Viewpoints: Should plastic bags be banned in California? No

Prohibition is a solution in search of a problem

By Stevan Allen

Growing up in the shadow of the ’60s, a remarkable event occurred in my otherwise unremarkable hometown of Modesto – a little group called Ecology Action created the nation’s first-ever curbside recycling program.

National coverage in Look magazine stoked town pride. The year was 1971, and I was 11 years old. I remember the excitement helping mom drag recyclables to the curb and watching primitive trucks pull into the cul-de-sac to haul everything away.

The experience left an indelible mark on me, as did coming of age with Earth Day. I’ve carried this environmental sensibility into adulthood. It’s influenced how our household operates and how I raise my children. We often ride bikes to the store, try to remember reusable bags and buy from local farmers. Our recycling bin overflows.

So why would a lifelong common-sense environmentalist oppose a plastic bag ban? It starts with an open mind. A few years ago when I was hired for a team opposing a proposed statewide ban, I wondered: “How can you defend a plastic bag?” As a Sacramento resident, homeowner, dog owner and avid recycler, I say the answer is easy if you challenge preconceived notions with facts and critical thinking.

• This is a solution in search of a problem. Statewide and locally, the approach is the same: parrot other ban proposals as if they are gospel; cite a big number (amount of bags used); mention a few emotionally charged anecdotes (a dead sea turtle); and make sweeping, unsubstantiated statements (plastic is killing our oceans). But where is the hard data showing significant harm and that a ban prevents it? A 2008 San Francisco litter study actually showed a slight uptick of plastic bag litter after a ban the previous year. Even so, that city’s data showed plastic bags contributed just 0.64 percent of all large litter. Plastic bags make up less than 0.5 percent of all solid waste.

• Calling plastic bags “single use” is disingenuous. Ask any pet owner or parent. If “single use” is the measuring stick, why not ban all bags, diapers, batteries, toilet paper and Starbucks plastic-coated paper coffee cups, which can’t be recycled and take years to decompose?

• Plastic bags are byproducts of natural gas – not oil. Bashing Big Oil is always in fashion for some, but they cross into a fantasy land when they link plastic bags to dependence on foreign oil and global warming to justify a ban. There is no connection.

• Recycling hasn’t been given a chance. The lack of public education about proper recycling is shameful. State law mandates that grocery stores offer collection; the city’s recycling bins welcome them if they’re bundled properly. It’s insulting that residents aren’t given the opportunity to do the right thing over time.

• Choice. Like a lot of controversial issues, how people shop is an intensely personal decision. If you don’t like plastic bags, don’t use them. But stay away from my choice. This is a classic case of government overreach and intrusion.

• Cost. Aside from the cost to consumers, implementing bans costs government. In the case of Sacramento, the city’s staff report estimates a ban may cost up to $470,000 with no revenue source identified for this program. If bags clog the city’s machinery, invest in better machinery and education. Consumers will still buy bags and receive them from all the retailers exempt from a ban.

• A ban hurts people without a voice. The homeless pushing shopping carts. Seniors in wheelchairs. Welfare moms with strollers. Public transit riders. Who’s going to help these folks when their paper bags disintegrate?

• Unintended consequences. Because paper bags take up so much more space than plastic, more delivery truckloads are required. Plastic requires 80 percent less energy to make than paper. Translation: more traffic, emissions and energy use. And what about dog and cat lovers? They’ll either buy bags or leave their pet waste where it lands.

• Profit. The state proposal, as well as the Sacramento concept, allows stores to charge customers up to a dime per paper bag. This may not be a lot of money to some, but what about those living on the edge? Grocers appear complicit because they’ll profit – by one estimate close to a billion dollars annually statewide.

• Big Brother. What’s next? Bring your own mug to Peet’s? Ban toxic household batteries because recycling options are practically nonexistent? (California mandates they be recycled.) Shut down restaurants that don’t offer vegan options? Or how about mandating gun ownership like Kennesaw, Ga. – after all, its crime rate is below the national average? Of course not. The precedent of micromanaging the citizenry is ominous and undermines a live-and-let-live free society.

Simplistic feel-good policies distract from the fact our elected officials are failing to solve complex real problems most people care about. They grab headlines and provide steppingstones for higher office. But benefiting residents and the environment? Hardly.

Most disturbing to me, the ban movement reflects a divisive black-and-white world pitting emotional zeal against sober common sense. What a far cry from the thoughtful, constructive and energizing approach I saw unify a community back in 1971.

Stevan Allen is a writer who lives in east Sacramento. He is president of AllenStrategic, a public affairs agency.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/21/5356968/should-plastic-bags-be-banned.html#storylink=cpy

Fly to Phoenix from SF airport
By Kiera Hay / Journal North Reporter on Sat, Mar 16, 2013

Add Phoenix to the ever-growing list of places connected to Santa Fe by commercial air travel.

Despite worries over potential funding cuts to the Santa Fe Municipal Airport’s air traffic control tower, Great Lakes Airlines announced Friday that it plans to begin daily flights between Santa Fe and Phoenix, starting May 1.

“Essentially what we’re doing is opening another hub” to direct access from Santa Fe, said Airport Director Jim Montman. “We’re just excited to have Phoenix out of Santa Fe. That’s the big news here.”

One-way tickets start at around $90.

Flights from Santa Fe to Phoenix will leave at 9:53 a.m. Monday-Saturday and 11:08 a.m. on Sunday, while the Phoenix to Santa Fe flights will leave 9:15 a.m. Monday-Saturday and 11:08 a.m. on Sunday.

Great Lakes already operates flights between Santa Fe and Denver, having resumed service in late 2012 after an absence of several years. That route connects Clovis and Denver, via Santa Fe, under an essential air agreement subsidized by the federal government. Under the new service, Great Lakes will operate a daily Denver-Santa Fe-Phoenix trip and back around.

Clovis, the city that benefits from the essential air agreement, will be connected with another city, according to Montman.

Messages left with Great Lakes’ public relations director Friday were not returned. The news comes as the Federal Aviation Administration struggles to trim $637 million from its budget because of “sequestering,” the automatic federal budget cuts that took effect this month.

The FAA recently notified officials that the contractor that operates the Santa Fe Municipal Airport’s control tower will lose funding unless local officials can show a pressing national interest. Around 189 contractor-operated air traffic control towers around the country are in a similar position. FAA officials are expected to make a final decision March 22.

Santa Fe and New Mexico officials have sent federal officials letters seeking to save the Santa Fe airport’s control tower. Santa Fe Mayor David Coss has said the city will look at trying to fund the tower costs itself if funding is cut.

For now, it’s unclear what impact the tower closing would have on commercial flights to Santa Fe. In addition to the Great Lakes operation, American Eagle operates flights between Santa Fe and Dallas and Los Angeles. United Airlines is slated to start regional jet service between Santa Fe and Denver on May 1.

Montman said that, while “it’s critical to flight safety that we have and operate a control tower,” airlines “operate all the time into airports without control towers.” Montman said Great Lakes and American Eagle have both used the Santa Fe airport at times the control tower was closed.

“We have no indication from any airlines that they would reduce or terminate their service because of the airlines sequester,” Montman said.

Celebrate Santa Fe Tourism 2013

•  The Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce, Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau and numerous local tourism related businesses are uniting to Celebrate Santa Fe Tourism, in conjunction with National Tourism Week, May 4–12, 2013,

•  The celebration is meant to create excitement about, and shine a spotlight on, Santa Fe’s vital Travel and Tourism sector, which employs more than 7,000 people, represents $620 million in economic output, and is one of the largest industries.

•  The main event of the celebration is the Celebrate Santa Fe Tourism Expo to be held on Thursday, May 9, 2013 in the Santa Fe Community Convention Center from 10 am to 7pm. Local businesses will be showcasing their attractions, activities, and services to fellow stakeholders in the industry as well as the community at large.

•  An important component of Celebrate Santa Fe Tourism will be advocacy and outreach to the city council, local officials, and to the media via op-eds, and letters to the editor to encourage the entire community to rise up in support of tourism.

•  It is important that Santa Fe travel and tourism related businesses participate and engage in the celebration, as well as strongly encourage their employees to attend the Expo.

• Santa Fe Businesses will be donating numerous prizes to be raffled off to attendees, and restaurants will be showcasing their offerings.

•  A short, informative “Celebrate Santa” presentation will be available to all attendees in order to review the pillars of customer service that are so critical to successfully fulfilling the needs of our Santa Fe visitors.

• Celebrate Santa Fe Tourism Expo will wrap up with a social mixer from 5pm to 7pm.

• MORE INFORMATION AT 955-6200

BUSINESS EXPO AND JOB FAIR
Date: 4/4/2013
Time: 10:00 AM TO 4:00 PM

DeVargas Center
564 N. Guadalupe Street
Santa Fe, NM 87501

The Business Expo and Job Fair is Back!

The Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce’s Business Expo and Job Fair are almost here! On April 4th, 2013, join us for a showcase of the BEST businesses in the region at the DeVargas Center.

The Business Expo and Job Fair is the largest in Santa Fe and one of the largest in the state! With over 90 businesses, and over 1,000 guests last year, the event is an invaluable resource for you and your business! The Business Expo is the perfect place to build connections with business owners and customers, as well as build brand recognition in Santa Fe. If you’re hiring, seeking advice, growing your business, job-seeking or growing your network, you need to be at the Expo!

BOOK YOUR BOOTH

A few of the vendors already committed:

Ameri Pride

“Ask the Expert”

Beinvenidos

Biotest Pharmaceuticals Corporation

Bishop’s Lodge Ranch Resort & Spa

Buffalo Wild Wings

Candyman

Canyon Gate Real Estate

Century Bank

CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center

Cyber Mesa Telecom

Echo Impact

Exhib-IT

Expanola Chamber

First National Bank of Santa Fe

Focus on Recovery

Green Fire Times

Hutton Broadcasting / Santafe.com

Leadership Santa Fe

New Mexico Educator’s Federal Credit Union

Presbyterian Medical

Pueblo of Tesuque Flea Market

Santa Fe New Mexican

Santa Fe Selection

Santa Fe Staffing & Marcia Owen Associates

Scher Center for Well Being

SCORE

State Employees Credit Union

Vogue College of Cosmetology

REGISTER FOR A BOOTH FOR YOUR BUSINESS TODAY FOR BEST LOCATION!

• Entertainment!
• Prize Drawings!
• Live Remotes!
• Fashion Show!
• Refreshments!
• Advice!
• Resources!
• Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!
• Connections!
• Networking!
• Shop Local!

BOOK YOUR BOOTH

In a very well-considered opinion the City Council voted on Feb 27 to completely repeal the so-called Workforce Community Agreement which would drive jobs to Albuquerque and drive up project costs to taxpayers.

The Chamber has been lobbying for repeal for a few months and a number of members spoke passionately at the meeting in support of repeal.

The public hearing about the issue was filled with rhetoric and included mentions of Carl Rove, Mitt Romney, gun control, the death of the middle class, robber barons, General Motors, alleged wage theft and individual rights. Remarkably, no mention of chickens or cell phone towers.

To their credit the councilors saw through the hyperbole and focused on the heart of the issue – how can we work together to create jobs for Santa Feans. A number of councilors also expressed displeasure with the heavy handed and “threatening” tactics employed by the Santa Fe Democratic Party who defined the debate as pro or anti-union rather than pro jobs. The truth is that only 7% of the New Mexico workforce is unionized and union power continues to shrink. Undoubtedly, in the past, unions have played a critically important role in creating safe and fair workplaces. However, in the new economy with new technology, contract based work, the decline of manufacturing and construction, more live/work environments and a global economy, the role of labor has failed to keep up with the times.

A councilor remarked after the vote “we’ve stuck it to business long enough.”

Politically we have a City election coming up in March of 2014. Historically, we have seen public sector unions deliver contributions and votes for those who support their positions. It will be interesting to see how this dynamic is changing.

The Chamber strongly supports apprentice programs that help prepare our workforce for available jobs. Our Education Committee works hard to support a number of programs that create pathways to career success and we invite members to get involved.

Thank you to the Public Policy and Economic Development Committees for their efforts on this issue.

Simon Brackley

President and CEO

The Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce’s Business Expo and Job Fair are almost here! On April 4th, 2013, join us for a showcase of the BEST businesses in the region at the DeVargas Center.

The Business Expo and Job Fair is the largest in Santa Fe and one of the largest in the state! With over 90 businesses, and over 1,000 guests last year, the event is an invaluable resource for you and your business! The Business Expo is the perfect place to build connections with business owners and customers, as well as build brand recognition in Santa Fe. If you’re hiring, seeking advice, growing your business, job-seeking or growing your network, you need to be at the Expo!

BOOK YOUR BOOTH

A few of the vendors already committed:

• Century Bank
• Santa Fe New Mexican
• CHRISTUS St Vincent Regional Medical Center
• Tesuque Flea Market
• Bishop’s Lodge
• Leadership Santa Fe
• Encantado – Four Seasons Resort
• Presbyterian Medical Services
• State Employees Credit Union
• Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce
• ExHib-it! Tradeshow Marketing Experts

REGISTER FOR A BOOTH FOR YOUR BUSINESS TODAY FOR BEST LOCATION!

• Entertainment!
• Prize Drawings!
• Live Remotes!
• Fashion Show!
• Refreshments!
• Advice!
• Resources!
• Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!
• Connections!
• Networking!
• Shop Local!

BOOK YOUR BOOTH

Bans and taxes on 100% recyclable, America-made plastic bags are misguided—they weigh down the economy, increase costs and inconvenience consumers.

It’s time for a common-sense plastic bag policy that’s good for the economy, the environment and working families. Recycling is the best solution for the environment, supports the U.S. economy, and is safer and more convenient for consumers.

RECYCLING
100% recyclable plastic bags are better for the environment than the alternatives.

A better solution to bag bans or taxes is recycling

• In 2010, nearly 900 million pounds of post-consumer plastic bags, sacks and wraps were recycled. Recycled bags can be manufactured into playgrounds, decking and new bags.
• Consumers can bring their 100% recyclable plastic bags and wraps to participating stores and drop them into plastic bag recycling bins. From there, the bags and wraps are picked up for recycling.
• According to the EPA, the recycling rate of polyethylene bags, sacks and wraps in 2010 was 14.7%, a 23.8% increase from the rate in 2009. Recycling of polyethylene bags, sacks and wraps has now grown in 9 out of the last 10 years.[i]

Plastic bags have significant environmental benefits over alternatives

• Plastic bags are more resource efficient, reduce landfill waste and generate fewer greenhouse gas emissions than paper bags. Plastic bags:
  • Take up a significantly less space in a landfill: 2,000 plastic bags weigh 30 lbs; 2,000 paper bags weigh 280 lbs[ii]
  • Generate 80% less waste than paper bags[iii]
  • Make up a small fraction (less than 0.5 percent) of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream [iv]
  • For every seven trucks needed to deliver paper bags, only one truck is needed for the same number of plastic bags.[v]
  • According to a 2011 study by the U.K. government[vi]
    • A standard paper bag must be reused 3 times “to ensure that they have lower global warming potential than” a single use of a plastic bag
    • It would take 7.5 years of using the same cloth bag (393 uses, assuming one grocery trip per week) before it’s a better option for the environment than a plastic bag reused three times
    • Plastic grocery bags require 40% less energy to manufacture than paper bags.[vii]

• The production of plastic bags consumes less than 4% of the water needed to make paper bags.[viii]
• A bag ban won’t reduce plastics in landfills or Puget Sound; NOAA has stated that it is unable to find studies to support many of the statements that assert plastic bags cause harm to marine wildlife and that many quotes about plastic marine debris are false, unproven or exaggerated.[ix]

JOBS
Proposals to ban or tax plastic bags amount to an attack on green American manufacturers and threaten the livelihood of tens of thousands of working families.

A tax on grocery bags hurts America’s working class and kills jobs

• More than 30,000 American families across the nation depend on plastic bag and film recycling for jobs, both in the private and public sectors.
• At a time of record unemployment, American plastic bag manufacturers continued to create jobs with benefits and invest in green technologies that revolutionized the plastic recycling industry.
• Any tax or ban would endanger this quickly growing green industry and impact our nation’s global competitiveness.
• Washington, D.C. implemented a five cent tax to negative consequences:
  • Washington, D.C. is set to see an overall wage decrease of $18 per worker and an elimination of 101 jobs as a result of its tax and lost revenue.[x]
  • The tax will reduce disposable income for Washington D.C. residents by $5.64 million in 2011.[xi]

 HEALTH
Recyclable plastic bags don’t pose the potential health risks associated with reusable bags.

Bag bans or taxes would drive consumers to reusable bags, which have been found to contain lead[xii] and bacteria

• Hundreds of millions of reusable bags are imported from China[xiii] and other countries each year. While many reusable bags are safe, many have also been found to contain dangerous levels of lead.[xiv]
• The lead, usually found on the inside of reusable bags, can rub off onto food, permitting families to ingest the harmful substance.[xv]
• Lead can cause irreversible damage to the nervous systems and major organs.  It inhibits the body’s ability to regulate vitamin D, form red blood cells properly, and can cause seizures, coma and death.  Children can suffer from developmental delay, lower IQ, hyperactivity, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, impaired hearing and stunted growth.[xvi]
• As a result of these findings, many, including Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) are calling for a federal investigation into reusable bags.[xvii]
• A study by the University of Arizona found that half of all reusable bags contained food-borne bacteria, like salmonella. Twelve percent contained E. coli, indicating the presence of fecal matter and other pathogens. [xviii]
• Harmful bacteria like E. coli, salmonella and fecal coliform thrive in reusable bags unless they are cleaned properly after each use with hot, 140-degree temperature soapy water.[xix]
• A Canadian study found bacteria build-up on reusable bags was 300 percent higher than what is considered safe.[xx]
• Storing these bags in a hot trunk – which many people do so they don’t forget them at home – causes the bacteria to grow 10 times faster.[xxi]

Reusable bags also contain environmental drawbacks

• In addition to not being recyclable (as plastic bags are), a recent study by the U.K. government found that a standard reusable cotton grocery bag must be reused 131 times “to ensure that they have lower global warming potential than” a single use of a plastic bag.[xxii]

ECONOMY
Misguided bans on plastic bags would weigh down the economy, increase costs and inconvenience consumers.

American families are already struggling to pay for food

• According to the USDA, in 2009, 50.2 million Americans, including 33 million adults and 17.2 million children, did not know where their next meal would come from.[xxiii]
• The National Meals on Wheels program reported that hunger among seniors increased by one million between 2001-2007, with six million facing the threat of hunger [xxvi]
• Each day, 31 million school children rely on the National Free Lunch Program for reduced or free school lunches.[xxvii]

• Food prices are skyrocketing[xxiv], making now the worst time to be raising grocery bills with an extra tax.
• A growing number of Americans rely on government assistance for food – some 42,389,619 Americans received food stamps in 2010, up 17 percent from the year before.[xxv]

Taxes haven’t worked in other places, and don’t reduce litter

• Studies show that taxes and bans don’t keep plastic litter out of the landfill. Without plastic grocery bags, people just purchase replacement bags—often made of thicker, heavier plastic—and then send those bags to the landfill, too.[xxviii]
• A study by the Northwest Economic Policy Seminar concluded that a bag tax proposed in Seattle would do little to reduce landfill deposits.[xxix]
  • A tax would make no difference in litter reduction since plastic bags only make up a tiny fraction (less than 0.5 percent) of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream.[xxx]
  • According to “Clean Up Australia’s 2011 Rubbish Report,” the percentage of plastic bags in their litter audit of South Australia climbed from 4% in 2010 to 12% in 2011, despite a South Australia ban on plastic bags in 2009. The report found that with a ban on plastic checkout bags, consumers used and discarded “reusable, heavier-gauge bags that are designed to be kept and used again and again.”[xxxi]
  • In regards to a ban on plastic bags enacted in October 2010 along North Carolina’s Outer Banks area, The North Carolina Solid Waste and Materials Management Annual Report for FY 2010-2011 reported that “a correlation between the law and the number of bags collected is not apparent.”[xxxii]

Plastic bags are the most convenient option at checkout

• Plastic bags were invented by Swedish engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin in the 1960s.[xxxiii]
• Their original purpose was to provide single, strong, high load carrying capacity for users.
• Plastic grocery bags can be made to hold up to 25 pounds of groceries.[xxxiv]
• In the 1980s, grocers began replacing paper bags with plastic ones—this helped to remedy problems associated with paper, including deforestation, higher energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Minimum wage hike hits UNM

Editorial: Minimum-Wage Issue Could Harm Workers
By Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board on Sun, Oct 21, 2012
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Albuquerque voters are being asked to amend the city’s minimum-wage ordinance, and while the proposition may be a well-intentioned effort to improve the lives of the city’s lowest-paid workers, it is more likely it will have a negative impact on the very people it is supposed to help.

There are many possible unintended consequences in this provision. As local businesses continue to struggle, they may well resort to layoffs or reductions in workers’ hours. Some businesses could shut down. In Santa Fe, where a cost-of-living provision has boosted its minimum wage to a national high of $10.29 an hour, some business owners are moving out or opting not to locate there in the first place. Though government-heavy Santa Fe’s overall unemployment rate is a low 5 percent, the rate for those ages 16 to 24 — young people looking for work while attending college or youths seeking a first work experience — is said to be above 20 percent.

The timing of this proposal as the Albuquerque economy remains stagnant could not be worse. Passage of the proposition would place city businesses at a disadvantage in the Metro area. City businesses would have to pay a higher rate for entry-level positions than their competitors in the county and Rio Rancho. Along north 4th Street, the minimum wage would vary depending on whether a business was on the east or west side of the road.

The proposition would increase the minimum wage in Albuquerque for hourly workers from the current $7.50 an hour to $8.50 an hour. It would also increase the minimum wage for tipped employees to $3.83 an hour starting Jan. 1, and that rate would climb to 60 percent of whatever the main minimum wage is the following year, or $5.10 an hour if the wage is still $8.50.

It also includes a troubling provision that would add an annual cost-of-living adjustment to the minimum wage based on percentage increases in the Consumer Price Index. During the recent recession, many local workers in both the private and public sectors have gone without raises, in some cases for years. Certainly neither employer nor employee likes that, but the ability for businesses to set wages within the law has likely kept some doors open and has also helped local governments and agencies balance their budgets. It is a strategy no business owner or government official takes lightly, but a necessary one.

Under this proposition, all Albuquerque employers of lower-wage workers could be required to give raises each year regardless of their financial conditions. One of their most personal and important business decisions would be made for them. And even proponents of the increase say they expect that workers currently making up to $10 an hour will expect to get raises if the current minimum wage is increased by a dollar.

It is bad legislation that was poorly crafted and logrolls wage and cost-of-living issues into a single proposition that could be harmful both to local workers and employers.

The Journal recommends a “no” vote on the city of Albuquerque’s minimum-wage proposition.