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Nestle Makes Billions Bottling Water It Pays Nearly Nothing For (bloomberg.com)
Nestle, the world's largest food and beverage company, has been bottling water since 1843 and has grown into the largest seller of bottled water. But a detailed report on Bloomberg uncovers the company's operation in Michigan, revealing that Nestle has come to dominate in the industry in part by going into economically depressed areas with lax water laws. It makes billions selling a product for which it pays close to nothing. Find the Bloomberg Businessweek article here (it might be paywalled, here's an alternative source).
Yeah - the article paints Nestle as evil but gives the city leaders a total pass for charging only a $200 extraction fee.
Either the city leaders are completely incompetent and should be kicked out or they took kickbacks in someway and should be kicked out and imprisoned.
My only thought is that the city leaders decided it'd be worth the cost in terms of jobs and increased tax dollars to the city (which this article pooh-poohs as not worthwhile to research). I know a nearby town has a nestle plant and it's been a boon for the survival of the town.