Coke, Gets Darker Controversial Grand Canyon Mineral

2011-12-02T23:49:00.000-08:00

The National Park Service chief said his decision to ban the sale of mineral water is based in Grand Canyon National Park on security contracts and block, but e-mails released Friday showed an early concern was how Coca-Cola, a major supplier of water and meet donors such as parks, would be.

"While I welcome the intention, there are consequences, because Coca-Cola is a major sponsor of our recycling efforts," NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis issued in the exchange of e-mail to the Public environmental responsibility. The watchdog group has obtained documents through a request for access to information.

Jarvis then "speak before GRCA pulls the plug" made more than two deputies - GRCA is an abbreviation for the Grand Canyon. He also noted that the President of the National Park Foundation to help Coca-Cola and other private organizations with funding, "wants a drink reps meeting, which makes sense, my host."

Coca-Cola with concern to the Foundation, National Park Service spokesman David Barna told msnbc.com, but "that has just begun the conversation."

"The original plan, sales of bottled water in Grand Canyon National Park removed at the end more questions than it answers," he added.

On the other hand, Barna, recycling campaign for Coca-Cola said on the National Mall, part of the National Park Service "was more holistic, with the aim of all the bottles, rather than relying on a kind recycling "by banning.

PEER accused earlier this year Jarvis caving in Coca-Cola, when he made a statement that its decision scuttled in December 2010, the ban "is not influenced by Coke, but the impact of the service to scale of our concession, and genuine concern for the safety of the public to park in the desert. "

Security concerns points to the possibility that visitors could have no access to water, to succumb to the heat.

In a statement, PEER said this argument "seems particularly bizarre that the Grand Canyon had spent more than $ 300,000 in the facility" of watering stations "and is reusable container for disposal.

"Zion National Park, a wilderness park, banned plastic bottles over two years with no reported side effects," added.

A second series of e-mails released Friday shows that the head of business services for the other parks in the Park Service instructed to avoid their own bans, until further notice.

"A number of concessions and mineral water suppliers have expressed concern about this initiative, expressed," wrote Jo Pendry last January 11. "The director asked us to host a meeting with the bottler of water ... (and) also requested that all new initiatives will be implemented to a position of service across will be developed on this subject (eg no new bans bottled water!) "

The ban was seen as a means of waste by Steve Martin, who defended reduce the Superintendent of Grand Canyon retired earlier this year.

"As long as the paper file is available on how widespread the understanding of what we did was, and approvals," the Associated Press quoted him as saying last month. "That is why it is so great. Right as we cross the finish line moved to a really good program because the influence of coke, it was sunk. "

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Coke, Gets Darker Controversial Grand Canyon Mineral