Common Sense Trumps Absurd Bottled Water Ban

It’s refreshing to see that political correctness has little hold on the Trump Administration, enabling common sense policymaking—despite offending the left. One of latest “assaults” on leftist nonsense is the reversal of the Obama Administration’s 2011 ban on bottled water in national parks. Such bottled water bans have long been based on misinformation and junk science, as I detailed many years ago. 

For example, supposedly the bottle water ban would reduce plastics litter, but retailers in the park could still sell (and, of course, should be free to do so) soda and other drinks in plastic bottles. Basically, all the bottled water ban did was encourage people to switch to other bottled drinks.

Still, the ideologically left-of-center greens would rather we all carry aluminum bottles filled with tap water, but that’s not realistic. People enjoy and appreciate the convenience of sanitary, bottled drinks, and water should be one of their options. Many people simply don’t want to drink out of a dirty public water fountain or carry around a bunch of refillable containers that they to have store and clean.

Litter problems, whether from bottled water, other drinks, or any packaging, can and should be managed. Public education, trash containers, and clean-up efforts provide answers to that problem. Government bans don’t. There was never a need to ban bottled water and make it more difficult for recreationists to stay hydrated while enjoying the nation’s natural treasures.

Cheers to the Trump Administration for taking this common sense stand on bottled water in national parks!