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Community bottled water concerns take Capitol stage Congressional hearing looks at environmental hazards of water bottling For Immediate Release: WASHINGTON, DC – Today a House subcommittee will look at the environmental impact of water bottling and extraction on communities across the country. Chair of the House Subcommittee on Domestic Policy, Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), is convening the hearing in response to the concerns of citizen groups from New Hampshire to California. (1) Groups speaking at the hearing are currently challenging the aggressive lobbying and public relations efforts of corporations like Nestlé, who bottle water (or intend to bottle water) in or near their communities. (2) The hearing is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at 2154 in the Rayburn House Office Building. Professors from Michigan and Wayne State will speak to the environmental hazards of bottling. Speakers will also include representatives from Nestlé Waters North America and the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA). Environmental and social concerns over the bottling of water have compelled Illinois and cities nationwide to cancel bottled water contracts, California to require new health and safety labeling, and the U.S. Conference Mayors to look at the waste stream of plastic bottles. This hearing however, marks the first time in recent years that community concerns about water bottling have reached the national stage. The subcommittee will be looking at how water bottling plants impact communities, the effect of extraction on watersheds and wetlands, and the adequacy of national and state laws in addressing these issues. A webcast of the hearing will be available at http://domesticpolicy.oversight.house.gov/. To arrange to speak with citizen groups at the hearing, contact Deborah Lapidus at 617-595-2965. 1http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/02/19/water_rights_group_enlists_rep_kucinich # # # Corporate Accountability International, formerly Infact, is a membership organization that protects people by waging and winning campaigns challenging irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions around the world. For over 25 years, we've forced corporations -- like Nestlé, General Electric and Philip Morris/Altria -- to stop abusive actions. For more information visit www.stopcorporateabuse.org.
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