Sell out. Cop out. Government delay. The City Council became a target for criticism Monday night when it drastically changed a bill that would have banned all retail plastic checkout bags within the city limits, spurring an emotional reaction from environmental activists who stormed out of council chambers.
“It?s a really sad day for the environment. Many cities around the world have been looking to us to takethe first step. If we?re not going to be a leader, who is?” said Kelly Davis, an environmental scientist who spoke in support of the nationally-debated ban that was introduced in July by Alderman Sam Shropshire (D-Ward 7).
In an attempt to quash the bill, Mayor Ellen Moyer introduced a revised version of Shropshire?s legislation that largely avoids the issue of plastic bag litter and suggests further studies by an environmental review committee as well as using recyclable and reusable products rather than imposing a ban.
Shropshire asked the council to consider voting on both bills as separate pieces of legislation, but instead they voted to replace his bill with the revised version and put it up for discussion at a future public hearing.
“The name of the legislation got hijacked for other use, and now they don?t have to vote on my [bill],” Shropshire said. “They sidestepped the issue, and I find that very offensive.”
Councilmembers said the revised legislation is a broader and more tempered option than imposing a ban.
“Bans should always be a last resort, not the first resort,” said Alderman Ross Arnett III (D- Ward 8).
Shropshire said he plans to suggest several amendments to the revised bill that would put plastic bags back into the spotlight.
The bill would have required all retailers and restaurants to provide recyclable paper bags or reusable bags or be fined up to $500. The aim was to protect the environment, particularly the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
If council had passed the bill, Annapolis would have been one of the first municipalities in the country to ban retailers form using plastic checkout bags. San Francisco enacted a similar ban in April that applies only to larger groceries and drugstores.
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