December, 10 2010, 01:26pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Darcey Rakestraw, 202-683-2467;
drakestraw (at) fwwatch.org
DOJ's Action Against United Water Shows Dangers of Private Water Operation
Statement by Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch
WASHINGTON
"We applaud the Department of Justice (DOJ) for pursuing criminal
charges against United Water and two of its employees for allegedly
tampering with E. coli monitoring at its Gary, Ind. wastewater facility,
which reduced the amount of treatment chemicals used. The DOJ believes
this is a violation of the Clean Water Act.
"This indictment shows why our water services should be publicly
owned. Private water operators are often based hundreds of miles away
from the municipalities they serve. Their first priority is
shareholders, not communities. Private operators are known for trimming
costs in operation, as well as cutting jobs and raising rates in
communities they enter.
"Ravaged by the recent economic recession, more municipalities are
considering selling or leasing their water systems to help balance their
budgets. As of October 2010, at least 39 communities in the U.S. were
considering selling or leasing their water systems to private
operators--more than five times the number of completed privatization
deals in a typical year over the last two decades.
"In order to allow cities to retain control over their water systems,
the funding gap for water infrastructure--now $22 billion a year--needs
to be reversed. Congress should prioritize dedicated funding to repair
our aging systems so that public leaders aren't tempted to turn over
water operations to private companies."
Food & Water Watch mobilizes regular people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water, and climate problems of our time. We work to protect people's health, communities, and democracy from the growing destructive power of the most powerful economic interests.
(202) 683-2500LATEST NEWS
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Dec 12, 2024
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Thursday that he is "deeply concerned" by Israel's "recent and extensive violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity," including a ground invasion and airstrikes carried out by the Israel Defense Forces in the war-torn Mideastern nation.
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Addressing the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and conversations it has sparked about the country's for-profit system, longtime Medicare for All advocate Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday condemned the murder and stressed that getting to universal coverage will require a movement challenging corporate money in politics.
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)—a co-sponsor of Sanders' Medicare for All Act—similarly toldHuffPost in a Tuesday interview, "The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the healthcare system."
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