Thread: Nestle Trying Another Water Grab

Short video on an Oregon situation. One commentor from Maine had this to say @ Nestle:
"Fryeburg, Maine, which sold these water rights to Nestlé many years ago in order to eliminate property taxes, has tried to get out from under the agreement, and failed. The payments not only no longer cover property taxes, but the town doesn't even get the benefit of jobs - just hundreds of huge tankers coming in and out of town, taking the water to a bottling plant in New Hampshire."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udyx9u5LJeo&feature=youtu.be<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udyx9u5LJeo&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">

Oregon citizens won against nestle water grab...
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ― Margaret Mead.

Oregon Voters Reject Nestle's WaterGrab

Detractors of Nestle's plan said the county needs its water for its citizens, agriculture and wildlife.

By Karina Brown / Courthouse NewsMay 23, 2016

Nestle's plan to bottle pristine water from a natural spring in the Columbia River Gorge suffered a blow Tuesday, when voters approved a measure to block the company's plan.

The measure may end Nestle Waters North America's seven-year campaign to open a water-bottling plant outside of Cascade Locks, population 1,148, and tap 100 million gallons annually from Oxbow Springs under the brand name Arrowhead.
Proponents said the plant would add about 50 jobs to the community, and bring in property-tax revenues that would almost double the county's tax base. Detractors said the county needs its water for its citizens, agriculture and wildlife.

Hood River County straddles the dividing line between the wet and dry sides of the state, and was one of the two-thirds of Oregon counties to declare a drought state of emergency last year.

Measure 14-55 passed easily with 69 percent of the vote. But its effect is not yet clear.

Aurora del Val, leader of the Local Water Alliance—the group that sponsored the ballot measure—said that she was thrilled by the win, but expects Nestle to keep fighting to open the plant.

Del Val said the local fight against a huge corporation had drawn the community together across the normal political dividing lines.

"We watched a county measure garner overwhelming bipartisan support right in the midst of a record heat wave and drought," Del Val said. "Hood River County's economy is based on agriculture. We have over 100 local businesses and 60-plus orchards and vineyards, so regardless of political perspective, people really get it over here that water is essential for a healthy economy. We have to be really smart about how we use our water supply."

Nestle said in a statement that it was disappointed that the ballot measure blocking its plans passed, but "pleased to see that the voters of Cascade Locks have spoken out in opposition to the measure."

The company added, "While we firmly believe this decision on a county primary ballot is not in the best interest of Cascade Locks, we respect the democratic process."

Nestle spokesman David Palais did not return a phone call requesting comment.
Del Val said she didn't trust Nestle's claim that it would respect the will of the voters. She said she wouldn't be surprised if Nestle files a lawsuit, but that it was more likely that the company would launch a sneaky operation to get its way.

Nestle funneled $105,000 to the political action committee Coalition for a Strong Gorge Economy. That money accounted for 90 percent of the group's reported funding, and Del Val said Nestle hid its contributions for months in an effort to make the committee look like a local effort.

Nestle amended its campaign-finance reporting to name itself, rather than the International Bottled Water Association — of which it is a member — as the contributor of a $35,000 donation in April, according to the Oregon Secretary of State's campaign-finance database.

"We expect that there will be some kind of pushback, but they'll probably take the tactic of not acting directly and they might use the cover of an opposition group like the Coalition for a Strong Gorge Economy," Del Val said.

But Del Val said she expected the measure to hold up, despite any legal challenges Nestle might throw her community's way. She said local law firm Crag Law Center helped draft the measure in a way that would keep Nestle from finding a loophole to squeak through.

And the win could pave the way for other communities to wage similar battles.
"We think we've created a road map where local people can flex their muscle and kick out big companies," Del Val said.

http://www.alternet.org/water/oregon...les-water-grab

video clip from Story of Stuff stating how little Nestle pays to withdraw water from public lands on expired leases over 25 yrs old. $500 yr to withdraw from Strawberry Creek Ca
http://storyofstuff.org/blog/people-...SOS+Newsletter

Drought turns Californians against water bottling companies

by Katie Lobosco @KatieLobosco May 26, 2015: 1:47 PM ET

As California residents are forced to cut back their water use, some are outraged that companies bottling water there aren't asked to do the same.

They've made a scapegoat of big names like Nestle, which operates five water bottling plants in California. Dozens of activists protested outside two of the plants last week and online petitions have garnered thousands of signatures demanding Nestle (NSRGF) halt its bottling operations.

In fact, there are 110 water bottling plants in the state.

In addition to Nestle, others big bottlers include Pepsi (PEP), which bottles Aquafina; Coca-Cola (CCE), which bottles Dasani; and Crystal Geyser.

But the thing is, the amount of water bottled in California is a tiny fraction of what the entire state uses.

"It's a pretty small amount," said Tim Moran, a spokesman for the state's Water Resources Control Board. The state doesn't actually track how much water is bottled there.

Related: She's $10M closer to replacing plastic bottles

The International Bottled Water Association says that about 3.1 billion gallons of water are bottled in California annually. Nestle, for example, uses 725 million gallons of water annually at its California bottling plants.

But that volume is dwarfed by the 4 trillion, (with a "t,") gallons used by residents every year.

Those figures don't include the biggest users in California: farmers. Agricultural use accounts for about 80% annually.

Still, people are angry that companies continue to bottle water during the fourth year of the drought, making money off of it. Meanwhile the governor has imposed mandatory water restrictions on residents for the first time in the state's history. Water districts must reduce the amount customers use by an average of 25%, or face fines. That means Californians need to pull back on watering their lawns.




Nestle said it won't stop bottling water in California because, chiefly, "people need to drink water."

The State Water Resources Control Board agrees.

"We've determined that bottled water serves a good use, especially in drought-stricken areas where people's wells have gone dry," said spokeswoman Miryam Barajas.

While the board implements regulations on residents, it doesn't regulate bottled water companies, which collect surface water, pump water from the ground, or buy water from local providers. In some areas, bottlers don't need any kind of approval to use ground water.

Related: Starbucks to shift Ethos bottled water out of California due to drought

Nestle, as well as Pepsi and Coke, say that they are conserving water by making their plants more efficient.

Starbucks (SBUX) did bow to public pressure, and said it would stop producing its Ethos bottled water in the state. It's moving those operations to Pennsylvania in the next six months.

Even if every bottling company moved out, that wouldn't solve the drought.

But that doesn't mean it wouldn't have an impact at the local level, said Peter Gleick, president of the environmental think tank called the Pacific Institute.

"We're in a really bad drought," he said, "and it's reasonable to take a look at all water uses."

http://money.cnn.com/2015/05/26/news...water-drought/

Weed CA. Protests Firm’s Plans to Turn Off Water

Oregon Governor Wants To Cancel Water Transfer For Nestle

By Cassandra Profita • Oct 30, 2017

• Nestle has proposed to bottle millions of gallons of water from Oxbow Springs in Cascade Locks

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has asked the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to withdraw its application for a water rights transfer with the city of Cascade Locks.

Last year, Hood River County voters passed a ballot measure banning all commercial water bottling. It was an attempt to block Nestle's plans for a $50 million water bottling plant in Cascade Locks.

But the city of Cascade Locks hasn’t given up on Nestle. City leaders say they still want the economic boost the bottling plant would bring.
So, they’ve continued to pursue a water rights transfer with the state to help Nestle gain access to valuable spring water.

Now, the governor wants Oregon to back out of the deal.

She says it would be irresponsible for the state to move forward with the exchange given the administrative costs and uncertain outcome.

The governor is also directing state resources toward improving the economy in Cascade Locks.

http://nwpr.org/post/oregon-governor...ransfer-nestle

Originally Posted by artist

Short video on an Oregon situation. One commentor from Maine had this to say @ Nestle:
"Fryeburg, Maine, which sold these water rights to Nestlé many years ago in order to eliminate property taxes, has tried to get out from under the agreement, and failed. The payments not only no longer cover property taxes, but the town doesn't even get the benefit of jobs - just hundreds of huge tankers coming in and out of town, taking the water to a bottling plant in New Hampshire."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udyx9u5LJeo&feature=youtu.be<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udyx9u5LJeo&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">

Try again. Don't give up. Don't ever ever sell your water rights. How could people be this dumb to begin with??!!