Last November I promoted Peter H. Gleick as White House Water Advisor, a position that did not, and still does not, exist. My recommendation, along with my CV (in case there happened to be another water job available) was sent to then President-Elect Obama's WWW site.
Since I heard nothing I must assume that neither Gleick's appointment nor my CV had any traction with the 30-something IT geek/Webmaster who lives in the basement of his parents' Toledo row house. I suspect my files were deleted without so much as a download.
So I'm trying again. This new nominee does not signal my dissatisfaction with Peter Gleick, whom I still consider one of the sharpest knives in the drawer. He would still be a great WHWA, but it's just not to be.
Let me once again describe this position.
I eschew using the sexier term "water czar" because I am not talking about someone with absolute life-or-death authority. But I want someone who has the ear and confidence of the President and can speak for him on water issues. He/she would have an office in the West Wing and a staff as well. That person would attend Cabinet meetings, and be distinct from the Science Advisor. Water is too important to be rolled into "science" with a bunch of other things.
So what would this person do?
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Advise the President on water and related issues, both domestic and foreign
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Be the administration's water "point man/woman"
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Make policy recommendations
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Liaise with Capitol Hill and the states
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Coordinate Federal water agencies and policies (I know, dream on!)
My new choice? Robert Glennon. Why? For starters, read my review of Unquenchable. Obviously, he's a smart guy. Not only does he have a law degree but also a PhD in American History. He understands public policy and the many facets of water resources. His two books are excellent, well-crafted, well-documented tomes on various aspects of water, and both have earned him a national reputation. Unquenchable will further enhance his reputation because in it, he delves into the broader aspect of water resources - his first book stuck to groundwater - and describes what must be done to get the USA back on track.
But he's not a scientist like Peter Gleick. So? How many of our water problems are purely scientific/engineering ones? Besides, the WHWA does not have to know everything, but has to select a balanced staff and know whom to call when an issue arises. I have spoken with him and have found his knowledge of the technical aspects of water to be quite substantial - due in large part to his intelligence, curiosity, and access to some of the world's finest hydrologic minds (like Tom Maddock III) at the University of Arizona.
Let me recount a story. I first heard him speak at a groundwater conference in Orlando. Water Follies had just come out, and the audience, full of groundwater scientists and engineers, were lying in wait to hear some lawyer tell them about groundwater. I have to admit I was skeptical. But he blew us all away, and since then I have become a fan. The guy knew what he was talking about, and could answer tough questions. It was as though I could speak on water law to a bunch of water lawyers and sound intelligent.
So that's my new choice, and I urge the President to take action ASAP. Our water problems are not going to get better with the current SOS-type approaches, they will get worse. The country needs someone who thinks big, has the 'street creds', knows the subject, understands water's interrelationships with energy, food, land, etc., and is unafraid to say the things that must be said.
And who's been on The Daily Show.
That would be Robert Glennon, Red Sox fan and all.
Your choice?
"Congress' rush to embrace solar power is having some unintended consequences. It will turn over a large chunk of federal land to private energy companies, and it may involve withdrawing billions of gallons of water from sensitive desert habitat." -- Robert Glennon, Dallas Morning News, 12 June 2009
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