Virginia agencies once again will be able to buy bottled water for their employees after Gov. Bob McDonnell reversed a ban his predecessor had instituted as part of a plan to save money.
Former Gov. Tim Kaine imposed the ban, which allowed the state to buy bottled water only in cases of emergencies or for health reasons.
But McDonnell felt the ban would hurt the finances of local bottled water manufacturers, according to Taylor Thornley, McDonnell’s deputy press secretary.
“We are not going to put into place mandates that would hurt Virginia industries,” she said.
Tom Lauria, spokesman for the International Bottled Water Association, said the Alexandria trade group is grateful for the governor’s concern for the bottled water industry, adding the ban could have hurt the industry financially if it had been left in place.
McDonnell’s directive changes only the ban on bottled water, leaving intact Kaine’s mandates for employees to turn off lights and carpool, as well as his stipulation that certain construction projects meet energy conservation standards.
J.R. Tolbert, assistant director for the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, supports leaving the other measures in place, but said reversing the water ban can only hurt the environment.
“You have to put a recycling container at every desk in the state government to make sure that you recycle it all,” he said. “And even then it wouldn’t always happen.”
Tolbert also said the cost in the financially strapped state should raise concerns.
“[Purchasing bottled water] becomes a true cost that’s being passed on to the taxpayers of Virginia,” he said. “We have an affordable, low-cost alternative to bottled water coming from the taps.”
Thornley said lifting the ban allows state agencies more flexibility to do what makes sense for their budgets and activities.
“It is included with the direction that they do everything they can to conserve, be efficient and recycle at every opportunity,” she said. “It is the governor’s expectation that they be good and responsible stewards of our resources.”
