The National Park Service showed that its bottled water ban worked -- then lifted it

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Retweeted by David Fahrenthold: https://twitter.com/fahrenthold

The now-axed NPS ban on plastic water bottles eliminated 112,000 pounds of plastic waste, reports @bydarrylfears

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The National Park Service showed that its bottled water ban worked — then lifted it

By Darryl Fears September 26 at 7:00 AM

Long before the Trump administration rescinded a ban on the sale of disposable water bottles in select national parks, the Interior Department was aware of a report from the National Park Service that the program worked.

The report was quietly made public at the end of the day Friday after organizations submitted Freedom of Information Act requests for its release. In 2011, the parks initiated a water bottle sales elimination program to reduce pollution and the costs of recycling plastic. It resulted in yearly savings of up to two million water bottles, according to an estimate in the report, and “demonstrates the commitment of the {National Park Service} to environmental stewardship.”
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According to the report, drafted largely during the Obama administration, eliminating sales of water bottles prevented up to 112,000 pounds of plastic from being sold and discarded each year, along with up to 140 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, between 276 cubic yards and 419 cubic yards of landfill space stood to be saved.

None of that was mentioned in the National Park Service announcement rescinding the ban. The statement in August tracked with the arguments of a campaign against the ban by the International Bottled Water Association, a lobby for the bottled water industry. It said the 2011 action “removed the healthiest beverage choice at a variety of parks while still allowing sales of bottled sweetened drinks.”
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Darryl Fears has worked at The Washington Post for more than a decade, mostly as a reporter on the National staff. He currently covers the environment, focusing on the Chesapeake Bay and issues affecting wildlife.
Follow @bydarrylfears

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. I was just saying that anything and everything that is good for average people or the

environment is over, for good.

We had our chance to NOT do this. too late now.

If a corporation can save one penny and the down side is completely destroying the environment of a given area, guess what will happen now.

[Goblor]

2. I agree...

Under Trumpf I can only hope that career peeps stall and delay his anti-enviro/Obama actions as long as possible.