The U.S. Forest Service has launched an environmental review into Nestle's Corp's Southern California operations following allegations that the Swiss-based company's prolonged use of resources there have negatively impacted the environment in the area.
These allegations stem from a lawsuit filed against the U.S. Forest Service in October by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Story of Stuff Project and the Courage Campaign Institute, reported The Desert Sun. Together, they allege the company has been operating its Strawberry Canyon facility (located in San Bernardino National Forest) on a permit that expired in 1988 and that the U.S. Forest Service has broken the law by allowing them to do so.
As a result of operating on an expired permit, the environmental groups say that Nestle has been able to use wells and a water pipeline in the forest that, when coupled with California's ongoing drought, is affecting wildlife.
The lawsuit says that it total, the piping system has siphoned about 68,000 gallons of water a day in 2014, and as such, demand that Nestle cease it's operations "unless and until it issues a valid special use permit."
In response, the USFS has launched an environmental review to determine whether issuing reissuing the special use permit would have a negative impact on the environment, reported the San Bernardino Sun. This review comes under the National Environmental Policy Act which requires the federal government to create and maintain conditions "under which man and nature can exist in harmony."
Nestle has since issued a statement about recent developments. saying it's happy that the review process is underway and is working with the U.S. Forest Service to see the process through to its completion.
"We are pleased the USFS review process is underway," Jane Lazgin, spokeswoman for Nestle Waters North America, said according to the Associated Press. "We are working with the U.S. Forest Service through the permit renewal process."
In the meantime, Nestle has applied to renew its permit and can continue to operate since, due to Forest Service regulations, expired special use permits remain in effect until they are either renewed or denied.
