Posted on 09/25/2003 11:22:46 AM PDT by Dan from Michigan
Thursday, September 25, 2003
By Theresa D. Mcclellan
The Grand Rapids Press
MECOSTA COUNTY -- Martiny Township Fire Chief Aaron Holsworth was worried enough Monday as a bomb squad investigated homemade incendiary devices discovered at Ice Mountain Spring Water Co.'s pumping station.
On Wednesday, the chief learned the radical and violent Earth Liberation Front claimed responsibility.
"It kind of changes my whole outlook," he said.
Holsworth and his family live across the street from the pumping station on 13 Mile Road east of Big Rapids.
"When an organization this big, that is known throughout the whole country, is making their presence known in our small community, for a small-town fire department, it's a little over the top for us," he said.
On an ELF-affiliated Web site, the group Wednesday took responsibility for the act.
"The ELF penetrated the perimeter fence. ... Access to one of the pumping stations was gained and timed incendiary devices were placed," reads a posting at www.earthliberationfront.com
The devices never detonated. They were discovered by an employee making routine checks Monday.
ELF describes itself as "an international underground organization that uses direct action in the form of economic sabotage to stop the destruction of the natural environment."
It has claimed responsibility for many arsons in the West and Midwest. Members said they set fires in March and June that burned four luxury houses under construction in Detroit's expanding suburbs.
Authorities in San Diego blamed ELF for a $50 million fire on Aug. 1 that destroyed a five-story apartment complex under construction.
It also claimed responsibility for the 1999 torching of Michigan State University's Agriculture Hall. In that incident, the main target was the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project, a federally supported program where experts helped countries such as Kenya, Indonesia and Egypt improve agriculture through the use of genetically engineered crops.
"When all legal avenues of dissent have been undertaken to no avail, only one option remains: illegal direct action," the group said in its Web site message. "The people of Michigan have stated very clearly that we do not want a Perrier bottling plant."
The ELF group does not identify members and does not have a spokesperson.
The FBI is leading the investigation. Special Agent Dawn Clenney, an FBI spokeswoman in Detroit, said Wednesday she could neither comment on the ELF claim nor discuss any details about the incendiary devices that were found.
"We have a number of leads that we're pursuing right now, but we're also asking the public if they have any information they can pass along to us," she said.
The pumping station in southeastern Mecosta County, which is not staffed, pushes groundwater through a 12-mile pipeline to the bottling plant in Stanwood.
The property, set a half mile back from the road, is secured by a gate and a 10-foot fence. Its location could be found through public documents filed when the company first moved there.
The fire chief said the building ELF was trying to burn is a concrete block structure with concrete floors and a metal roof.
"The interior is no more than electric panels and pumps. It's beyond me what they were trying to burn," he said. There are four pumping stations from Martiny Township to Stanwood.
Ice Mountain and its Swiss-owned parent company Nestle Waters North America, formerly known as the Perrier Group of America, have been fighting lawsuits filed by residents over the environmental impacts of boosting production.
"There have been so many lawsuits in Mecosta against them, they (protesters) are running out of legal avenues," said Holsworth, the fire chief. "The firefighters have been saying that if things don't get done through the courts, (protesters) will take it into their own hands."
But local residents who oppose the bottling plant also condemned the action.
"It's a little bit scary. Our group certainly doesn't condone this kind of activity -- this is where we live," said Terry Swier, president of the Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation, which is suing the company. "We're pursuing Nestle and doing this in the courts and in the legislation."
Swier said she was relieved another group is claiming responsibility.
"It's a real shocker. You never imagine anything like this happening in a small community," Swier said. "I am relieved to know that the person or group has stepped up and taken responsibility. It does take a lot of pressure off."
Deb Wudyka, spokeswoman for Nestle Waters, said the company has boosted security following Monday's incident.
"But it is very important to stress that the public throughout the situation has never been at risk here," she said.
"At no time were employees in danger and for the public, who are our customers, we want them to know that at no time was the bottled water product compromised. Very thorough water quality testing has been ongoing," Wudyka said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
It's only a matter of time. They will. They're becoming more arrogant and acting out more often than ever before. They're going to kill someone.
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