For immediate release

Contact: Matt Moroney, MBA Executive Director, 262.436.1122

POLL SHOWS WISCONSIN’S CITIZENS WANT A FAIR COMPACT

(Waukesha, WI) – March 5, 2008 – A recent poll concerning the Great Lakes Water Compact indicates that Wisconsin voters support legislation to protect the Great Lakes, but they want a Compact that treats Wisconsin fairly.  Treating Wisconsin fairly means that Wisconsin citizens oppose an inequitable distribution of power that will allow other states to block a legitimate withdrawal of water by some Wisconsin communities.  Specifically, voters oppose the fact that Illinois and Michigan can stop certain water withdrawals by the Wisconsin, but Wisconsin can’t stop similar water withdrawals by those states.  In the poll, 70% of respondents indicated a preference to rewrite this portion of the Compact before it is passed by the Wisconsin Legislature.

                                               POLL RESULTS

Wood Communications Group—Checkpoint; February 2008
Run dates: February 26- March 2, 2008
Wisconsin Statewide, 400-person sample
Margin of error + 5 percentage points

The Wisconsin legislature is considering legislation known as the Great Lakes Compact. The new law would prohibit withdrawals of water from any of the Great Lakes outside designated areas immediately surrounding the lakes, unless all eight states bordering the lakes give their approval. In other words, any one of the eight states can veto the request by another state to withdraw water, even if all the others agree.

Of the eight states, two—Michigan and Illinois—would be allowed to exercise the veto power but would not be subject to it. That is, Michigan and Illinois could veto water diversions proposed by other states, but other states can not veto water diversions in Michigan or Illinois.

I’d like to ask you to answer a few questions about this proposed Great Lakes Compact language.

First, do you think we need legislation to regulate water withdrawals from the Great Lakes?

Next, do you support the current language that would give elected officials in another state the power to block Wisconsin’s ability to withdraw water from Lake Superior and Lake Michigan?

Do you think it is fair that elected officials in Michigan and Illinois would have the power to block Wisconsin’s ability to withdraw water from Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, but elected officials in Wisconsin or any other of the Compact states could not block Illinois or Michigan’s ability to withdraw water from Lake Michigan or Lake Superior?

Given the fact that the current Great Lakes Compact language gives elected officials from other states the right to block Wisconsin’s ability to withdraw water from Lake Superior and Lake Michigan and that it does not give elected officials in Wisconsin or any other state the right to block Illinois or Michigan’s ability to withdraw water from Lake Michigan or Lake Superior, would you: a) tell your state legislators to go ahead and pass the proposed legislation containing that language; b) tell them to change the proposed language so that it protects the Great Lakes, but protects Wisconsin’s rights and is more fair; or c) tell them to vote against any multi-state compact?