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Thursday, June 4, 2009
Legislation Regulating Plastic Bags Takes A Step Backwards
Thomas Sustak, with the Clean Air Council, illustrates how many bags an average consumer uses in a year, at a city hearing.

City Councilman Frank DiCicco is expected to request this morning that legislation regulating the use by stores in the city of plastic bags be returned to Council's Committee on the Environment.  The legislation -- bill 090075 can be read here -- was unanimously approved by the committee in a May 1 hearing.  You can read the transcript of that debate here.

The legislation would place a 25-cent fee on every plastic bag given to customers at stores in the city.  Designed to cut down on litter, it also requires businesses with more than $1 million in annual sales to give 75 percent of the bag fee to the city. Businesses with less revenue would keep the fee.

The legislation has been languishing on Council's calender for weeks, held repeatedly from a final vote as some of DiCicco's colleagues seek changes to its language.  Those changes will now apparently be debated back at the committee level.

Posted by Chris Brennan @ 10:34 AM  Permalink | 4 comments
Comments   
Posted 01:06 PM, 06/04/2009
akelsey
That even this legislation can't be moved forward is distressing. Term limits for Council, please.
Posted 01:47 PM, 06/04/2009
rabbit23
Councilman Jones is the main opponent in Council - focus your attention on him, folks.
Posted 04:04 PM, 06/04/2009
jayman
picture this people. I'm an 8 year old kid from North, South, West, Philly. I go to my local corner store for a snack. are u telling me to get a back to carry my snack in is going to cost about the same amount as a bag of potatoe chips??? I can't eat the bag. this has the potential to drive sales down for small stores because people will not buy as much because the cost of a bag
Posted 09:39 AM, 06/05/2009
lennybowie
jayman, how about the kid doesn't use a bag to carry a bag of potato chips? You can carry that in your hand without the unnecessary bag.
4 comments
About Chris Brennan and Catherine Lucey
PhillyClout
Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.

Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002. Since then she has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. For the past two years, she covered the 2007 mayoral election. Now that the battle is over, she has moved down to the City Hall bureau where she will report on the Nutter administration.

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Catherine Lucey
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