TRAVERSE CITY -- After meetings with assorted world leaders, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has been promoting creating jobs in a global "green economy" that cleans the environment through alternative energy.
"We want Michigan to be a leader for the country in solutions to reduce global warming, create jobs and provide alternative and renewal energy," she said after a September meeting with King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, which has set a goal of total oil independence by 2020.
It's a good bet that Granholm, who last week cut short a Middle East visit to fly back to Washington to lobby there, and on national TV, for help for the auto industry will have a green pitch for new energy technologies in her 2009 State of the State Address.
In an interview last week, Lt. Gov. John Cherry, long a conservation champion in the Senate before becoming Granholm's running mate, said he is encouraging her to also promote a "blue economy -- the sustainable use of our waters." The subject came up when I asked about his earlier comment to me that eventually there should be a tightening of the recently-approved Great Lakes Compact that allows pumping and sale of water as a product in containers of five gallons or less.
Cherry, immediate past chairman of the Great Lakes Commission, said: "That's a pretty artificial distinction when you start putting bottles of five gallons on a truck. (laughing) Ok? I mean, all of a sudden, that becomes a vessel!"
He defended the position that the Legislature and Congress took in adopting the compact without the more restrictive provisions sought by U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, and others because, Cherry said, "we would not have a compact." Now that "we've got it, we've got to focus on keeping the water in the basin."
Strengthening the compact, he said, "is a debate that will occur in the next decade, and probably earlier than later." The sooner the better.
Cherry said that water has great potential for development in two ways: "One, is that we need to be absolutely stringent about keeping water here because it becomes a magnet to attract businesses to locate here.
"But secondly, we can become a world leader in export of technology that helps other regions learn how to preserve their water, clean their water and improve their access to water just by handling the water they have in a more environmentally sound way."
Cherry, who is Granholm's point man in dealing with university presidents and met with them last week in Traverse City, cited Michigan Tech, Michigan State, Michigan, Wayne State and Grand Valley State among those schools that could help foster the blue economy.
Although Cherry repeatedly referred to a "blue economy," his office touts the initiative as "The Blue Water Economy -- Great Lakes Protection and Michigan's Economic Transformation," subject of a speech he gave Nov. 10.
For political spinners, "blue economy" is too suggestive of our economic blues.
2010 governor's race
At this stage of the race, prospective candidates in each major party talk of "considering ... exploring." Not Cherry.
John Cherry, like the John McCain of yore, is a straight talker. This was evident last week in our chat over coffee when he candidly referred to himself among "those of us who are running for governor in 2010." He said this as we talked about the budget woes that ex-Govs. Bill Milliken and Jim Blanchard had when Cherry first ran and served in the Legislature in the early 1980s.
There have been budget woes for governors ever since and Cherry figures they will face the 2010 winner.
He said "the debate has been budget for 20 years (and) ... now as a candidate, I mean I have no guarantee I'll get elected, but I believe as a candidate I can at least shape" the debate.
Cherry won't formally announce until next year. Meanwhile, consider him "as a candidate" in waiting.
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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