your weekly “capitalism enables abusive relationships” post here to point out that a huge reason people stay in abusive relationships is lack of money and resources to safely leave. my abusive dad literally kicked me and my mom out and we had to return home the next day because there’s nowhere else to live. anyone who supports capitalism supports abuse and I truly hope you suffer if you oppose things like free housing and anti-homeless policies.
NEVER forget the role of capitalism when discussing abuse, especially regarding abusers with enough wealth and power to get away with it *cough cough epstein*
In the face of stark opposition from environmentalists, a state water
board on Tuesday unanimously approved “with protest” Nestlé’s bid to
pump one million gallons daily for its bottled water business from one of the treasured natural springs along the Santa Fe River in north-central Florida.
Critics promised immediately to appeal the decision on Ginnie Springs by
the seven-member governing board of the Suwannee River Water Management
District. The approval was expected but still a blow to activists, who
said further pumping of the crystal blue waters would put at risk the
health of an already taxed river and a network of springs that make up
its surrounding ecosystem.
At nearly 60 feet deep, set among a 200-acre forest, Ginnie Springs is
one of Florida’s most popular freshwater diving locations and enormously
popular among swimmers, paddlers and naturalists.
The decision, after a four-hour board meeting and about 19,000
written public comments to the district, culminated a fight that
extended almost two years and drew international attention. But
environmental activists say they will continue to work to stop the
permit. Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson of the group Our Santa Fe River said
advocates’ next step will be to sue the district. “The communities do not want this,” she said. […]
The district previously indicated it would not approve the
“consumptive use” permit, but a state administrative judge, G.W.
Chisenhall, last year backed a legal appeal.
He ruled that the bottled water would be of “beneficial use,” one of
the legal standards in such cases, and ordered the board to reconsider. […] [T]he board’s lawyer, said that ruling effectively tied the
board’s hands, meaning the conditions that they could use to deny were
out of their jurisdiction.
The board’s decision renews an expired water use permit for Seven
Springs to provide water for bottling operations to Nestlé, which
produces the Zephyrhills and Pure Life brands. The company had
previously been withdrawing water from the springs in lower amounts.
Nestlé, a Swiss multinational food and beverage company, said the
springs could accommodate its pumping […].
Ahead of the
decision, Nestlé had been airing political advertisements on network
television stations across the region noting that it employs hundreds of
people as part of its bottling business.
The Ginnie Springs
bottling plant has operated since 1998, but Nestlé bought it in 2019 and
aims to dramatically expand pumping there in a business that has been
incredibly lucrative for the company and others in the bottled water
industry. Last week, Nestlé coincidentally announced it would be selling its North American spring water brands, which include regional brands in other states and Canada, for $4.3 billion.
The
debate laid bare competing public interests in Florida: Successive
Republican governors and the GOP-controlled Legislature have
aggressively courted economic development in the face of criticism they
have been insensitive to environmental threats from corporate
activities. Many residents consistently express they care deeply about
the state’s natural habitats, including its beaches, natural springs and
the Everglades wetlands that extend across South Florida.
All
the board’s members were appointed by Florida’s most recent Republican
governors, Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis.
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Headline, images, captions, and text published by: April Rubin. “State OKs Nestle plan to tap 1 million gallons a day from Florida spring for bottled water.” Miami Herald. 23 February 2021.
