Category: Blog

Cross post:
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R.) is in hot water. Make that hot bottled water. It seems the man loves bottled water so much that he’s willing to sacrifice a state low-income school breakfast program to drink it.

Here’s what happened: This week, McDonnell reversed an existing directive to phase-out state spending on bottled water. The goal was put in place by his predecessor and was set to save Virginia about $34,000 this year and also further the state’s “greening” goals. But then the state’s bottled water industry stepped in and, luckily, they had McDonnell’s ear, as the group Corporate Accountability International notes.

Chris Saxman, board member of the International Bottled Water Association and employee of a major water bottler in Virginia, supported McDonnell’s move. His company, the Shenandoah Valley Water Company, was, “far and away the single largest recipient of government spending on bottled water.” Last fiscal year, the company were paid more than $100,000 from Virginia government agencies for their water fix.
What’s more, the spending increase on bottled water comes during a tight budget squeeze. In these tough times, the governor has proposed a budget that would cut millions in education funding and eliminate a school breakfast program for low-income children, Corporate Accountability International says.

So let’s get this straight: the Governor wants to end a program that would this year save $34,000 on bottled water — money that could buy, I don’t know, let’s say hundreds of low-income children some breakfast? Ironically, but maybe not coincidentally, bottled water company executive Saxman also served as an education adviser to McDonnell in the past, according to The Washington Post. Sounds like good education advice to me.

“His actions today seem to suggest he is more interested in protecting cushy state contracts for the bottled water industry than protecting the environment or prioritizing state funding for vital public services,” said Leslie Samuelrich with Corporate Accountability International, in a press release.

Virginia’s governor is swimming against a turning tide. Many states, cities and businesses, including Illinois, New York, Colorado and San Francisco, are trying to save money and save the environment by reducing bottled water use. In 2007, San Francisco’s government found that it was spending almost a half-million dollars a year on bottled water. In addition, plastic water bottles are terrible for the environment — most end up incinerated, buried in landfills or discarded as litter. And despite what water companies may claim, the supposedly “pure” water is usually no better for public health than tap water.

Sign Corporate Accountability International’s petition here to tell Gov. McDonnell what you think of his decision to pour his state’s tax dollars down the drain at the expense of the environment.