT LAKES COMPACT AND IT'S
REALLY MEANT TO PROTECT THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER AS A WATER
RESOURCE FOR NOW AND FOR
GENERATIONS TO COME.
SO WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER AS NOT ONLY AS
SOMETHING THAT'S BENEFICIAL FOR
OUR COMMUNITIES UP AND DOWN THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER, BUT ALSO FOR
OUR ENTIRE NATION.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE NUMBER
OF STATES THAT THE BASIN DRAINS,
IT'S 32 STATES THAT THE BASIN
DRAINS AND THERE'S 40% OF THE AG
PRODUCTS IN THE NATION WILL
BE -- WILL GO -- WILL TRAVEL
DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, AND
SO FOR US TO CREATE A COMPACT,
IS THERE A SENSIBLE WAY TO
ENSURE THAT THE THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER IS THEY USE AS A I GO
WATER RESOURCE, NATURAL HABITAT
RESOURCE, NAVIGATION RESOURCE,
ECONOMIC RESOURCE FOR
GENERATIONS TO COME.
>> SO I KNOW THAT THE CONCERNS
ARE AROUND DIVERSION TO STATES
THAT SORELY NEED WATER, BUT
WOULD IT REALLY BE FEASIBLE TO
PUMP OR DIVERT THE WATER OUT
WEST?
>> YOU WOULDN'T THINK SO.
I MEAN, YOU WOULD THINK THAT IT
WOULD BE JUST INCOMPREHENSIBLE
TO TAKE A PIPE AND RUN IT ACROSS
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO
THE SOUTHWEST AND SAY, "HERE'S
YOUR WATER," BUT WE DO THAT FOR
OIL AND ARGUABLY WATER IS THE
MORE SIGNIFICANT RESOURCE THAN
WATER IS.
I WOULD ARGUE THAT.
SO I'M NOT PUTTING IT PAST
ANYBODY.
WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT
SAY, WELL, THIS WILL NEVER
HAPPEN.
WELL, IT MAY NEVER HAPPEN, BUT
IT MIGHT HAPPEN.
SO WHY NOT CREATE A COMPACT TO
ENSURE THAT IT DOESN'T, AND NOT
ONLY TO MAKE SURE DIVERSION IS
NOT AN OPTION, BUT MAKE SURE
WE'RE ACTING IN UNITY TO PROTECT
THE RESOURCE, AND I THINK THAT
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, AGAIN,
THE ENTIRE NATION HAS AN
INTEREST IN.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
SO IT'S FASHIONED AFTER THE
GREAT LAKES COMPACT.
WE KNOW THAT TOOK YEARS TO
ENACT.
WHAT'S THE TIME LINE HERE?
>> WELL, HOPEFULLY SOONER,
QUICKER THAN YOURS, AND I THINK
THAT BECAUSE THERE IS THAT MODEL
THERE WITH THE GREAT LAKES
COMPACT, AND, OF COURSE, THE
GREAT LAKES COMPACT IS TWO
NATIONS, OBVIOUSLY, TOO, SO IT'S
NOT JUST THE UNITED STATES.
IT'S CANADA AS WELL.
WE HAVE 10 STATES AND WE NEED
OUR STATE LEGISLATURES TO
CHAMPION THIS AND TO APPROVE
THAT, WE NEED THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT TO APPROVE IT, BUT I
THINK THAT WE ALREADY HAVE A
PRECEDENT OF THE GREAT LAKES
COMPACT.
IT FEELS LIKE THIS IS A MUCH
MORE DOABLE PROPOSITION.
>> WHAT DO YOU KNOW --
>> , SO AGAIN, EXACT TIME LINE,
I'M NOT SURE, BUT I THINK...
>> WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE
LEGISLATURE'S SENSE OF WEATHER
THEY WOULD SUPPORT THIS?
>> GREAT QUESTION.
I GUESS WE'RE EARLY ON IN THIS
PROCESS.
I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT
LEGISLATURES IN THESE 10 STATES
WOULD SAY, "NO, WE'RE NOT
PROTECTING THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER."
IS THE LIFE BLOOD OF ALL OF
THESE STATES.
IT'S HARD FOR ME TO BELIEVE THAT
THAT WOULD NOT HAPPEN, BUT
MAYBE, AND THAT'S WHAT OUR --
THE JOB OF -- LIKE THE GROUP
THAT I'M IN, THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVERS TOWNS AND CO-SHARES OF
THIS GROUP, ONE OF THE THINGS
WE'RE DOING AND WE'RE TRYING TO
WORK TOWARDS IS MAKE SURE THAT
THE STATE LEGISLATURES ARE, OUR
FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES
UNDERSTAND JUST HOW SIGNIFICANT
AND IMPORTANT IT IS.
SO IF THERE IS HESITATION, THEN
WE CAN TRY TO CONVINCE THEM
OTHERWISE.
>> STILL, YOU AT THIS JUNCTURE,
SEEM REALLY FIRED UP ABOUT THIS.
>> OH, YEAH.
ARE YOU KIDDING?
THIS IS SIGNIFICANT.
THE CITY OF LACROSSE, AND
VIRTUALLY EVERY CITY ALONG THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER, THE PAST AND
THE CURRENT, THE PRESENT AND THE
FUTURE, ALL OF IT IS -- ALL OF
IT IS -- IS BASICALLY FORMED BY
THE RIVER WITH OUR RELATIONSHIP
TO THE RIVER.
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, IT IS A
SIGNIFICANT PART OF OUR
COMMUNITY, WHO WE ARE, WHO WE'RE
GOING TO BE IN THE FUTURE.
WE NEED TO PROTECT THIS AS A
RESOURCE AND, YOU KNOW, FOR ME
AND FOR MY CHILDREN FOR
GENERATIONS TO COME.
I THINK IT IS JUST -- IT IS
CRITICAL FOR OUR CITY, FOR ALL
OF THE CITIES THAT -- UP AND
DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER FROM
BEMIDJI TO MOUTH, WE ARE -- IT
IS PROFOUNDLY NECESSARY FOR US
TO PROTECT THIS AS NOT ONLY A
RESOURCE FOR OUR COMMUNITIES,
BUT AS A NATURAL RESOURCE AS
WELL.
>> WE LEAVE IT THERE M