Public Hearing SB-753 on Friday 2/3

Breaking News:  There will be a public hearing held on SB-753 by the Environment Committee on Friday February 3rd beginning at 10 AM in Room 1D of the Legislative Office Building.

• SB-753 is  "An Act Concerning the Viability of Expanding the Bottled Water Industry in Connecticut".  (www.cga.ct.gov/2017/TOB/s/2017SB-00753-R00-SB.htm). Its author remains unknown, but its title betrays a probable industry attempt to derail legislative oversight of the water bottling industry while "studying" the critical issues facing CT after the arrival of a major bottler  into the state.
  
• It appears that this may be the only water legislation allowed a public hearing in this session. The tie in the CT Senate has rendered  opponents the ability to kill bills before they even come before the public for a hearing.
• Save Our Water CT plans to be there in force to testify that this "study" bill is not enough and that concepts it has forwarded to our state representatives for the past two years need to be included in the bill.
• Study alone is a call to inaction, allowing more corporate raids on Connecticut's water even while the state suffers through a near-record drought.

You may submit testimony by email until Thursday Feb. 2cd at 3 PM. Send email to:
ENVtestimony@cga.ct.gov
Include the bill number and title in the subject line of your email.

Check this list of  members of the environment committee: www.cga.ct.gov/env/
If your legislator is on the committee, please call him or her.  Your voice is essential!

• A study bill (SB-753) is only a start, but is flawed and needs revision. 
• We need to address the critical issues noted by SB-753 now, not leave the state open to more corporate water raids while a severe drought continues.
• We need drought protection so that our water is not sent out of state in bottles while we conserve.
  
• We need a permitting system for large water bottlers, so that we ensure that all of CT has enough water now and for the future- before giving it away to water bottling giants.
  
• We need a water rate structure that promotes conservation, not special discounts for large super-users which incentivizes over-use.
  
• Corporations profiting from Grade A CT water should pay their fair share to support clean water infrastructure, which residents have been doing for years.