In an environmentally conscious state with a lackluster economy, Poland Spring has been a decades-long delight: a nonpolluting industry that relies on a renewable resource to provide hundreds of good-paying jobs in small towns where they are often hard to come by.
The clear plastic bottle of spring water with the dark green label has become as much a part of Maine's image as a pair of L.L. Bean boots. The company's longtime slogan says it all: "Poland Spring. What it means to be from Maine."
But the love affair is showing signs of strain.
More than 50,000 Mainers have signed petitions in hopes of forcing a referendum on the proposed extraction fee on water that businesses draw from the state's aquifers for resale in containers. Campaign organizers say a handful of smaller bottlers would be hit by the tax, but Poland Spring would bear the biggest impact.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=1306740&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
Posted by Dave at November 13, 2005 01:28 PM