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In this Discussion
- 1234 October 2012
- Dr_William_Hayward October 2012
- joey October 2012
- Leland October 2012
- Loose_Thread October 2012
- Lucy October 2012
- Matthew October 2012
- MirandaJuly October 2012
- Nick October 2012
- swamp_knobbler_mahan October 2012
- zin October 2012
Sayonara Skagit River
Hey Dudes,
Have you seen this documentary?
http://www.tappedthemovie.com/
Have you heard about this fuckery?
http://readthedirt.org/2012/02/10/bottle-the-skagit-river/
In a nutshell, the local Anacortes government has given the go-ahead for a "start-up" company to build a 1 million sq. foot water bottling plant. They also are giving them 5 million gallons of water from the Skagit River EVERY DAY! All of this has been going on behind closed doors (they are being paid off) and the public can't do anything to vote against it! It is understood that as soon as the plant is up-and-running, it will be sold to a larger corporation (Pepsico, Nestle, etc...).
Everything will be decimated. The farmers' wells will run dry, many wetland habitats will cease to exist, the salmon may not run, the public may have limitations on water usage, etc, etc....
Here's what the city council has to say: http://www.anacortesnow.com/content/view/3038/111/
I've lived here for less than two years, but this breaks my heart! I feel like this is one of the last frontiers that needs to be conserved. Alas, this is the America we created.
I hate everything.
Have you seen this documentary?
http://www.tappedthemovie.com/
Have you heard about this fuckery?
http://readthedirt.org/2012/02/10/bottle-the-skagit-river/
In a nutshell, the local Anacortes government has given the go-ahead for a "start-up" company to build a 1 million sq. foot water bottling plant. They also are giving them 5 million gallons of water from the Skagit River EVERY DAY! All of this has been going on behind closed doors (they are being paid off) and the public can't do anything to vote against it! It is understood that as soon as the plant is up-and-running, it will be sold to a larger corporation (Pepsico, Nestle, etc...).
Everything will be decimated. The farmers' wells will run dry, many wetland habitats will cease to exist, the salmon may not run, the public may have limitations on water usage, etc, etc....
Here's what the city council has to say: http://www.anacortesnow.com/content/view/3038/111/
I've lived here for less than two years, but this breaks my heart! I feel like this is one of the last frontiers that needs to be conserved. Alas, this is the America we created.
I hate everything.
Comments
Wow, the response from the city is amazingly lame.
"Tethys is not proposing to ship large quantities of bottled water for resale. Their primary objective, as stated by Steve Winter, is to produce a variety of soft drinks, teas, sports drinks, juices, and other such beverages, and, possibly, medical fluids in the future – but little, if any, bottled water."
So, no bottled water. Just a variety of bottled soft drinks, teas, sports drinks, juices, and other such beverages, as well as something called medical fluids. We all feel much better now, thanks for clearing that up.
What I don't get is how come what the city is doing is not illegal?
It seems like there should be a law protecting the citizens' interests.
Democracy at it's finest, ladies and gentlemen. All meetings held behind closed doors and all board members lining their pockets.
Plutocracy at every level.
I feel like in typical Anacortes fashion they are probably experiencing an episode of confused stupidity where they are convinced they are serving the town people better by bringing in more money to fund excellent Anacortes happenings such the Arts and Craft festival, the Jazz Festival, the Wine Tasting Festival, a few other sculpture projects and maybe also paying for that intense re-design of the Marina.
As much as I disagree with the plant and feel fucked-over, I'd like to see more evidence regarding the lining of pockets.
Sasquatch with boobs is far better than NO FUTURE.
EVERETT!
The city makes money from permits and other legalities. They had to expand their Urban Growth Plan to accommodate for this massive plant. They are making a large sum of money, but not taking the larger issues into account. They are also assuming that this large plant will support the small businesses, somehow.
That's like saying, the mom and pop shops depend on Wal-Mart to survive. It's so backwards.
In regards to the lining their pockets remark, I honestly think that they are being paid off to put this through. All signs point to yes.
Our Mayor says that this is his #1 priority... pushing this thing through. Why? He has to be getting paid off. "The City" is going to make $$$ off of this. The City? Will I make money? Will you? Will The Business? Nope, but I bet SOMEBODY will...
new attitude
Mixed on this. Is it better for CokeTM to sell sugar drink or water?
And I am not cool for one trip downcycling of #1 plastic. The plastics movie Bag It -http://www.bagitmovie.com/- covers toxics and bad stuff you mention.
Portland peoples might note the same type project is proposed for Cascade Locks on the Columbia Gorge by Nestlé. Cascade Locks is struggling economically and shrinking, they closed their high school and are grasping at casinos. Long time bottled water brands Calistoga, Crystal Springs and fancy euro water come from similar sources. I guess what I'm saying is if you can make water special and return much larger benefits in real dollars to the town, remediating any environmental impact...
(I think Mike is onto something with the Vancouver-SF bullet train spur from Mt Vernon)
Maybe I am less pessimistic than you are, or perhaps I am more.
Here's what I think: Facts, links, quotes, percentages brought into the debate make it sound like you are fighting this thing the smart/righteous way.
To say "They are lining their pockets!" with nothing else but a hunch to back it up makes the rest of your argument questionable. Because your hunch is just based on "a feeling" rather than some actual information you have on hand.
All the other stuff you say is important and relevant, you don't want people to dismiss that part.
I feel like I struggle with this all the time. I'll write a really smart letter to a person I am angry with, for instance, and then at the end I'll add some dumb weird remark that makes me sound less intelligent. All that effort wasted.
My personal hunch that they might not be lining their pockets is solely based on my Anacortes experience. The vibe here has always been that people's idea of "doing the right thing" is often inconsistent, with a lack of logic and proper reasoning. Maybe the City Council is going to give itself a raise, who knows? But I also wouldn't be surprised if they end up using the money to fund some super lame and ugly bad idea that will fail in the long run. This is a small town and I doubt we have tons of incredibly apt politicians going around.
@Mikey:
You are a master at being the Devil's Advocate. Geez Louise.
I think @mikey's even a GrandMaster at this point.
http://readthedirt.org/2012/02/10/bottle-the-skagit-river/
Yeah, that was the end of it with Everett. From an article in the Everett Herald:
"The city wanted the contract to include a provision that would link the number of jobs the company created to the amount of water it received. Tethys officials told the city that was a “deal breaker”."
And then our City Council lady is all like "It's none of our business how many jobs they'll create. How would you feel if you owned a business and people asked you how many jobs you'll bring in?" I am very much paraphrasing here but that is her vibe.
yes.
rage is a hard thing to manage when you're trying to get people fired up about something.
i feel a sense of responsibility as someone who is, in some ways, the public face of counter-culture in town. and yeah, i don't want to misinform anyone. i just want to tell people that things are going on that they should be aware of.
i had a dream last night that i jumped over the counter at work and punched a guy in the head over this.
MAYBE A GOOD-OLE-FASHIONED POLITICAL DEBATE WILL CALM ME DOWN TONIGHT
likely no.
I understand the concerns, and the rage, and the wanting to throw it in people's faces. And the sense of responsibility you feel.
I just like taking the high road sometimes, when the high road is clear to me (which is rare). Reading the AnacortesNow article makes it clear that the citizens of Anacortes who oppose the bottling plant are arguing with a group of people showing very little curiosity and weird logic.
I liked her comment about what she perceived as a "threat". A citizen tells her her voting in favor of the plant is a vote to take her out of office and she is like "I do not respond to threats.". I found it quite humorous. I wanted to say "Wake up lady, you are a politician, if you go against what the people want, you lose your job!". It's not like the person said "You voted for the plant, if you come to my store, I'll jump over the counter and punch you in the face.".