Texas Lege Attempts To Ban Plastic Bag Bans!

There are two bills in the Texas Legislature right now that represent what is wrong with our political "discourse" as of late.  They also do a hell of a job pointing out the hypocrisy that political parties regularly generate.

Senator Troy Fraser

Rep. Kelly Hancock

Everyone in Texas (Conservative, Liberal, Tea Party, Independent) should immediately contact their Texas State Senators and Representatives and ask them to strike out the last line of SB908 and HB1913.  These bills are 95% good (encouraging the recycling of plastic shopping bags and offering of reusable bags), but the two lawmakers that are sponsoring them, District 24 Senator Troy Fraser and  District 91 Representative Kelly Hancock, have decided to slide in a restrictive clause in the bill that would limit local community rights by not allowing them to enact any local ordinances that would conflict with these bills.  Some,myself among them, interpret this to mean that  Texas towns and counties will not be able to draft and implement plastic bag bans, fees or other ordinances that would aid in the reduction of litter in their area.

The reason that an environmental conscious person should object to the restrictions on their local governments is obvious.  Encouraging the recycling of plastic bags is nice but is really almost completely ineffectual and almost non existent.  These bags end up in our streets and gutters; clogging them up.  Those that get through the gutters move on to our lakes, rivers and oceans to finally end up being consumed by marine animals and birds that mistake them for food.

Only 1%-9% of plastic bags are recycled annually.  In addition the recyclables commodity market does not exactly encourage the recycling of plastic bags by private industry and is a huge loss for anyone who attempts it.  According to the Clean Air Council, it costs $1,000 to recycle one ton of plastic bags which can be turned around and sold for $32.  Not really a great cost benefit ratio there, huh?  Therefor it is obvious that we should reduce the amount and usage of these bags through bans on these bags being distributed at stores or by implementing fees that will discourage the use of the bags encourage reusable bags but still provide funding for those cities and towns to clean up the current plastic litter problem they are facing.

What if you think, despite the above information, that plastic bag bans, fees and other ordinances are not the answer and consumers should have the option of plastic bags and then recycle and reuse them?  Well, these bills seek to usurp local community's rights to enact laws and regulations that they feel would address their plastic and other litter issues.  Whether these laws end up being a ban, a fee or even an expanded recycling program- shouldn't those communities have THAT choice to tackle their problem?  After all the solution will be debated on the local level and not dictated by a lawmaker in Austin.

Isn't this what many of the Conservatives ran on to ride the wave of conservative change into the Texas Legislature in 2010?  They told their constituents that they, like them, were tired of being told what to do by the ever expanding state and federal government and they would protect the rights of their constituents to make their own choices for their communities and themselves.  The very fact that HB1913 and SB908 seek to limit these local powers is a slap in the face to these principles that conservative candidates  like Representative Hancock and Senator Fraser expounded on to get into office.  As a Conservative or Tea Party member, you should be outraged and send a message to them and your own local Legislators to leave your community alone and  let you decide these issues at the local level!

I urge you to please contact your local Texas State Representative and Senator and tell them to oppose HB1913 and SB908 and stop this attempt by the Texas Legislature to take away your local rights to enact laws that would benefit your communities!  Click on the link below to utilize a resource created by the Surfrider Foundation that will direct you to your Law Maker and help you send a letter to them today!

Don't Limit Local Rule on Plastics

Great News for California Bag-Banners!

As you may know, California's unique environmental laws have been used to staunch the tide of efforts to ban single-use plastic shopping bags. Essentially, money-grubbin' plastics manufacturers have been suing municipalities that attempt to enact a bag ban - pretty much saying, "Up your nose with a rubber hose, suckers! We want the money more than you need to clean up your neighborhoods and oceans!". Well, Green Cities California has produced something to assuage the $100,000-$300,000 cost of the lawsuits. It's called a "Master Environmental Assessment" and can be shared across cities and counties that wish to enact a ban w/o the high cost of American Chemistry Council (plastics manufacturers) lawsuits. Here's the announcement (WOO-HOO!):

==================

Dear Friend,

Today Green Cities California (GCC) released a Master Environmental Assessment (MEA) on the impacts of single-use and reusable bags.

The report - commissioned by GCC with the support and collaboration of multiple partners - was completed by ICF International. Set within the context of the California Environmental Quality Act, it will help jurisdictions prepare environmental impact reports, a critical step in the process to promote the use of reusable bags.

The MEA is available now for free on http://greencitiescalifornia.org/mea

Kind regards,

Carol Misseldine, Coordinator
Green Cities California

For Immediate Release

Contacts:

Carol Misseldine, Coordinator

Green Cities California (415)388-5273
Terry Rivasplata
ICF International
(916) 231-9537


Paper or Plastic? Neither!

New report will help cities promote reusable grocery bags

March 8, 2010 - Green Cities California (GCC) announced today the release of its Master Environmental Assessment (MEA) on Single Use and Reusable Bags. The MEA, commissioned by GCC and developed by ICF International's Sacramento office, summarizes existing studies on the environmental impacts of single use plastic, paper, compostable and reusable bags, as well as the impacts of policy options such as fees and bans on bags.

"This is a first-of-its-kind comprehensive compilation of existing studies on bags aligned within the context of CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act), which makes it useful in the preparation of local Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs)," said Terry Rivasplata of ICF International.

"All Environmental Impact Reports must begin with a survey of existing scientific literature," said Carol Misseldine. "For those jurisdictions that must prepare an EIR in order to adopt ordinances that promote the use of reusable bags, this MEA will provide essential assistance."

The MEA reviewed studies that document environmental impacts from the use of all four types of bags studied, including greenhouse gas emissions, persistent litter problems, marine life impacts, water consumption and ozone formation. The report also examined the impact of fees and bans and noted that bag use drops dramatically - up to 90% -- when stores charge for them.

Further studies referenced in the MEA indicate that reusable bags, on a per use basis, have substantially lower environmental impacts than single use bags. The study finds that even with a minimum of three uses, reusable bags can result in less atmospheric acidification, ground level ozone formation, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions.

"I'm getting calls from jurisdictions throughout California and even from other parts of the country interested in the information contained in this document," said Misseldine. "There seems to be a lot of interest nationwide in reducing single bag use."

"We're not going to recycle our way to a sustainable society," said Dean Kubani, GCC Steering Committee member and Director of Santa Monica's Office of Sustainability. "We need to orient away from single use and towards durable products. We are confident that this report will provide the documentation local governments need to adopt policies that encourage the use of reusable bags and phase out single use bags."

The full report, an executive summary and background information on the MEA will be available on Green Cities California's website on Monday March 8th at www.greencitiescalifornia.org/mea.