Santa Monica Posts Its Bag Ban Environmental Impact Report!

Looking for a little summer reading? Well, the City of Santa Monica is dishing it up - 246 pages worth! Enough to choke a horse - OR an American Chemistry Council (ACC) attorney - KhHACK!

Ever wonder what an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) looks like?? I mean, we hear about 'em all the time, we know their function, but have you ever looked under the hood? This is the real thing - all killer, no filler.

For background, the City of Santa Monica (near Los Angeles, CA), attempted to ban single-use plastic bags a couple of years ago, and were clothes-lined by the non-local and obtusely un-neighborly ACC, who legally forced the city to produce an expensive (~$300,000) EIR to prove that the expected increase in the use of paper bags would not harm the environment...and no one is debating whether the ACC cares about the environment, because, well...aw never mind. Riiiight. ;)

The bottom line is, no city of this decade is in the position to spend the $$$,$$$ to produce the EIR - but Santa Monica accepted the mission and have produced the doc.

BRAVO SANTA MONICA!!

What's the next step? Expect the hanging legal debate to restart, with this new (draft) EIR as "Exhibit A". Stay tuned here for subsequent updates - and meanwhile, watch the Bag Monster at the SM city council meeting back in Feb 2008 when the whole shebang was just starting - NICE!