Difference between revisions of "Portal:Outsourcing America Exposed/Featured Profile"

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==Outsourced Cities, Brought to You by CH2M Hill==
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==American Water Works Company, Inc.==
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{{#evp:youtube|dOI9yrKGAV4|Al Jazeera's "Inside U.S.A. Privatised Cities," from October 17, 2008|left|210}} In 2005, CH2M Hill subsidiary OMI signed a contract to manage all of the municipal services -- except fire and police --  with Sandy Springs, Georgia, a newly-incorporated suburb of Atlanta that spun off from Fulton County. In the next two years, the newly-incorporated towns of Johns Creek, Milton, and Chattahoochee Hills followed suit, also signing contracts with CH2M Hill to establish fully outsourced cities.  
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[[Image:Faucet-drip-dollar-sign-center350px.jpg|left|300px]]'''American Water Works Company, Inc.''', known as '''American Water''', is a publicly traded ([https://www.google.com/finance?cid=728868 NYSE: AWK]) water utilities and sewage treatment company headquartered in Voorhees, New Jersey. It is the largest for-profit provider of water and wastewater services in the United States where 86 percent of consumers receive their water services from public municipal water systems.<ref>U.S. EPA. SDWIS/FED - Public Water System Inventory. October 2012.</ref> According to American Water's 2012 Annual Report, it supplies "an estimated 14 million people with drinking water, wastewater and other water-related services in over 30 states and two Canadian provinces" and employs approximately 6,700 as of 2012.<ref name="2012 10-K">American Water Works, [https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDcQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fphx.corporate-ir.net%2FExternal.File%3Fitem%3DUGFyZW50SUQ9NTAwNTg3fENoaWxkSUQ9NTQwNjA5fFR5cGU9MQ%3D%3D%26t%3D1&ei=-c5WUvDZNLLJ4APDgIHYDQ&usg=AFQjCNHqc7bPaC4f8vC0c4KBP__WYNwe1Q&sig2=ioOFUqRyy6C_aJbgHGxoZg Annual Report 2012].</ref> American Water has been a major force behind the privatization of water services and has come under fire from communities across the country for charging high rates and providing poor services.<ref name="FWWprofile">Food & Water Watch, [http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/profiles/american-water/ "American Water"], corporate profile, November 4, 2009.</ref> In 2012, American Water generated $2.9 billion in total operating revenue.<ref name="2012 10-K"/> CEO Jeffrey Sterba has made over $8 million in the three years he has headed up the company.<ref name="proxy statements">American Water Works, [http://ir.amwater.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=215126&p=proxy Proxy Statements], SEC filings, accessed October 21, 2013.</ref>
  
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In Sandy Springs, where the company managed the entire municipal staff, CH2M HILL employees wore Sandy Springs uniforms and drove trucks with Sandy Springs emblems. CH2M Hill was in charge of all government services, including everything from road paving and grass cutting to issuing permits, running municipal courts, and enforcing ordinances and parking regulations. Most of the work is done by temporary workers hired by subcontractors.<ref>John Schaffner, [http://www.buckheadview.com/2011/05/sandy-springs-boots-ch2m-hill-as.html Sandy Springs drops CH2M Hill as services provider], ''Buckhead View'', May 18, 2011.</ref><ref name="AJ">Inside U.S.A., [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOI9yrKGAV4 Privatised Cities], ''Al Jazeera'', October 17, 2008.</ref> <ref> David Segal, [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/business/a-georgia-town-takes-the-peoples-business-private.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&pagewanted=all A Georgia Town Takes the People’s Business Private], New York Times, June 23, 2012. </ref>
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In 2011, Citigroup economist Willem Buiter predicted that "water as an asset class will, in my view, become eventually the single most important physical-commodity based asset class, dwarfing oil, copper, agricultural commodities and precious metals."<ref>Tracy Alloway, [http://ftalphaville.ft.com/blog/2011/07/21/629881/willem-buiter-thinks-water-will-be-bigger-than-oil/ Willem Buiter Thinks Water Will Be Bigger than Oil], ''Financial Times'' "Alphaville" blog, July 21, 2011, referenced on Citigroup site [http://blog.citigroup.com/2011/07/in-the-ft-citis-view-on-the-market-for-water.shtml here].</ref> But some American cities are fighting this commodification of precious water resources and have engaged in successful campaign to take back or "municipalize" public water utilities.
  
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Sandy Springs, an affluent suburb of Atlanta -- home to Herman Cain, professional sports players, and the woman who voiced Iphone's Siri -- had been fighting for years to spin-off from Fulton County, with many residents resentful that they were subsidizing services for poorer parts of the county. When the town was granted its charter in 2005, it had just a few months to set up a fully-functioning city government, and CH2M Hill stepped in, offering itself up as a one-stop-outsourcing-shop.
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'''Excerpt:'''
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*'''Southwest Chicago Suburbs Sue for Control of the Lake Michigan Water Pipeline''' - The suburbs of Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Woodridge, Lemont, and Homer Glen, Illinois joined together in suing American Water subsidiary, American Lake Water Co., to seize control of the Lake Michigan water pipeline.<ref>Geoff Ziezulewicz, [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-06-14/news/ct-met-water-pipeline-eminent-domain-20130614_1_daniel-formeller-water-agency-american-lake-water-co Southwest suburbs brace for a long fight against private water company], ''Chicago Tribune'', June 14, 2013.</ref> Significant rate increases and additional costs are cited as the reason the cities want to regain control of their water utilities and the Lake Michigan pipeline.<ref>Michelle Manchir, [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-08-14/news/ct-met-water-agency-20110814_1_american-lake-water-water-bill-water-pipeline 5 suburbs see savings in water line seizure], ''Chicago Tribune'', August 14, 2011.</ref> <ref>Geoff Ziezulewicz, [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-06-10/news/ct-tl-0613-will-county-water-agency-meeting-20130610_1_water-agency-daniel-formeller-field-services-and-production Water agency's eminent domain lawsuit is 1.5 years from court], ''Chicago Tribune'', June 10, 2013.</ref>
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:The website [http://chicagometrowaterfacts.com/www Chicagometrowaterfacts.com] PR campaign is run by American Water and is registered to an American Water technical contact according to a website domain search.<ref>WhoIs, [http://www.whois.com/whois/chicagometrowaterfacts.com ChicagoMetroWaterFacts.com Registry WhoIs], domain registration, accessed August 2013.</ref>
  
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[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/CH2M_HILL For more, see the full corporate rap sheet on CH2M Hill here.]
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[[American Water Works Company, Inc.|For more, see the full corporate rap sheet on the outsourcer American Water Works Company, Inc. here.]]

Revision as of 12:43, 22 October 2013

American Water Works Company, Inc.

Faucet-drip-dollar-sign-center350px.jpg

American Water Works Company, Inc., known as American Water, is a publicly traded (NYSE: AWK) water utilities and sewage treatment company headquartered in Voorhees, New Jersey. It is the largest for-profit provider of water and wastewater services in the United States where 86 percent of consumers receive their water services from public municipal water systems.[1] According to American Water's 2012 Annual Report, it supplies "an estimated 14 million people with drinking water, wastewater and other water-related services in over 30 states and two Canadian provinces" and employs approximately 6,700 as of 2012.[2] American Water has been a major force behind the privatization of water services and has come under fire from communities across the country for charging high rates and providing poor services.[3] In 2012, American Water generated $2.9 billion in total operating revenue.[2] CEO Jeffrey Sterba has made over $8 million in the three years he has headed up the company.[4]

In 2011, Citigroup economist Willem Buiter predicted that "water as an asset class will, in my view, become eventually the single most important physical-commodity based asset class, dwarfing oil, copper, agricultural commodities and precious metals."[5] But some American cities are fighting this commodification of precious water resources and have engaged in successful campaign to take back or "municipalize" public water utilities.

Excerpt:

  • Southwest Chicago Suburbs Sue for Control of the Lake Michigan Water Pipeline - The suburbs of Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Woodridge, Lemont, and Homer Glen, Illinois joined together in suing American Water subsidiary, American Lake Water Co., to seize control of the Lake Michigan water pipeline.[6] Significant rate increases and additional costs are cited as the reason the cities want to regain control of their water utilities and the Lake Michigan pipeline.[7] [8]
The website Chicagometrowaterfacts.com PR campaign is run by American Water and is registered to an American Water technical contact according to a website domain search.[9]

For more, see the full corporate rap sheet on the outsourcer American Water Works Company, Inc. here.

  1. ↑ U.S. EPA. SDWIS/FED - Public Water System Inventory. October 2012.
  2. ↑ Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 American Water Works, Annual Report 2012.
  3. ↑ Food & Water Watch, "American Water", corporate profile, November 4, 2009.
  4. ↑ American Water Works, Proxy Statements, SEC filings, accessed October 21, 2013.
  5. ↑ Tracy Alloway, Willem Buiter Thinks Water Will Be Bigger than Oil, Financial Times "Alphaville" blog, July 21, 2011, referenced on Citigroup site here.
  6. ↑ Geoff Ziezulewicz, Southwest suburbs brace for a long fight against private water company, Chicago Tribune, June 14, 2013.
  7. ↑ Michelle Manchir, 5 suburbs see savings in water line seizure, Chicago Tribune, August 14, 2011.
  8. ↑ Geoff Ziezulewicz, Water agency's eminent domain lawsuit is 1.5 years from court, Chicago Tribune, June 10, 2013.
  9. ↑ WhoIs, ChicagoMetroWaterFacts.com Registry WhoIs, domain registration, accessed August 2013.
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