THE POWER OF A PAC IBWA’s Political Action Committee (PAC) is a vital tool that helps us educate members of Congress and build champions for our industry. Contributions to the PAC make it possible for IBWA to support political candidates who support the bottled water industry. Due to the generosity of IBWA members, the IBWA PAC exceeded its 2019 contributions goal of $50,000. As 2020 is an election year, the IBWA PAC will be active in helping bottled water champions in Congress win their upcoming elections. If you are not receiving information about the IBWA PAC, that means we do not have an Authorization to Solicit form for your company; therefore, we can’t contact you about PAC issues. Submitting an Authorization to Solicit form does not obligate members to make a contribution to the IBWA PAC. It only gives IBWA permission to keep members informed of PAC activities and events. In addition to making a personal contribution to the IBWA PAC, members can consider identifying their company as an IBWA PAC Corporate Sponsor. Donating as a corporate sponsor helps IBWA cover the costs associated with the PAC, such as fundraising events. For more information about the PAC, contact PAC Board Chairman Robert Smith or IBWA staff members Cory Martin (cmartin@bottledwater.org) or JP Toner (jtoner@bottledwater.org).
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INTERNATIONAL BOTTLED WATER ASSOCIATION
To help fix this problem, IBWA is an active supporter of the DRIVE-Safe Act, which would allow 18- to 20-year-olds who have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to go through a rigorous, 400-hour apprenticeship program to be able to drive across state lines. IBWA actively lobbied on behalf of this legislation and has been responsible for several members of Congress co-sponsoring the bill. RECOVER Act. IBWA is an active member of a coalition supporting the introduction and passage of the bipartisan RECOVER Act (H.R. 5115). This bill seeks to incentivize state and local recycling efforts by offering $500 million in grants and low-interest loans to improve infrastructure and support consumer education efforts, all with the intended result of increasing recycling rates. When IBWA met with legislators in 2019, we noted that the bottled water industry has been at the forefront of producing products that are 100 percent recyclable and that many IBWA members use significant amounts of recycled plastic material in their bottles. If states and localities struggle to implement recycling programs and cannot supply adequate recycled content feedstock, bottlers and other plastic product manufacturers will also struggle to meet environmental and sustainability goals. The bill has a good chance of moving through both the House and Senate in 2020.
In 2017, IBWA was successful in having that policy repealed and bottled water re-appeared in several parks that had banned its sale. However, two attempts were made in 2019 by Congress to reimpose a bottled water sales ban in national parks. First, our critics were able to include language to ban the sale of bottled water in legislation to fund the national parks. That measure was voted on with little notice and no debate in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. IBWA immediately met with several key senators and was successful in making sure that similar language was not included in the Senate appropriations package.
In 2020, IBWA may be called before the House Natural Resources Committee to testify on the proposed sales ban of bottled water at national parks.
Second, Corporate Accountability International, along with the Sierra Club, persuaded a handful of House Democrats to introduce a bill that would codify the 2011 NPS bottled water sales ban (H.R. 4236). This new bill currently has 20 co-sponsors (all DemoNational Parks. In 2011, the Nationcrats) and has been referred to the House Natural al Park Service (NPS) adopted a policy Resources Committee for consideration. There is a that allowed parks to ban the sale of very real chance that IBWA will be called before the bottled water. The stated goal of the committee to testify in 2020 on the proposed ban. policy was to reduce plastic waste. IBWA has been actively meeting with both Republicans However, less-healthy carbonated soft drinks and and Democrats to communicate our industry’s other sugary beverages, whose containers use far position on this issue. While there is a chance that more plastic, were still allowed to be sold.
