Editorial: Stop blaming the International Joint Commission

It is time to stop playing the blame game.

For months, several elected officials and Lake Ontario shoreline residents have been engaged in a campaign against the International Joint Commission and its Plan 2014. They are seeking damages for the severe hit they took this year, as extraordinary flooding ruined homes and yards, and shut down businesses.

Their sincere arguments, often powerful and brimming with data, are based on anger, loss, memories and politics.

These arguments are not, however, based on full understanding of the facts.

More:High winds, high water and lots of hot air: Plan 2014 facts and fallacies

Rather than continuing this futile exercise, leaders should be joining lakeshore residents in exploring ways to better protect coastal property in the years to come, while still respecting the rights of others who are affected by the rise and fall of this Great Lake.

Watchdog journalists Steve Orr and Meaghan McDermott have spent weeks meticulously examining the issues raised by U.S. Rep. Christopher Collins; officials from Monroe County, the town of Greece, and the village of Sodus; New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo; the Lake Ontario Riparian Alliance; and many individual citizens.

Like most journalists, Orr and McDermott are remarkably above average when it comes to being skeptical. As members of the fourth estate, it is their job to expose wrongdoing, whether intentional or not, by government and quasi-governmental entities. For Orr and McDermott, uncovering a conspiracy – particularly one with international flair, is akin to winning a record Powerball jackpot.

That is why they have pored over decades of lake level data, historical records and weather forecasts. Bending over backwards, they dug up a Farmer’s Almanac when more scientifically sound measures failed to support the claims made against the International Joint Commission.

They crunched lots of numbers, and put them into context. A great example: Cuomo and others have asserted the Commission failed to release enough water from the lake during an optimal time in March. It is true, Orr and McDermott found, that the Commission let out less water than it did last year during the same period. But, the impact on the lake level was equal to the thickness of a nickel.

That is not finger-wagging worthy.

They followed a dozen trails, and none of them led to mismanagement or conspiracy by the Commission. None of them showed that Plan 2014 unleashed mayhem on the south shore of Lake Ontario.

Yet, there are threats of lawsuits, which would undoubtedly come with exorbitant costs for taxpayers. Relations with our neighbor to the north are frayed, as Canadian officials accuse our officials of fear-mongering and spreading falsehoods. There are efforts to take this unfounded argument all the way to the White House.

Stop.

There may be reasons to tweak or even overhaul Plan 2014. There might be steps that can be taken to boost natural barriers, or put manmade obstructions in the way of raging waters. Improvements in our emergency response to extreme weather are likely warranted. Homeowners and businesses might need to make some changes.

But trying to place blame for this year’s flooding is pointless. It is time to move on.

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