Rep. Brian Jones of Freedom and a handful of environmental advocates are supporting a law that would prohibit state and local governments from buying bottled water. They feel the move would save the state thousands of dollars and put Maine into a leadership role in the effort to reduce waste from bottled water. However, there are some concerns.

According to the Bango Daily News, representatives for the state’s water utilities, fire chiefs and the DOT spoke out against the measure at a public hearing.  Some lawmakers on the committee worried that the bill was written too broadly and that any measure would need to include a few exceptions for emergency responders.

Maine Water Utilities Association said the state’s water utilities depend on bottled water supplies in emergencies. Others wondered whether there was even a problem in the first place.

More From B98.5