LEADERS WHO OFFER THAT KIND OF POLITICS.
E 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.
>> 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.
PLE THAT SAY, WELL, THIS WILL NEVER
HAPPEN. 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. ERE?
>> 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. S 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.
LEGISLATURES IN THESE 10 STATES WOULD SAY, "NO, WE'RE NOT
PROTECTING THE MISSISSIPPI VER."
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. WELL.