As we prepare for
our next president to take office in the White House, it is very
encouraging to
know that the critical water issues gripping this
country are a priority on his
list of environmental issues that need to
be addressed.
According
to President Obama, water is one of the “grand challenges” facing
the
United States in the 21st century. He believes that
solutions
will require closer collaboration between federal, state, and
local governments
combined with active cooperation at the local
community and business level.
Notes Obama, “prices and policies must be
set in ways that give everyone a clear
incentive to use water more
efficiently and avoid waste.” For example,
there must be
increased
regulation affecting water use when it comes to appliances, and
greater
incentive to shift from irrigated lawns to “water smart”
landscaping. Additionally, information,
training, and
economic assistance should be provided to farms and
businesses that need to
shift too more water efficient
practices. Observes the President, the most
successful local
programs addressing water conservation and water efficiency
should be
pro-actively expanded to other states and regions.
President-elect
Obama emphasized that it is critical for the country to proactively
implement a
concerted program of research, development, and testing of
new technologies that
can assist in reducing water use. He is also very
bullish about implementing
some kind of national plan that would assist
high-growth regions with the
challenges they face in managing their
water supplies. As part of a national
plan, he has indicated his
support for the expansion of desalination options in
the southwest
region of the country. Lastly, he believes that the country needs
to
curtail the concept of trans basin diversions.
We look forward to
seeing exactly how the new administration acts on water efficiency and
conservation issues and are encouraged that these issues will finally
be
addressed on a national scale.
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