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Two weeks before a ban on the sale of bottled water was to go into effect in Grand Canyon National Park last January, the top federal parks official abruptly blocked the initiative after consulting with Coca-Cola. In emails leaked to the New York Times and released on Thursday, the top federal parks official, Jon Jarvis, “reiterated his decision to have the Grand Canyon hold off on implementation” until “we have hosted a meeting with the major producers of bottled water.” The Coca-Cola company distributes the Dasani bottled water brand and has donated more than $13 million to the parks. Before Jarvis stepped in to indefinitely postpone the bottle ban, the park had installed water "filling stations" for reusable bottles at a cost of about $300,000. Disposable plastic bottles make up 30 percent of waste in the Grand Canyon and account for the single largest source of trash found inside the park.
Read more at the New York Times
