US Town May Become the Nation's First to Ban Nestle From Stealing Their Water
The ballot initiative aims to block a convoluted water deal handing
over water rights to both the state of Oregon and Hood River County to
Nestle, resulting in the company selling the county’s water. The ballot
initiative could stop the deal in its tracks and sound a warning to
Nestle and other water-bottling companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi that
local populations are rallying to protect their water rights.
The Nestle plan has been in the works for over 6 years. The deal has been under siege by local activists, including local Native American populations. Indigenous activist Anna Mae Leonard went on hunger strike earlier this year to try to stop the deal.
“It is intrinsically a desecration to sell that water,” Leonard told KOIN.
This pressure as well as creative work by local environmentalists has led to the ballot initiative. Now organizers must get at least 664 signatures on a petition to get the issue before the electorate.
