Keith Oldewurtel: Setting record straight on Veolia’s work in Pittsburgh
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In response to the outrageous and misguided op-ed “The story of Pittsburgh’s water” by Jennifer Rafanan Kennedy and Taifa Smith Butler “The Story of Pittsburgh’s Water,” Veolia North America would like to state that we wholeheartedly agree with the desire of the authors to put the interests and safety of the people of Pittsburgh first. We wish to finally and conclusively set the record straight, however, regarding key misconceptions that continue to be raised about Veolia and the work we performed for the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA).
The facts are simple: Veolia had nothing to do with PWSA’s lead problem, Veolia did not cut staff and Veolia did not leave the people of Pittsburgh with unsafe water. This article, combined with the baseless assertions and allegations contained in the recently released case study by the community activist groups Pittsburgh United and Demos, could not be further from the truth, and demand a strong response.
There is a reason that in 2019, Attorney General Josh Shapiro did not involve Veolia in the criminal charges against the PWSA, and that is simply because there are absolutely no grounds to do so.
Alex Thomson, then chairman of the PWSA board, told the Tribune-Review in October 2016 that Veolia is “not responsible for the lead issue PWSA has — these lead issues are the result of the fact we have 75- to 100-year-old infrastructure.”
Veolia had no role in the decision to change corrosion control chemicals: documents confirm that the switch in chemicals carried out by a PWSA employee was done behind Veolia’s back. Veolia did not recommend the change and, in fact, did not learn of it until months later.
Veolia did not have the authority or responsibility of managing staffing decisions or reductions: the contract granted the final decision-making to the authority, including “ultimate responsibility for all PWSA employees and subcontractors and direct management of union employees.”
All Veolia initiatives were approved by the PWSA board prior to their implementation. Veolia was paid based on its savings and revenue enhancements only after the results of the initiatives were audited and confirmed by an independent, third-party firm selected by the PWSA.
Veolia stands by its work in Pittsburgh and its commitment to environmental protection and a better quality of life. Veolia North America is absolutely devoted to its mission of providing clean water to the people and communities we serve, and takes every precaution to ensure that every individual has access to clean, reliable water in every one of those locations.
For more information, we encourage you to visit our fact-checking website on Veolia’s involvement in Pittsburgh: veoliapwsatruth.com.
Keith Oldewurtel is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Municipal Water for Veolia North America.