tonight inside Nestle Sweetwater deal
people are very passionate about water
in the state of Michigan as they should
be so I mean I don't think we ever
anticipated over 80,000 comments for the
first time the Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality speaking out why
was the controversial permit approved a
lot of people are mad at the DEQ right
now and then mean to a level that I have
never lease at the state I think people
are concerned and rightly so
Nestle is pumping out 400 gallons of
water a minute and paying the state $200
a year and now we're taking you to the
town that is the center of the
controversy and speaking with those who
gave Nestle the green light here's
consumer investigator Hank Winchester
Nestle Pure Michigan water and big money
there's gonna be a conspiracy theory
about why the permit was approved
especially since so many were opposed to
the deal more than 80,000 Michiganders
told the DEQ not to approve the permit
70 supported the deal you could have a
situation where let's say the nine
million people of Michigan say they're
opposed to it and two or three are in
favor for it it could still pass sure
but that's got a it's there's a part
though that you look at that and say
well then public comment doesn't matter
it doesn't matter what people in the
state I wouldn't say it doesn't matter
it obviously matters to us but it
doesn't matter in the final
decision-making process it's not
entirely No
the DEQ job to follow the law and in
this case we're told Nestle provided the
documentation necessary to get approval
there are people in Flint that don't
have clean water and there's a foreign
company taking clean water out of
Michigan and selling it for profit right
so that's why people are upset sure and
I don't I don't know if the DEQ gets
that fully well we get it it trust me
that what the water law in the state of
Michigan I mean it is what it is we deal
with the laws as they're written so why
hasn't the statute changed we've heard
from lawmakers on both sides of the
aisle who say it's a bad idea the
governor recently told me this it was
done based on science it's not about
business versus being anti business it
was sound science to say those
withdrawals won't have adverse impacts
and there's follow-up testing they has
to take place to make sure they stay in
compliance and if they don't things
would change how can it not be about
business when they're only paying $200 a
year for a permit and making hundreds of
millions of dollars off our natural
resource that's an issue for the
legislature to decide about fee
structures so let's talk money
Nestle pays the state of Michigan $200 a
year gets 400 gallons of water a minute
and stands to make millions the plant in
Stanwood Michigan employs roughly 300
many of the jobs were told pay minimum
wage but most of the water is taken from
wells in a town of ever about an hour
away where the majority of people live
below the poverty line Nestle does pay a
portion of the water bill for everyone
in town the company has spent money
sprucing up the athletic fields and the
fairgrounds but where are the jobs here
so you've got nineteen hundred and three
people that live here in your city how
many of them work for Nestle in our
community I think five or six US city
managers got to be some level where you
think darn I wish Nestle had their plant
here in my city I ask them every day and
what do they say they just say where
there's a possibility we do not charge
anybody for withdrawing water in the
state of Michigan it's a pretty good
deal it is a it is a pretty good deal
having but I mean I mean a beer bottle
er thank you DEQ hat off for a minute as
a citizen of Michigan right you got to
think like what's going on here
well you've got a you've got to
understand we begin again again we we in
word the executive part we don't write
the laws we enforce the laws as they're
written environmental groups are hoping
to stop Nestle arguing that the company
didn't follow the rules in the statute
and the permit never should have been
approved but legal battles are costly
and sometimes long for now Nestle will
keep pumping the DEQ will keep watching
and some living near these wells will
keep worrying about the future and will
continue to follow the legal challenge
as it moves forward in court will also
continue to investigate the sweetness
Lee deal I'm consumer investigator Hank
Winchester back to you will point out
Nestle has refused our request for an
on-camera interview and while the DEQ
did make someone available we were told
the director heidi greather would not be
available to comment