Maine Community Rebuffs Nestlé, Demonstrates Power of the Grassroots

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http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/07/24-3 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 24, 2009 12:53 PM CONTACT: Corporate Accountability International Ted Lechterman, Corporate Accountability International, 617-695-2525 Shelly Gobeille, Protect Our Water and Wildlife Resources, 207-608-1979 Maine Community Rebuffs Nestlé, Demonstrates Power of the GrassrootsStatement by Leslie Samuelrich, Deputy DirectorMAINE - July 24 - After an extended grassroots campaign, Nestlé is finally removing 23 bottled water test wells from a wildlife management area in Shapleigh and Newfield, ME.Shelly Gobielle and her neighbors first discovered the wells a year and a half ago, three years after Nestlé’s under-the-radar installation. Upon realizing that Shapleigh was likely one of the next site for Nestlé’s water extraction for its Poland Spring brand bottled water, residents approached town officials with their concerns about what bottling would do to the local ecosystem. Their words fell on deaf ears, as Nestlé had already lobbied for and secured the support of the Shapleigh town officials.  The only option was for residents to take matters into their own hands, forming the group Protect Our Water and Wildlife Resources (POWWR). Members hit the streets and went door to door educating the public and signing enough petitions to call a town meeting, held four months ago. Residents in both Shapleigh and the neighboring town of Newfield passed ordinances that asserted the right of townspeople to control their own water and to prohibit commercial water extraction, a reality that can at last be assured.A heartfelt congratulations are due to Shelly, POWWR members, and the residents of Shapleigh and Newfield who volunteered their time and immense energy to protecting their water resources.This is a watershed moment, so to speak, in the effort to restore local control over water. Earlier this month another community group, the Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation, secured a major court victory against Nestlé after nine years of legal battles and Nestlé appeals.  The settlement requires Nestlé to dramatically reduce pumping during summer months at a critical well site in Northern Michigan, and prohibits the corporation from increasing pumping levels in the future.###Corporate Accountability International has been waging winning campaigns to challenge corporate abuse for more than 30 years. We were there at the beginning of this movement to demand direct corporate accountability to public interests and have been at its forefront ever since. =====In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.