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Dear California Greenyes members, Urgent! Governor Schwarzenegger has not signed or vetoed AB 2449 (Levine) Plastic Film Bag Recycling Bill . (See previous my previous post at http://groups.google.com/group/GreenYes/browse_thread/thread/b3d3f67c64b70b8c for more info.) He has until Saturday to sign or veto the bill. Zero Waste organizations such as GRRN, Heal the Bay, The California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA), the Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA), and Earth Resource Foundation have opposed the bill. Yet, since Californians Against Waste is influential and is still sending action alerts in support of the bill, we still need to speak up. Why am I asking you to take such an interest in this piece of CA legislation? While this bill may be ostensibly about recycling, it is actually a legislation that is a set back for all local Zero Waste and local EPR measures. Passage of this bill will tie our hands for six years to pursue upstream Zero Waste solutions and impose measures for Extended Producer Responsibility on this product. That's why communities with a Zero Waste goal have been quick to oppose it. The GrassRoots Recycling Network & the Earth Resource Foundation ask you to take just two minutes to email the governor ask him to VETO AB 2449. Click the link www.govmail.ca.gov It's so simple and easy you can send a comment in less time than it takes to read most posts on greenyes. We know it's late on Friday, but even a few more voices would help. The list of Zero Waste organizations & communities opposing the bill is growing: City of Palo Alto City of Oakland City of Santa Monica City of Los Angeles City and County of San Francisco County of Marin San Luis Obispo County The California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) The Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA) CRRA Monterrey Bay Chapter Sincerely, Linda Christopher, Executive Director, GrassRoots Recycling Network (GRRN) P.S. Please visit www.earthresource.org for more information about the bill. I've pasted more info about AB 2449 Courtesy of Heal the Bay & The Earth Resource Foundation below. You may also read my previous post at http://groups.google.com/group/GreenYes/browse_thread/thread/b3d3f67c64b70b8c for more information and refer to the letter from CRRA that Gary Liss posted yesterday. ********************************************************************************** Info about AB 2449 Courtesy of Heal the Bay & Earth Resource Foundation: URGENT CALL TO ACTION TO OPPOSE A BAD BILL Claims that AB 2449, currently on the Governor's desk, is an environmental bill are GREENWASHING! It may seem like a nice recycling bill, but IT'S BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. Take Action NOW by contacting Governor Schwarzenegger and ask him to VETO AB 2449. This bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Levine, was originally intended to help eliminate the glut of plastic bags that are wasted as a resource and end up as litter, landfill or in the ocean. This bill was hijacked by the plastics industry and its intent was changed completely. This bill has preemptive language regarding local action on plastic bags (which we well know are a significant component of marine debris). The amended bill now prohibits localities from imposing fees, bans, levies, and restrictions on plastic carryout bags. Local actions have often driven large, even global recycling improvements and innovations in the past, and it is critical to retain local power and flexibility so communities can control their own resource flows. If this bill passes, cities like San Francisco and Santa Monica who are seeking to reduce bag usage would be prevented from imposing a fee, or other progressive measures. Even Los Angeles City Council voted to ask the Governor for a veto! The bill simply codifies the status quo, and will derail progress in local areas. FACTS ABOUT AB 2449: · 1. This bill would require grocery stores to collect and recycle plastic bags. MOST STORES ALREADY DO THIS! · 2. The bill would require grocery stores to offer reusable bags for sale as an alternative to single-use plastic bags. MOST STORES ALREADY DO THIS! · 3. The bill would require plastic bag manufacturers to develop public awareness materials and make them available to stores. IT WOULD NOT REQUIRE STORES TO POST THESE MATERIALS! · 4. The bill would protect grocers who comply with these requirements (MOST GROCERS WILL COMPLY BY DOING NOTHING NEW!) by exempting them for six years from any local efforts to reduce plastic bag use. No progress for six more years!! State and local governments in California need to take action to REDUCE THE USE OF PLASTIC BAGS, NOT PERPETUATE THEIR PRODUCTION AND USE. These bags and other plastic materials are a huge part of the litter and marine debris problem, clogging storm drains, fouling beaches and waterways, killing marine mammals and birds, and threatening the future health of our oceans. Many countries in Europe and Asia are attempting to eradicate plastic bags. Some are banning plastic bags altogether while others are implementing a tax on plastic bags to decrease their use. · -- Bangladesh banned plastic bags in early 2002 after finding that drainage systems choked by discarded bags were the main culprit during floods that submerged two-thirds of the country in 1988 and 1998. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1974750.stm · -- In 2001, the city of Bombay, India, eliminated the use of plastic bags to prevent them from littering the streets and clogging up the city's sewerage system. As a result, merchants have switched to recycled paper bags, and litter in the city has been reduced considerably. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1329600.stm · -- A 15-cent tax on plastic bags introduced in Ireland in 2002 resulted in a 90 percent reduction in single-use plastic bags within five months! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2205419.stm ASK THE GOVERNOR TO VETO AB 2449! Tell the Governor we won't settle for concessions to the plastic industry masquerading as environmental legislation! Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger State Capitol Building Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: 916-445-2841 Fax: 916-445-4633 Email: To send an Email please visit: http://www.govmail.ca.gov --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GreenYes" group. 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