Cowley: Consistent misrepresentation of data

From Paul Cowley: presentation to public meeting on low levels in Upper Great Lakes

International Joint Commission July 16, 2012

Good evening Co-chairs, Commissioners, ladies and gentlemen

My name is Paul Cowley and I am President of the Federation of Tiny Township Shoreline Associations (FoTTSA). We represent thousands of residents who are members of the 28 beach associations that line the shores of Georgian Bay in Tiny Township.

You have heard this evening from numerous highly credible scientific authorities, politicians at all levels including federal and many other private and commercial individuals who send a clear message – restore our lake levels! To be clear, we support that message with vigor.

FoTTSA has specifically engaged in full support of the Sierra Club’s findings and recommendations because to date, the IJC has not even acknowledged receipt of the Sierra Clubs submissions to them. The IJC has equally not given any considerations to the many errors that The Sierra Club has found in  the flawed analysis of the IUGLS report nor to the pragmatic and cost effective solutions they have proposed to you.

The IUGLS report has consistently misrepresented data on the excess flow down the St. Clair River to minimize the problem supporting a “do nothing strategy”. It has further leveraged misrepresented data in exaggerating downstream impacts that are scientifically unsupported. These exaggerations are clearly intended to support its “do nothing” recommendation.

Michigan Huron remain the only unregulated lakes with consistently declining levels for the past 13 years. To date the IUGLS has delivered $17 million of process with no progress to show for it.

One of the more recent examples of government organizations misrepresenting data and ignoring public will and interests by manipulating processes was a major dump site initiative in our region known as Dump Site 41. We believe it is a wonderfully instructive example of what happens to government organizations when public will and interests, supported by sound scientific data are ignored. The dump site 41 project ultimately got cancelled and completely reversed and the government officials involved are no longer part of those organizations.

It is time the IJC stopped this manipulating to cater to special interests and began listening to the voice of reason from the Sierra Club and other scientific resources that have well documented facts and financially pragmatic solutions to restore MH levels by 25 cm with minimal to no downstream impacts.

So my question is when will the IJC begin acknowledging, listening to and acting on these inputs?