LEADERS WHO OFFER THAT KIND OF POLITICS.

E ARE FORTUNATE TO BE SURROUNDED BY HUGE BODIES OF WATER, INCLUDING THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI.

PARCHED STATES LIKE ARIZONA WITH THEIR OWN RIVERS DRYING UP ARE EYEING OUR WATER TO PUMP THEIR WAY.

CONCERN OVER SUCH DIVERSION IS PROMPTING ACTION TO PREVENT IT.

THIS MONTH, 30 MAYORS REPRESENTING 10 STATES VOTED IN FAVOR OF FORMING A MISSISSIPPI RIVER COMPACT.

LACROSSE MAYOR, MITCH REYNOLDS, IS AMONG THE MAYORS LEADING THE EFFORT AND HE JOINS US NOW.

THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

>> WELL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> SO WHAT WOULD A MISSISSIPPI RIVER COMPACT DO?

>> IT'S REALLY MODELLED AFTER THE GREAT LAKES COMPACT AND IT'S REALLY MEANT TO PROTECT THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AS A WATER RESOURCE FOR NOW AND FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

SO WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AS NOT ONLY AS SOMETHING THAT'S BENEFICIAL FOR OUR COMMUNITIES UP AND DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, BUT ALSO FOR OUR ENTIRE NATION.

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE NUMBER OF STATES THAT THE BASIN DRAINS, IT'S 32 STATES THAT THE BASIN DRAINS AND THERE'S 40% OF THE AG PRODUCTS IN THE NATION WILL BE -- WILL GO -- WILL TRAVEL DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, AND SO FOR US TO CREATE A COMPACT, IS THERE A SENSIBLE WAY TO ENSURE THAT THE THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER IS THEY USE AS A I GO WATER RESOURCE, NATURAL HABITAT RESOURCE, NAVIGATION RESOURCE, ECONOMIC RESOURCE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

>> SO I KNOW THAT THE CONCERNS ARE AROUND DIVERSION TO STATES THAT SORELY NEED WATER, BUT WOULD IT REALLY BE FEASIBLE TO PUMP OR DIVERT THE WATER OUT WEST?

>> YOU WOULDN'T THINK SO.

I MEAN, YOU WOULD THINK THAT IT WOULD BE JUST INCOMPREHENSIBLE TO TAKE A PIPE AND RUN IT ACROSS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE SOUTHWEST AND SAY, "HERE'S YOUR WATER," BUT WE DO THAT FOR OIL AND ARGUABLY WATER IS THE MORE SIGNIFICANT RESOURCE THAN WATER IS.

I WOULD ARGUE THAT.

SO I'M NOT PUTTING IT PAST ANYBODY.

PLE THAT SAY, WELL, THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

HAPPEN, BUT IT MIGHT HAPPEN.

SO WHY NOT CREATE A COMPACT TO ENSURE THAT IT DOESN'T, AND NOT ONLY TO MAKE SURE DIVERSION IS NOT AN OPTION, BUT MAKE SURE WE'RE ACTING IN UNITY TO PROTECT THE RESOURCE, AND I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, AGAIN, THE ENTIRE NATION HAS AN INTEREST IN.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

SO IT'S FASHIONED AFTER THE GREAT LAKES COMPACT.

WE KNOW THAT TOOK YEARS TO ENACT.

ERE?

>> WELL, HOPEFULLY SOONER, QUICKER THAN YOURS, AND I THINK THAT BECAUSE THERE IS THAT MODEL THERE WITH THE GREAT LAKES COMPACT, AND, OF COURSE, THE GREAT LAKES COMPACT IS TWO NATIONS, OBVIOUSLY, TOO, SO IT'S NOT JUST THE UNITED STATES.

IT'S CANADA AS WELL.

WE HAVE 10 STATES AND WE NEED OUR STATE LEGISLATURES TO CHAMPION THIS AND TO APPROVE THAT, WE NEED THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO APPROVE IT, BUT I THINK THAT WE ALREADY HAVE A PRECEDENT OF THE GREAT LAKES COMPACT.

S A MUCH MORE DOABLE PROPOSITION.

>> WHAT DO YOU KNOW -- >> , SO AGAIN, EXACT TIME LINE, I'M NOT SURE, BUT I THINK... >> WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE LEGISLATURE'S SENSE OF WEATHER THEY WOULD SUPPORT THIS?

>> GREAT QUESTION.

I GUESS WE'RE EARLY ON IN THIS PROCESS.

LEGISLATURES IN THESE 10 STATES WOULD SAY, "NO, WE'RE NOT PROTECTING THE MISSISSIPPI VER."

IS THE LIFE BLOOD OF ALL OF THESE STATES.

IT'S HARD FOR ME TO BELIEVE THAT THAT WOULD NOT HAPPEN, BUT MAYBE, AND THAT'S WHAT OUR -- THE JOB OF -- LIKE THE GROUP THAT I'M IN, THE MISSISSIPPI RIVERS TOWNS AND CO-SHARES OF THIS GROUP, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING AND WE'RE TRYING TO WORK TOWARDS IS MAKE SURE THAT THE STATE LEGISLATURES ARE, OUR FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES UNDERSTAND JUST HOW SIGNIFICANT AND IMPORTANT IT IS.

SO IF THERE IS HESITATION, THEN WE CAN TRY TO CONVINCE THEM OTHERWISE.

>> STILL, YOU AT THIS JUNCTURE, SEEM REALLY FIRED UP ABOUT THIS.

>> OH, YEAH.

ARE YOU KIDDING?

THIS IS SIGNIFICANT.

THE CITY OF LACROSSE, AND VIRTUALLY EVERY CITY ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, THE PAST AND THE CURRENT, THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE, ALL OF IT IS -- ALL OF IT IS -- IS BASICALLY FORMED BY THE RIVER WITH OUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE RIVER.

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, IT IS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF OUR COMMUNITY, WHO WE ARE, WHO WE'RE GOING TO BE IN THE FUTURE.

WE NEED TO PROTECT THIS AS A RESOURCE AND, YOU KNOW, FOR ME AND FOR MY CHILDREN FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

I THINK IT IS JUST -- IT IS CRITICAL FOR OUR CITY, FOR ALL OF THE CITIES THAT -- UP AND DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER FROM BEMIDJI TO MOUTH, WE ARE -- IT IS PROFOUNDLY NECESSARY FOR US TO PROTECT THIS AS NOT ONLY A RESOURCE FOR OUR COMMUNITIES, BUT AS A NATURAL RESOURCE AS WELL.

WELL.