Dear Editor,
I am dismayed but not surprised that our elected officials approved the Nestle application with 44 conditions. During the various hearings I made some disturbing observations.
Commissioner Holman repeatedly tried to put himself in the shoes of the applicant. He adamantly opposed requiring Nestle to provide a fishing access, because he personally wouldn’t want to have to provide one on his land. He questioned language requiring Nestle to adhere to the most “stringent emissions requirements” for their trucks, claiming this would put a hardship on the trucking company. He didn’t think a mitigation fund to reimburse the county for ongoing expenses associated with the project would be necessary. The county could just front the money and get reimbursed by Nestle. (Luckily, this was overturned and in the end a fund of $200,000 was established to cover both ongoing expenses and potential legal costs. However, I still don’t believe this adequately protects the county.) Rather than to empathize with the applicant it was the Board’s job to be judge and jury in this semi-judicial process.
When asked by Commissioner Giese to correlate the conditions with the unmet standards they were to satisfy, Don Reimer and Jenny Davis went through the 1041 application line by line. Don Reimer’s guarded response to each condition was that it “may meet the standard.” And that’s the point: no amount of conditions can ensure that Nestle will comply.
At the close of the public hearings, Commissioner Holman looked at the Nestle team and said it was the responsibility of the commission to be fair to the applicant. He also said that he trusts Nestle to uphold their end of the deal. As for the “citizens,” it will be our job to make sure that Nestle plays by the rules.
Son of a gun! I think the Board of Commissioners missed the boat on this one. It wasn’t about being fair to the applicant. It was about doing what’s right for the people of this county. Watch out Chaffee County: Pandora’s Box has just been opened.
Nestle may be a good neighbor providing clean drinking water when a good public relations opportunity arises, but will they be a good business partner?
On another note, if you’re interested in the bigger picture, come view the Colorado premiere of the new film, “Tapped,” to be shown Thursday, August 27th at 7pm at the Steam Plant. Afterwards, environmental attorney, Jim Olson will offer insights on the privatization of water and share his experiences during a nine-year court battle with Nestle.
Michele Riggio
Salida
Jim Olson knows better than almost anyone what it’s like to face Nestle in a legal setting – and also what the multinational is capable of when its profits are on the line.
Nestle accumulated a very black eye when it fought to maintain its 400 cfs pumping rates in Mecosta County, MI – even after a judge saw the damage being done and threatened an injunction.
Mr. Olson is as responsible as anyone for forcing Nestle to be the good citizen it claims to be – only he had to do it via the legal system.
He’s definitely worth seeing.