Correction: The headline, teaser, and body of this story have been updated to reflect the correct Nestle sector being investigated and details of an October lawsuit.
Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Forest Service has launched its investigation into the environmental impact of Nestle Waters North America's spring water pipeline in Southern California's San Bernardino National Forest, according to The Sun.
- In October, the U.S. Forest Service was sued by environmental groups for allegedly enabling Nestle to pump water out of the forest under an expired permit, which has not been renewed since 1988.
- "We are pleased the USFS review process is underway," Jane Lazgin, spokeswoman for Nestle Waters North America, told The Sun. "We are working with the U.S. Forest Service through the permit renewal process, recognizing the permit remains in effect because the company took the proper steps to request the permit renewal before it became due."
Dive Insight:
The U.S. Forest Service review will be conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which was established in 1970 and "requires the federal government to use all practical means to create and maintain conditions 'under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony,'" The Sun reported.
According to Forest Service regulations, when special use permits expire, as Nestle's has, those permits are still in effect until they are either renewed or denied. Three of Nestle's five bottling operations in California are located in the southern portion of the state.
Nestle has already come under fire from California residents for continuing to bottle water in a state that has contended with a drought for the past four years. Nestle announced plans in May to reduce water consumption at several of its plants and facilities in California, to be completed by the end of this year.
According to The Sun, the U.S. Forest Service has not yet filed any public documents regarding when the period for public comment regarding this investigation might begin.