American Conservative Union Rages Against California's Plastic Bag Ban

The ACU is the group that puts on CPAC.

California Bans Plastic Bags

California today became the first state to outlaw plastic bags after Gov. Jerry Brown signed the ban into law.

SB270 prohibits stores from providing disposable plastic grocery bags to shoppers, and requires them to charge for paper bags. The bill, which proponents called a national model, represents a step toward elimination of the plastic checkout bags which have been a standard for American shoppers since the mid-1970s. Bag manufacturers, however, have vowed to repeal the bill through a ballot initiative. “This bill is a step in the right direction – it reduces the torrent of plastic polluting our beaches, parks and even the vast ocean itself,” said Governor Brown. “We’re the first to ban these bags, and we won’t be the last.” The law mandates a sweeping change in consumer habits that supporters hope will lead to widespread reliance on reusable shopping bags. Cutting out disposable sacks will reduce the stream of plastic film that winds up in waterways and landfills, they said.

Plastic bag manufacturers say they will immediately launch a petition drive to place a repeal of the ban on the 2016 ballot. Other opponents say that the ban will be a burden for the poor and that retailers will earn profits by charging ten cents for paper bags that only cost three cents each. In 2007 San Francisco became the first of more than 100 California municipalities to ban plastic bags.

RELATED: The New York City Council has proposed a similar ban and ten cent paper bag fee.

NYC's Plastic Bag Bill Is Back

Five years ago the NYC Council rejected Mayor Bloomberg's bill that would tax consumers six cents every time a store gave them a plastic bag. Tomorrow a new version of the bill will be introduced, this time by Council members themselves.

The bill has seven co-sponsors but has yet to earn the support of Christine Quinn, who as Council speaker determines which bills come to the floor for a vote. "The bill will be introduced on Thursday, then referred to the appropriate committee, where it will undergo full legislative review," said Quinn spokesman Jamie McShane, in an email. Bloomberg's proposal never went anywhere, but this new legislation differs from Bloomberg's in a couple of significant ways that might render it more appealing to business owners: Unlike the mayor's 6-cent proposal, which allocated a penny to the retailer and a nickel to city coffers, this proposal allows business owners to keep the entire 10-cent fee. It also applies to both plastic and paper bags, thereby addressing one complaint that arose back in 2008.

Shockingly, plastic bag manufacturers are opposed to the bill.

The American Progressive Bag Alliance, which represents manufacturers like Hilex Poly and Unistar Plastics, sent over a statement that said, in part: "The proponents of this bill are misinformed and largely rely on science that has been hijacked by environmental activists. A grocery bag tax pushes shoppers toward less sustainable options, like reusable bags, which cannot be recycled, are made from foreign oil and imported at a rate of 500 million annually."

Restaurants and food delivery companies would be exempt from the bill, but food trucks and carts would not.