Don't Give California's Water Bottlers a Free Pass

by Tara Lohan · 2010-09-04 06:30:00 UTC
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California took a step in the right direction this week when the legislature passed a bill that will help hold water bottlers accountable for the H2O they take. As I wrote last week, A.B. 301 is a bill that would require bottled water companies to report the amount of water they are bottling. Right now, the bill is sitting on the Governator's desk, awaiting his seal of approval.

Water bottling companies are currently allowed to draw water from public water sources and sources on private land. Despite the fact that taking this water can impact local waterways and wells and deplete the state's already-strained water supply, California doesn't require companies to report how much water they're using. This bill is a baby step in helping to hold water bottlers accountable for their environmental impacts.

Mark Schlosberg, the National Organizing Director at Food and Water Watch, explained that there is no opposition on record from any private bottling company. The only entity opposed to the legislation is the state's Department of Public Health. (And yes, you read that right). The department claims that they don't want to allow the information to become public because of confidential business interests. That excuse seems pretty weak, though, if those businesses they are trying to protect aren't even concerned about disclosing how much water they draw.

Perhaps the Department of Public Health just doesn't want any more work to do, since it would be the agency in charge of administering this new law. Laziness is a poor reason to sacrifice our environment. "Water should be treated as a public resource, the department should be more worried about insuring our health than protecting private interests," said Schlosberg.

Not only would the legislation be a win for the public and the environment, the funding for it would be covered by existing fees that are already in place, Schlosberg said. The money would come from the Food Safety Fund that numerous permitting fees are paid into. Even though the state may be running a massive deficit, this fund is actually in surplus, and the minimal cost of running the program would not come out of the over-tapped general fund.

Last session, Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation similar to A.B. 301. Let's make sure the Governator doesn't put the kibosh on water bottler legislation again. Sign our petition asking him to pass this bill, and put California on a more sane track for water management.

Photo credit: stevendepolo via Flickr

Tara Lohan is a senior editor at AlterNet.org where she heads up the environment, water, and food sections. Her work has appeared on the websites of The Nation, Mother Jones, the Huffington Post and in Yes! Magazine.
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