State senators took the first step on Thursday, September 13, 2001, to craft a new vision for how Michigan manages its liquid assets. The bipartisan eight-member Great Lakes Conservation Task Force held the first in a series of regional hearings in Traverse City to identify the most important threats to the Great Lakes and how to address them.

In its testimony-->testimony the Michigan Land Use Institute urged lawmakers to modernize the state’s water laws so that they protect water supply, not just limit contamination. The Institute also called for improvements in wastewater treatment, support for local government, improved public access to beaches, and a ban on directional oil and gas drilling. In essence the Institute suggested that the senators consider a comprehensive approach towards modernizing state management of a natural asset that has extraordinary economic and cultural value.

Click here-->here to read Arlin Wasserman's testimony