If there's one thing the state of Maine has in abundance, it's water. Enough for all, you'd think. But not when one of the thirstiest of those dipping into the well happens to be the bottled water company Poland Spring, whose water may flow from Maine's aquifers, but whose profits flow to its owner, Switzerland-based Nestlè, the world's largest food and beverage company. Hoping to convince the state government to enact laws governing commercial pumping of water, a largely unregulated process, a group called H2O for ME pressed a referendum that, in part, would tack a royalty on large-scale water extractions. When it looked like organizers might get enough signatures to put the referendum on the ballot, the Nestlè folks suddenly became very interested in compromise. As a result, a bill was hurriedly passed by the state legislature. There's to be no tax on extracted water, but corporate bottlers will now have to submit to reviews, permit applications, and regulations that set sustainability standards and consider the environmental impact on entire watersheds. I only wish the bill had included a hefty deposit on those plastic water bottles. Last time I visited the state, I noticed an abundance of them overflowing from trash receptacles all the way from Kittery to Camden.
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