In Virginia, state agencies and institutions are once again allowed to purchase individual-sized plastic water bottles, according to the Richmond Times Dispatch.
In 2009, then-Gov. Timothy Kaine issued a directive that the state shouldn’t buy plastic-bottled water, unless there’s an emergency or health reason, as part of an overall government resource-conservation plan. Plastic water bottles are a major source of waste worldwide, and their continued use has been criticized as adding to overall pollution.
Gov. Bob McDonnell, however, scrubbed Kaine’s plastic-water bottle ban this week, which he said would hurt state bottled-water manufacturers.
As one can imagine, the move isn't sitting well with those in the Virginia environmental movement. That includes blogger Miles Grant, who said "McDonnell's move reveals he puts petty politics over small government or conservatism. His move will waste tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars."
If state agencies have a choice between using tap water & bottled water, every dollar spent on bottled water is taxpayer money wasted. Even though Americans spend $15 billion a year on bottled water, there's no evidence it's better for you than tap water (in fact, it could be worse).
McDonnell did still carry over many elements from Kaine’s plan, including asking state employees to recycle, turn off lights, and try carpooling.
