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FYI guys - Abe you NEED to read this.....

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Doug Davenport
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Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Shockey, Alex" <shockey@hillscape.net>
> Date: September 16, 2010 8:39:18 AM EDT
> To: Doug Davenport <ddavenport71@gmail.com>
> Subject: White House -- Business Groups -- Gleick -- on National Water Crisis
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> 7. WATER: Coalition to urge action on looming 'national crisis' (09/15/2010)
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> Paul Quinlan, E&E reporter
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> Barring a change of course, the nation soon will find itself in the throes of a national water crisis.
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> That is the central message a broad coalition of business, environmental and political leaders will take to White House Council of Environmental Quality Chairwoman Nancy Sutley and a who's who of Obama administration officials at an hour-and-a-half meeting this morning.
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> The meeting at CEQ will kick off a national freshwater summit in Washington, D.C. Today's summit is the result of a two-year effort from the Racine, Wis.-based Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, which draws funding from SC Johnson & Son Inc. and JohnsonDiversey.
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> "There was broad consensus among participants that our current path will, unless changed, lead us to a national freshwater crisis in the foreseeable future," according to a 50-page report to be presented at the summit's main event at noon today at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center.
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> Meanwhile, headliners such as Kohler Co. CEO David Kohler, Pacific Institute co-founder and President Peter Gleick and Family Farm Alliance President Patrick O'Toole will conduct interviews via satellite with more than a dozen local and national news outlets, according to organizers.
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> Gwen Ifill of PBS's Washington Week and Newshour will host a panel discussion on water issues at the Ronald Reagan Building beginning at 1 p.m.
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> Organizers are calling for the formation of a national commission on water to define and make recommendations on how to address looming water challenges that include quality and supply; competing urban, rural and ecosystem needs; climate change; environmental and public health impacts; and a variety of economic implications.
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> "One thing we need to clarify: This does not mean more government," Lynn Broaddus, the foundation's director of environmental programs, said of the commission the coalition is seeking, highlighting its advisory role.
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> Among the little-understood challenges, said Broaddus, are the ties between water, energy production and climate change. An estimated 41 percent of U.S. freshwater withdrawals are for thermoelectric power generation -- primarily coal, nuclear and natural gas -- while another 37 percent go toward irrigated agriculture, according to the coalition's report, "Charting New Waters: A Call to Action to Address U.S. Freshwater Challenges."
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> "Water and energy are so closely tied and water is such an integral part of climate change, we have to address these issues together," Broaddus said. "And we have to start now."
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> The foundation has brought together a sweeping alliance of businesses (Mars, Kohler, Rio Tinto and Siemens), environmental groups (World Wildlife Fund, Union of Concerned Scientists, American Rivers and Pacific Institute) and farmers (Family Farm Alliance and Soybean Growers) for the event to call for changes in the use, consumption and regulation of water.
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> Click here to read the report.
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> E&ETV's OnPoint: Johnson Foundation's Broaddus discusses solutions to water issues
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> Is water the next oil? How will water issues affect the future health and security of the United States? During today's OnPoint, Lynn Broaddus, director of the environment program at the Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, discusses a new report that calls on the United States to make major changes to its water policy. Today's OnPoint will air at 10 a.m. EDT.
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> © 1996-2010 E&E Publishing, LLC Privacy Policy Site Map
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> THE JOHNSON FOUNDATION
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> Freshwater Forum
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> The Environmental Forum
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> A major thrust of our new strategic direction is The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread Environmental Forum – a series of conferences we will convene in coming years to take up varied environmental challenges that demand fresh thinking and new solutions.
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> Freshwater Forum
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> The inaugural Forum, launched in early 2009, is focused on how government, business and institutions can more effectively manage the looming crisis that threatens our nation’s freshwater resources and systems and the health of our communities. Our Freshwater Forum featured leading national experts in a set of conferences discussing critical dimensions of freshwater issues, including the intersection of water quality and supply with agriculture, development, municipal water and wastewater services and industrial uses.
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> These conferences set the stage for The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread Freshwater Summit held on June 8th and 9th, 2010, in which leaders in business, government and not-for-profits were asked to develop a national call-to-action and a set of key water initiatives. Specifically, participants included senior level representatives from Mars Incorporated, Diversey, Inc., Kohler Co., U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the White House Council of Environmental Quality, Pacific Institute, World Wildlife Fund and Iowa Soybean Association. In total more than 25 leaders convened at Wingspread to discuss the challenges, opportunities and solutions to addressing the nation’s freshwater crisis. Over the summer months, the groups’ collective thoughts will be compiled into a National Call to Action that they will deliver to the Administration and Congress in September. Please continue to visit The Johnson Foundation’s website for updates.
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> See images from the 2010 Freshwater Summit
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> Below is information regarding the Freshwater Forum conferences held prior to the National Summit:
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> Impacts of Climate Change on Freshwater Resources and Services
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> The first conference of our Freshwater Forum, “Impacts of Climate Change on Freshwater Resources and Services,” (March 17 – 18, 2009) focused on understanding the science and expertise available to help us understand the intersection of climate change and its impact on freshwater resources. Participants explored our understanding of the challenges facing our freshwater resources and how climate change does or does not exacerbate these resources. The outcomes of the first working session informed the Foundation’s decision regarding which freshwater issues are particularly urgent and ripe for our nation’s leaders to address in the coming years.
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> Examining U.S. Freshwater Systems and Services: Infrastructure and the Built Environment
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> The second Forum conference, “Examining U.S. Freshwater Systems and Services: Infrastructure and the Built Environment,” (May 20 – 22, 2009) focused on what is necessary to achieve resilient water systems in the built environment, specifically the infrastructure systems and services that support our urban and suburban areas. Participants included municipal, federal, NGO and private sector professionals, as well as academics from all regions of the country.
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> Examining U.S. Freshwater Systems and Services: Agriculture and Food Production
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> The third Forum conference, “Examining U.S. Freshwater Systems and Services: Agriculture and Food Production,” (September 1 – 3, 2009) focused on how to feed our nation while living within our water resource constraints. Specifically, the conference focused on identifying opportunities and potential solutions for addressing challenges at the intersection of freshwater and agriculture, including water quantity and quality challenges.
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> Examining U.S. Freshwater Systems and Services: Reducing Conflicts at the Water-Energy Interface
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> The fourth Forum conference, “Examining U.S. Freshwater Systems and Services: Reducing Conflicts at the Water-Energy Interface,” (November 16 – 18, 2009) focused on identifying ways to reduce the energy needs and carbon footprint associated with all sectors of water use, treatment, and delivery and minimize the conflicts between water demand from energy generation and water needed for other human and ecological purposes.
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> Examining U.S. Freshwater Systems and Services: Public Health Threats and Solutions
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> The fifth Forum conference, "Examining U.S. Freshwater Systems and Services: Public Health Threats and Solutions," (December 15 - 16, 2009) focused on the intersection of water and human health.
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