Columbia, MO, home to MIzzou, a progressive island, believe it or not, in the Republican Sea that is central Missouri, had been so bold as to vote for a city prohibition on plastic bags (pay or bring your own). Dan Shaul and the grocery people moved to block this, and block all such bans in the state forever. Believe it or not.
China and California have similar legislation to ban plastic bag use (or charge for their use) It reduces oil consumption on one end and litter that lasts for an eternity and clogs up land and sea on the other end. Despite what we're told, it doesn't recycle well.
Though in California the American Plastic - wait, they call themselves the American 'Progressive' [sic] – Bag Alliance (ABPA) rounded up (paid for?) enough signatures to get a referendum on the issue. They are backed by big oil (American Chemistry Council, i.e. Dow, Exxon Mobil, etc.). Start shaking your head in disbelief.
Making a bad thing worse, the Missouri legislature is moving to also restrict any possible local experimentation to address environmental concerns – from agroindustrial impacts to TIFs to polluters to plastic bags. The hand of ALEC is in this too.
The dismantling of democracy in favor of big business interests continues apace. And this despite the rhetoric of anti-regulatory local control that we hear from the right wing. Money trumps all in good ol' Missouri. People need to rise up and resist, but alas, did you forget your cloth bags at home? At least go paper.
This led to a bit of a detour this morning as I delved into the background on the plastic bag wars (plastic bags, of course, are made from oil and natural gas).
Best overview from Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-plastic-bag-wars-20110725
Here's the link to the Missouri House website and bill.
Here's Dan Shaul and friends at the Missouri Grocers' Association.
And here's a softball Post-Dispatch story on the whole thing.
Hope Nixon vetoes this...
