Saturday, January 03, 2015

California Enacts Plastic Bag Ban

Update: US Person has noted many times that corporations are willing to spend practically unlimited amounts of money to obtain legislation favorable to their profit making. California's recently passed plastic bag ban is the target of the American Progressive Bag Alliance, an industry front, that has spent $3 million to collect signatures to put a repeal of the environmentally beneficial and popular law on the 2016 ballot. There is strong public support for a plastic ban statewide. Before the legislation was passed 125 California cities and counties enacted their own bans. Most of the repeal money has been raised out of state. A full-fleged campaign in 2016 will cost the corporations $30 to $50 million says the director of the leading group advocating the ban on plastic bags. Three out-of-state corporations produce most of the plastic bags used in California; a poll conducted by USC and LA Times indicates Californians support a ban by a two to one margin.  A recent study says the ocean contains 268,940 tons of plastic.   But the corporate business front has submitted 800,000 signatures to the secretary of state's office. 505,000 valid signatures are needed to place the repeal initiative on the ballot. Once again democracy and the Earth is being threatened by the corporate Money Power {24.07.09, Too Expensive to Use It.}

{01.09.14}The first in the nation to do so, the California state legislature on Friday passed a ban on plastic grocery bags. Several localities in the US have passed plastic bag bans. State level bans have usually been defeated by plastic bag manufacturers. California's ban passed on a second vote after the United Food and Commercial Workers Union supported it. The provision includes money for plastic bag manufacturers to retool to make heavier bags that can be reused and purchased by consumers. The ban was sponsored by state senator Alex Padilla, who introduced a similar bill last year that was defeated by three votes. Plastic bags are a hazard to marine wildlife that can ingest them and they are difficult to recycle. More than 10 billion bags are used in California each year. Governor Jerry Brown (D) must sign the provision into law by September 30th for it to take effect.