The summer ride of Dave Dempsey underscores his rising role as the Paul Revere of the Great Lakes, sounding battle cries against those who menace their waters. His lantern is the written word.
An environmental adviser to ex-Gov. Jim Blanchard, former policy director of the Michigan Environmental Council and current communications director for Conservation Minnesota, he is author of previous and two timely new Lakes books, and helped assemble last week's Michigan League of Conservation Voters Scorecard on all three branches of state government.
I recently noted Dempsey's provocative book, "Great Lakes for Sale: From Whitecaps to Bottlecaps," from the University of Michigan Press and Petoskey Publishing of Traverse City. Its foreword by U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, warns, "Commercialization of Great Lakes water is a dangerous threat." As of this writing, Stupak, a Capitol Hill guardian of the lakes who has more of their shorelines in his district than do others, had not decided whether he will be a Michigan delegation holdout on approval of the Great Lakes Compact, which such critics as Traverse City attorney Jim Olson say fails to protect the public trust on groundwater.
Dempsey said Friday: "The Compact should not be defeated, but Congress should consent to it only with express reservations and conditions that nothing in the consent can be interpreted to undermine public trust protections or commercialize water."
While Great Lakes guru Dempsey is on the front lines of today's political water wars, he also is co-author, with photographer David Lubbers, of an extraordinary reflective book for the ages, "The Waters of Michigan," from Michigan State University Press.
"Water defines Michigan," writes Dempsey, who notes it as an avenue for arrival of Native American and European settlers, and its importance to lumber, fishing, agriculture and other industries. --¦Water is the power of eternal forces. In its presence, we touch the eternal. In its misuse, we betray the eternal." In the foreword of the book, ex-Gov. William G. Milliken said water "has been central to Michigan political life. Its use and misuse have shaped the state's political history and will play an even more important role in the future of Michigan."
Pictures with commentary from the northern Lower Peninsula include 18 from Leelanau County, as well as a scattering from Petoskey, Manistee and the Straits area. Milliken, Lubbers and Dempsey are scheduled to sign books Aug. 1 at the Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor starting at 1 p.m.
Conservation scorecard
"Michigan is no longer considered a conservation leader among the states," the Michigan League of Conservation Voters said in presenting its 2008 environmental scorecard. "The bipartisan consensus that Michigan conservation is too important to be politicized has broken down." The League gave a negative review of the Michigan Supreme Court, and mixed reviews for Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Legislature.
Consider for example, northern senators. In 2003, LCV gave them fairly good marks -- all were above 50 percent in support of bills LCV then deemed important to the cause. Not so for 2007-08, except for Sen. Michael Prusi, D-Ishpeming, who scored 100 percent.
Republican Sens. Jason Allen, of Traverse City; Michelle McManus, of Lake Leelanau; and Tony Stamas, of Midland, all scored a mere 11 percent on the league's favored legislation.
The League's scorecard also made these comments on "Inaction, Stalemate, and Retreat:"
-- "A 2002 pledge by Governor Granholm to control Michigan's toxic mercury emissions from coal-fired power plans remains unfulfilled."
-- "Despite year-long attention to the state's budget crisis, the Legislature made no progress in identifying solutions to declining conservation funding."
-- "Judges can uphold, strike down or cut the heart out of laws enacted by elected representatives." It said the Michigan Supreme Court in two recent cases "significantly weakened the Michigan Environmental Protection Act ... regarded as a national landmark."
Presidential campaign surrogates
Two veteran Michigan congressmen were enlisted last week by the presumptive presidential nominees to preside on national media conference calls attacking the other candidate.
The campaign of Democrat Barack Obama used Stupak, chairman of a House subcommittee with clout on energy issues, to criticize Republican John McCain's TV ad in Michigan and elsewhere blaming Obama for high gas prices.
McCain's campaign featured Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Holland, ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, in a conference call criticizing Obama for his "untenable" position that he would be willing to meet with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea without preconditions.
Given Michigan's importance as a swing state, we'll have opportunities to hear from McCain and Obama on these and other issues.
George Weeks retired in 2006 after 22 years as political columnist for The Detroit News. His weekly Michigan Politics column is syndicated by Superior Features.
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