TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., July 21 (UPI) -- The National Governors Association conference began Saturday in Michigan with Arizona's governor promising not to steal the Great Lakes.
Gov. Janet Napolitano, the organization's current chairwoman, outlined the main topics for discussion at the 99th annual meeting at a news conference on the edge of Grand Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan. Napolitano, governor of a desert state with a growing population, said water scarcity is a top issue in Arizona, The Detroit News reported.
"We're looking at new ways of conservation that does not mean taking it from the Great Lakes," said Napolitano, who is chairwoman of the NGA, to which Gov. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan responded "Amen, sister."
One of the top issues for the conference is the State Children's Health Insurance Program or S-CHIP, which most governors hope to see reauthorized and expanded.
Another, the governors said, is global warming. But Napolitano said U.S. states cannot solve that issue on their own and any efforts they make, even in a state as large as California, will not be effective if countries like China do not take steps to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
