PLASTIC BAG BAN FAILS

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Malibu Assemblymember Julia Brownley

AB 1998, the measure banning single-use plastic bags and most kinds of paper bags from most stores, failed to pass the Senate by the Tuesday deadline. The final vote was 14 in favor and 21 in opposition.

The author of the bill, Julia Brownley (D-Malibu), released a statement calling it “a sad day for California.”

“Communities across the state were waiting for the state to adopt a uniform, statewide ban on single-use bags before they adopt their own ordinances,” she said. “The state failed them. But, this is an environmental movement that won’t be stopped, even by big-money interests like the American Chemistry Council. It’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when consumers bring their own bags and become good stewards of the environment.“

The bill received Assembly approval in June, but struggled to gain momentum in the Senate. Several changes were made to the bill on Friday in an effort to satisfy critics.

In a campaign headed by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the plastics industry fought hard to oppose the bill through lobbying and television and print advertisements in the Sacramento market.

“This bill is bad for the economy and bad for the environment,” the ACC states on its Web site. “It will eliminate several hundred California manufacturing jobs and dismantle existing plastic bag recycling programs.”

Malibu banned single-use plastic bags two years ago. Officials from numerous jurisdictions, including Santa Monica and Los Angeles County, recently said they would pursue local prohibitions if AB 1998 failed

-Jonathan Friedman