Peter H. Gleick for White House Water Advisor

No sense beating around the bush: we've got some serious water issues facing the USA (and the world). If I have to enumerate them, then you've been living under a rock or not reading WaterWired, or both. Paramount among these issues is the fact that the USA has no national water policy/strategy/vision/plan (choose your favorite term).

President-Elect Barack Obama needs to appoint a White House Water Advisor. 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?

• Advise the President on water and related issues, both domestic and foreign

• Be the administration's water "point man/woman"

• Make policy recommendations

• Liaise with Capitol Hill and the states

• Coordinate Federal water agencies and policies (I know, dream on!)

Obviously we need someone smart and who "thinks outside the box" (apologies for using that hackneyed term). Sorry, Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin, but 'Joe/Jane Six-Pack' or 'Joe the Plumber' won't do. Nor will another lawyer suffice; we already have TMDLs.  And let's get someone who is OTB (Outside The Beltway), not a political hack, and doesn't espouse the SOS. Gee, that's a tall order!

So who fills the bill? Dr. Peter H. Gleick, President and co-founder of the nonprofit Pacific Institute, is the best person for the job. When it comes to water, he is well-respected and the smartest one in the pool.

In 20 short years, Gleick and his co-workers have made the Pacific Institute into one of the most respected nonpartisan environmental/economic development/social equity "think tanks" around. Gleick himself has the "street creds" to assume such a mantle: he is a former MacArthur Foundation Fellow (the "genius" award) and has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. He has already written about the water threats and opportunities facing the next President, and provided 16 key water policy recommendations.

Gleick's expertise also extends beyond water into the 4E's: environment, energy, equity, and economics. He is keenly aware of the interplay between water and the 4E's. He's also a policy wonk and a charter member of the WaterWonk club.  And he's articulate.

So it's a done deal.  Dr. Peter H. Gleick, El Jefe de Agua!

Who's your choice?

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Comments

[hero gold]

I really like your post, thanks for sharing.

[wow gold]

USA are my choices to consider for the White House Water Advisor(s) simply because they are skilled educators in water science and engineering, have comparable national and international recognition.

[nelsa]

In 20 short years, Gleick and his co-workers have made the Pacific Institute into one of the most respected nonpartisan environmental/economic development/social equity "think tanks" around. Gleick himself has the "street creds" to assume such a mantle: he is a former MacArthur Foundation Fellow (the "genius" award) and has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. He has already written about the water threats and opportunities facing the next President, and provided 16 key water policy recommendations.

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nelsa

MLS

[Dave Irwin]

He has my vote.

[Timothy]

I'm delighted with the suggestion that a Water Advisor be named. In an Obama administration, I think we can be confident that people named to environmental positions will actually be environmentalists. Thanks for the pro-active thinking.

Timothy www.friendsofwater.com

[Todd Jarvis]

Tough choice as Dr. Gleick's work is so well known through his The World's Water series of books, but Susan Seacrest, founder of the Groundwater Foundation and/or Dr. Bernard Amadei, the founder of Engineers Without Borders - USA are my choices to consider for the White House Water Advisor(s) simply because they are skilled educators in water science and engineering, have comparable national and international recognition, and also have founded their own nonprofit organizations that have proven impact on national and international water issues.