Progress Illinois

A new Quinnipiac poll has Barack Obama leading John McCain by 13 points in neighboring Wisconsin:

Wisconsin women likely voters back Obama 53 - 37 percent while men back the Democrat 51 - 40 percent. White voters back Obama 49 - 42 percent. He leads 61 - 35 percent among voters 18 to 34 years old, 52 - 39 percent among voters 35 to 54 years old and 47 - 41 percent among voters over 55.

Quinnipiac polled two other Midwestern states as well, finding Obama with a six-point lead in Michigan and a 17-point lead in Minnesota.

In other Wisconsin news, be sure to check out Sen. Russ Feingold's interview with The Young Turks yesterday. He clearly articulates his frustration with the Democratic leadership in Washington and their handling of this latest FISA "compromise" bill. Here's a taste:

Well, I'm hoping that we have a very good election result in the House and the Senate, and elect President Obama. And then I think the excuses will all be over. I think that people will realize either we're going to be Democrats or we're not. So I am hopeful that people will no longer be intimidated. But I worry a great deal. Because I thought that was the message of the 2006 election and the performance when it comes to the areas of Iraq, and civil liberties in the constitution have not been good, and I really do regret it.

Today the Healing Our Waters coalition released a report on the threat posed to the Great Lakes by global warming. According to the press release, the report "synthesizes current climate change science and presents the likely impacts warming temperatures will have on the lakes, including lower lake levels, more sewage overflows, and increased pressure to divert Great Lakes water."

The AP provides more detail:

Evaporation rates are likely to rise, causing already-low water levels to fall 1 foot on Lake Superior, 3 feet on Lakes Michigan and Huron, 2.7 feet on Lake Erie and 1.7 feet on Lake Ontario over the next century, the report says.

Such changes likely would make the Great Lakes more hospitable to invaders that steal food and shelter from native species, it says. Coastal wetlands that filter pollutants and provide fish spawning grounds would shrink. Exposed toxic sediments would endanger people and wildlife.

If predictions of more frequent and severe storms prove accurate, it could mean more sewage overflows that lead to beach closings, the report says. Meanwhile, arid regions could get even less rainfall, making the Great Lakes a more tempting target.

The coalition is seeking federal funding for its $20 billion Great Lakes restoration plan.

In related news, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle signed into law a bill approving the Great Lakes Compact yesterday. This leaves three state governments -- Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio -- that are yet to approve the agreement.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley greeted the news by ... ridiculing Wisconsin for taking so long. Doyle's spokesman responded: "Maybe Mayor Daley is a little off because he just had so many constituents escape Chicago for a beautiful weekend in Wisconsin."

The idea that alternative energy can be captured from the winds coming off of the Great Lakes is gaining traction across the region.

Today, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that three separate groups are proposing the development of offshore wind farms in Wisconsin:

One of the Lake Michigan proposals, dubbed Radial Wind, calls for erecting 390 turbines about 18 miles east of Milwaukee.

Two other projects that have been discussed with state environmental regulators would be much closer to the shore: Ewindfarm Inc. of California has discussed putting 610 turbines one to two miles from the shore stretching from Kewaunee to Kenosha, according to documents submitted to the DNR.

Meanwhile, another unidentified developer has approached state officials with initial plans to build "a couple hundred" turbines in an area that would be located "within a few miles of shore" in east-central Wisconsin, [wind energy analyst Steve] Ugoretz said.

The chairman of Wisconsin's Public Service Commission also said that the state could find a "competitive advantage" to developing alternative energy industries in the Great Lakes, and Wisconsin is not alone. Officials in Ohio are hoping to place wind turbines off the coast of Cleveland in Lake Erie, and the most expansive plan comes from the Michigan Alternative & Renewable Energy Center. That group has been pushing to place a turbine farm in the middle of Lake Michigan out of view from the coast:

A power consultant from Jackson has calculated that an 8,806-square mile area in the middle of Lake Michigan from northern Beaver Island to southern Chicago could house 36,400 towers -- equally spaced 2,050 feet apart -- none of which could be seen from the shoreline.

Proponents of all these plans caution that Great Lakes wind farming is a long way off. The projects would have to jump numerous regulatory hurdles and also overcome the objections of property owners who worry that turbines might ruin their view of the Lake. Some environmentalists are also concerned with how the turbines might impact the flight paths of migratory birds.

The State of Illinois doesn't appear to be considering any plans to install wind turbines in the portion of Lake Michigan under its jurisdiction. However, as we noted earlier this month, a 25,000-acre wind farm is slated for construction in central Illinois.

As the legislative session drew to an end in Wisconsin last month it looked like hopes that the statehouse would pass the Great Lakes Compact were going to die with it. The environmental agreement between the Great Lakes states had broad popular support and was passed by a wide margin in the Wisconsin Senate, but was then tabled by House Republicans. The state governments of Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, and New York had already ratified the compact, but without the support of the remaining member states the agreement would go up in smoke.

It now appears that, in Wisconsin anyway, that's not going to happen. Democratic Governor Jim Doyle announced yesterday that he was calling a special session of the state legislature to pass the Compact and, furthermore, that a compromise agreement had already been reached. Here is a nutshell description of what the contract accomplishes:

The compact is an agreement of the seven Great Lakes state governors and the two Great Lakes Canadian provinces to regulate water diversions outside of the Great Lakes basin. Under the compact, long distance diversions will not be allowed. Communities in counties, such as Waukesha County, that straddle the edge of the basin, will be able to apply for a Great Lakes water diversion.

Basically, the agreement is a way of ensuring that water from the Great Lakes remains in the Great Lakes Region. It's an environmentally sound plan that got hung up in Wisconsin because of two separate provisions.

(More after the jump ...)

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