For years, hundreds of thousands of people like you have been part of the movement supporting national parks to go bottled water free. Together, we have moved parks across the country to eliminate bottled water and increase access to tap water around the parks. All this despite the bottled water industry pulling out all the stops to continue using our national parks as a billboard and concession stand for its wasteful product.
And after intensive lobbying by the bottled water industry, the Trump administration granted one of their biggest wishes: It rescinded the policy that outlines how parks can go bottled water free. This move, which allows corporations to keep raking in profits from sales at national parks, came right after the deputy secretary of the interior — who has ties to water-bottling-giant Nestlé — was confirmed.
Our national parks stand as symbols of sustainability, conservation, and environmental education for the millions of park-goers that visit them annually. The bottled water industry — which extracts water from communities, puts it in wasteful plastic packaging, and ships it around the world — stands in stark contrast to that symbol. In order to be leaders in these areas, national parks across the country must phase out the sale of this wasteful product and instead improve water access for visitors by installing hydration stations.
That’s why we’re excited that tomorrow, Rep. Mike Quigley is re-introducing a bill that would reinstate the National Park Service policy that gives parks a pathway to end the sale of single-use plastic water bottles. The Reducing Waste in National Parks Act reverses the Trump administration’s decision and allows National Park Service regional directors to implement bottled-water-free policies after thorough feasibility studies. This sends a strong message to the Trump administration and the bottled water industry that we will not stand for rampant corporate interference.
Congress must stand up to the Trump administration and the bottled water industry!
