Press Releases: All

Press Release: Following Tuesday’s explosion on the Deepwater Horizon Platform, leased and operated by British Petroleum (BP) in the Gulf of Mexico, the national consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch is warning of the possibility of a similarly tragic disaster involving the company’s Atlantis Project— one of the world’s deepest semi-submersible oil and natural gas platforms, located 150 miles south of New Orleans in the Gulf of Mexico.

Press Release: New analysis by the national consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch finds that leasing Chicago’s water utility to a private company could cost Chicagoans two to three dollars for every dollar the city receives as upfront payment for the system. Entitled Water Privatization Costly for Chicago, the briefing paper also finds that Chicago could save 20 to 50 percent on a 20-year loan by using municipal bond financing.

Media Statement: “On April 15, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) and Representatives Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) and Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) proposed revising the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, or TSCA. This reform is long overdue.

Statement: “On April 14, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced $6 million in grants to develop aquaculture research projects. Unfortunately, the federal agency, which has been touting the “environmentally and economically sustainable” nature of aquaculture, specifically stated it would be distributing the grants only to open water projects.”

Statement: “In July 2009, Food & Water Watch, Beyond Pesticides, and 35 other health, labor and environmental groups submitted an amended petition to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requiring that the agency ban the use of the controversial pesticide triclosan for non-medical applications on the basis that those uses violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act. Additionally, 80 organizations supported a similar petition to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) submitted in January 2010. A hazardous antibacterial agent, triclosan is found in many household and personal care products such as soaps, cleaners, cosmetics, clothing, and children’s toys. Strong scientific evidence suggests that persistent use of triclosan poses imminent threats to human health and the environment. To date, we have yet to receive a formal response from either FDA or EPA on this matter.

Press Release: Open ocean aquaculture (OOA) operations, also known as factory fish farms, are damaging Hawaii’s ocean ecosystems, impeding Native Hawaiian cultural practice, and sapping the local economy, according to a new coalition launched today at the State Capitol. The Pono Aquaculture Alliance (PAA) met with lawmakers today to discuss viable local alternatives to factory fish farms, including methods such as land-based recirculating aquaculture systems and traditional coastal fish ponds.

Statement: “Yesterday, the Supreme Court of New Jersey overwhelmingly agreed that the people of Trenton should have a say in how public water resources are managed with its 5-1 ruling to allow a referendum regarding the potential sale of a portion of Trenton’s water system to a private company. A local citizen’s group has been engaged in a two-year battle with American Water to allow the citizens of Trenton to exercise their rights to directly participate in the decision to sell off a major component of their publicly-owned water system.

Press Release: At 10:00 am on April 13, a coalition of community, environmental, and consumer groups will hold a press conference at the East entrance to New Mexico’s State Capitol Building to announce their proposal for new dairy permit regulations.

Press Release: Keep Nestle Out of the Gorge, a coalition of 15 environmental and social justice organizations led by the national consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch, today launched a coordinated campaign to prevent Nestle Waters North America from opening a water bottling facility in Cascade Locks. The groups delivered some 4,000 petition signatures against the facility to Roy Elicker, Director of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), whose department will play a crucial role in determining whether the deal can move forward.

Statement: A new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA’s) oversight of food irradiation highlights the agency’s lackluster performance. The report details poor communication by the FDA about decisions and policy on this controversial technology. Since the GAO has historically been an advocate for irradiation, it is telling that the report does not encourage the FDA to expand the use of this technology; but rather urges the agency to better communicate the status of pending petitions for further use of food irradiation.