TFTT Report
Food & Water Watch Pretends Its Positions Are Based On Science As It Advertises For Paid Supporters
When Truth from the Tap launched last year, it did so with the mission of providing facts and information about the private water industry, grounded in science and supported by independent, third party evidence from around the country. Yes, Truth from the Tap is a campaign of the National Association of Water Companies. And when we cite facts like private water contracts having a 97% renewal rate within the industry or that privately-operated water utilities are 24% less likely to incur health violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act than government-operated water utilities – these are not our opinions or rhetoric or spin, these are facts calculated and verified by unaffiliated experts and agencies.
On the other hand, time and time again, we have to set the record straight when groups like Food & Water Watch speak or write about private water. These activists are so opposed to communities considering all of their water options that they’d rather see cities go bankrupt, like in Atlantic City, or borrow money on the backs of taxpayers than consider working with a private water company. Further, Food & Water Watch raises millions every year from anonymous sources that are used to fund anti-private water reports and campaigns based on misinformation, scare tactics and a total disregard of sound science.
That is why it is ironic to see Food & Water Watch advertising for paid supporters in New Brunswick, New Jersey, claiming that the group “take[s] strong stances based on science, not political rhetoric.”
This is a group that puts out rate comparison “reports” that do exactly what experts warn against – to try to make apples-to-apples rate comparisons between different localities without taking into account the many variables that impact rates.
This is a group that employs not a single person with a water-focused post-graduate degree or professional experience in water utility operations.
Yes, the group definitely has a strong set of core beliefs. But to say that those beliefs are grounded in science…well, it gave us a good chuckle on this Thursday afternoon.