Tuesday, September 7, 2010

The Golden State lobbyists for the plastic industry beat plastic bag bar

Wednesday was the day the California state senate decided not to bass a plastic bag ban. There were many individuals that supported the ban in The Golden State. These consist of grocers, Republican Arnold Schwartzenegger and retailers. There was one group fighting for the ban. This involves the plastic industry lobbyists. You will find now many individuals who use plastic grocery bags. Plastic bags are being considered a human health risks when killing an incredible number of birds and marine animals as they can’t degrade. Republicans and some Democrats opposed to the California plastic bag ban said it created an undue burden on consumers.

Plastic bags in California a problem

If the bill would have passed, stores in California would need to stop using plastic bags. The Silicon Valley Mercury News reports that the bill was inspired by growing public awareness of plastic garbage hazards. Conserve the Bay explained that San Francisco Bay gets 1 million plastic bags polluting it each and every year. State officials said that Californians use 19 billion plastic bags a year. The state spends $25 million a year just to collect these plastic bags. Since The Golden State has an $18 billion deficit, it doesn’t make sense to pay $1.7 million on the issue, as outlined by American Chemistry Council which includes Chevron, Dow and ExxonMobil.

Purchasing state politician votes from business of plastic

In California, the plastic bag ban has opposition. This originated from the American Chemistry Council mostly. As outlined by the Miami Herald, the group is really in Virginia although it funds all of the opposition in California with environmental bills anything that is anti-plastic. The council paid off politicians in the campaign. Also, it paid for TV and radio ads to run. In August at least seven state senators collected campaign donations directly from the council or its affiliates Exxon and Hilex Poly Co., a South Carolina plastic bag manufacturer.

Why and why not with the plastic bag ban

There was one purpose in the California plastic bag bar. It was to get shoppers to start using reusable totes rather than plastic bags. Some California cities, including San Francisco, already have such plastic bag laws in place. Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, who authored the bill, told ABC News that it would be easier to change consumer habits than try to clean up the mess. Republican senator Mimi Walters told ABC News that “If we pass this piece of legislation, we could be sending a message to the individuals of California that we care more about banning plastic bags than helping them put food on their table.”

Garbage Patch littering the Great Pacific

The total comes to about 3.96 million. 90 percent of those were thrown away. Retailers spend $4 billion a year on 100 billion plastic bags within the United States, says the Wall Street Journal. A U.N. study from 2006 stated that 10 percent of the world’s plastic accumulates in the ocean. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is what we call the place with one of the most there. It’s the size of Texas and contains about 3.5 million tons of trash.

Discover more details on this subject

Silicon Valley Mercury News

mercurynews.com/ci_15927563?source=most_emailed and nclick_check=1

Miami Herald

miamiherald.com/2010/08/26/1792991/californias-plastic-bag-ban-opponents.html

ABC News

abcnews.go.com/US/california-votes-plastic-bag-ban/story?id=11526792 and page=1



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