Legislature(2019 - 2020)BARNES 124
04/04/2019 08:00 AM House COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB81 | |
| HB60 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 81 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 60 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 81-PROHIBIT PLASTIC RETAIL BAGS
8:02:56 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that the first order of business
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 81, "An Act prohibiting disposable
plastic shopping bags; and providing for an effective date."
8:03:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ANDY JOSEPHSON, Alaska State Legislature, as
prime sponsor, introduced HB 81. He said this legislation
originally was filed in January 2018; it was modified and made
it through two committees last year. He said the impetus for HB
81 is the scourge of plastic bags. He related there is a
plastic bag in a tree across the street from the Capitol
Building that has been there for a couple years now. He said
some may ask the reason for "picking on this industry and not
others," and he opined, "We have to have a starting place."
Representative Josephson said that "this is a national
movement." He said that when the committee hears public
testimony, it would hear from people all over the state that
"are willing to be inconvenienced for our environment." He said
[plastic refuse] does not only have a [negative] visual impact;
it also impacts waterways and wildlife.
8:05:55 AM
ELISE SORUM-BIRK, Staff, Representative Andy Josephson, Alaska
State Legislature, gave a PowerPoint presentation related to HB
81 on behalf of Representative Josephson, primer sponsor. She
directed attention to slide 2, "Motivations," and she stated
that plastics do not belong in nature. She echoed
Representative Josephson's remark that plastic is harmful to
wildlife and the marine environment. She said there have been
multiple news stories in the last month related to whales dying
as a result of ingesting massive amounts of plastics. In
Alaska, there has been at least one recorded death of a Northern
fur seal resulting from entanglement.
MS. SORUM-BIRK shared that she used to be an early childhood
educator working in an outdoor summer program. She said she is
aware that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) has a curriculum completely based around marine debris
and plastic issues; it's called, "Lose the Loop." She said,
"It's a huge issue for this national agency." She stated that a
plastic bag ban is "a small but significant step in addressing
the global plastics problem and the issue of single-use plastics
in general."
8:07:33 AM
MS. SORUM-BIRK directed attention to slide 3, "Why Plastic
Bags?" She noted that the sponsor of the bill is shown in a
photo looking unpleased at having found a plastic bag while
kayaking. As shown on the slide, she related that plastic bags
are "a major plastic offender" because they are lightweight,
thus they transport easily in wind and water. She said new
habits are necessary and have already been adopted by
communities worldwide. Ms. Sorum-Birk turned to slide 4, titled
"Plastic Bags in the Environment," which displays a diagram
depicting how plastic interacts with the ecosystem. She
explained that [persistent] organic pollutants (POPs) accumulate
in fatty tissue and [toxins increase in concentration up the
food chain]. She said that makes her think of salmon and
whales, both of which are depended upon as food resources by
subsistence communities.
MS. SORUM-BIRK moved on to slide 5, titled "Why a Ban?" She
said in last year's related legislation, a fee for plastic bag
use was proposed. She said bans are more common. She related
that stores are already subsidizing for the cost of bags by
charging more for goods purchased, with an estimated cost of
$25-$50 per person each year. She pointed out the photo(s) of
the aforementioned bag in the tree across the street. Focusing
on slide 6, titled "International Policy Trends," she reported
that there are more than 40 countries that have a plastic bag
ban, and that number continues to rise: Bangladesh was the
first in 2002; Kenya has the strictest ban. She said a reporter
in The Guardian wrote that this ban has sparked interest in
neighboring countries, and "the once ubiquitous issue of plastic
bag litter is in decline in Kenya." She said there is less
litter and fewer fishermen pulling up plastic bags in their nets
on Lake Victoria. She said the bottom of slide 6 shows the many
[countries] that will enact plastic bags in 2018, 2019, 2020,
and 2021. She noted that the European Union has gone further by
banning many single-use plastic items; that ban will go into
effect in 2021.
MS. SORUM-BIRK turned to slide 7, titled "Policy Trends - Lower
49." She said California was the first state to ban plastic
bags; this past week New York became the second state to fully
ban plastic bags; and all the municipalities in Hawai'i have
banned plastic bags although there is no statewide law to that
effect. She noted that the slide shows other states that have
municipalities within them that have banned bags, and she
observed that Alaska should have been included on that list.
8:11:15 AM
MS. SORUM-BIRK moved on to slide 8, titled "Alaska." She stated
that in Alaska 17 communities no longer allow plastic bags;
Denali Borough and the City of Homer are considering a plastic
bag ban; Homer has "gone back and forth for several years" but
will have the issue on its ballot this year. She reported that
Anchorage has a [plastic] bag ban in place that will go into
effect in September 2019. She noted that those communities on
slide 8 that are listed with an asterisk next to the name are
communities that "voluntarily stopped using plastic bags out of
concern for environmental health."
MS. SORUM-BIRK directed attention to slide 9, titled "The
Resource(ful) State." For example, some people have crocheted
plastic bags into new, reusable plastic bags. Not on the list
is "Boomerang Bags" - a national movement to make, provide, or
share reusable bags. Another movement is called, "Take a
Bag/Leave a Bag," where people donate their bags, which then get
sterilized and put out at stores for use by people who have
neglected to bring their own bags. She shared that her alma
mater, Valdez High School, has a club that makes bags out of old
tee shirts. She said, "So, these creative solutions show that
you can reuse materials and get to the root of how a carbon
footprint can be reduced ...."
MS. SORUM-BIRK turned to slide 10, titled "Ruminant Ingestion of
Plastic." She stated that this issue was a big motivation for
the ban of plastic bags in the Matanuska-Susitna ("Mat-Su")
Valley. She said the slide illustrates that the problem [with
plastic bags] is not just a coastal problem. She talked about
caribou that have had a hole cut in their sides and plastic was
found in the digestive tracts of these caribou. She indicated
that Carol Montgomery would testify later and talk about this
subject.
8:13:48 AM
MS. SORUM-BIRK proceeded to slide 11, titled "Section 1." She
said the proposed legislation would add a new section to AS
46.06. AS 46.06.145(a) would establish a ban on retailers
[providing disposable plastic shopping bags to customers];
[subsection](b) would provide exceptions to the bag ban,
including bags that hold produce and meat, newspaper bags, and
bags for flowers; [subsection](c) would establish fines of $250
for the first violation, $500 for the second violation, and $750
for each additional violation - these would be within a calendar
year; [subsection](e) would provide definitions for "disposable
[plastic] shopping bag," "retail seller," and "reusable bag."
She said it is important to note that a reusable bag can be
plastic, as long as it is at least 4 mils in thickness. As
shown on slide 12, Ms. Sorum-Birk stated that Section 2 of the
proposed legislation would provide an effective date of January
[1], 2021, which would give retailers the time to adapt and use
up the stock of plastic bags they already have.
8:15:18 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN questioned why the state should take
action when it seems an increasing number of local communities
are taking action on their own to ban plastic bags.
MS. SORUM-BIRK answered that many communities in Alaska lack
municipal government because they are not incorporated, and HB
81 could benefit those communities. In response to a follow-up
question, she reiterated that the effective date proposed under
HB 81 should allow retailers to use up their existing stock of
plastic bags before the ban takes effect.
8:16:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE THOMPSON noted that when he was young, paper bag
use was frowned upon because the use of paper bags meant trees
were being cut down, and the use of plastic bags back then was
encouraged. Now things have turned around. He indicated that
he was confused as to how, under HB 81, allowed and nonallowed
use would be separated. He further indicated that after the ban
is in place, people who [reuse] existing plastic bags may be
fined.
8:18:08 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON speculated that "the difference between
the types of bags is so readily apparent that it won't become an
issue."
MS. SORUM-BIRK advised that HB 81 clearly outlines [disposable]
plastic shopping bags and lists exceptions [to the proposed
prohibition]. She said the use of paper [bags] is "in no way
environmentally benign," and many municipalities nationwide have
imposed fees on the use of paper bags. Nevertheless, she
pointed out that paper bags are biodegradable.
8:19:40 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND opened invited testimony.
8:19:57 AM
CAROL MONTGOMERY, Mat-Su Zero Waste Coalition Plastic Bag
Committee, reported that a student visiting the recycling center
talked about having seen Dr. Collins, of the Matanuska
Experiment Farm, pull plastic bags out of a research moose
fitted with a fistula. Ms. Montgomery said she then talked to
Dr. Collins, who told her he had lost a couple of caribou before
figuring out "what was going on." She said one time Dr. Collins
pulled a wedge of plastic bags as big as a football out of a
caribou. She said a video was taken showing Dr. Collins
removing plastic from the stomach of a moose. She said the
coalition found out that the Williams Reindeer Farm and the
Agate Inn have lost many reindeer as a result of plastic bag
obstruction. She said those were deaths confirmed through
necropsy. She pointed out that it is rare for wild animals to
necropsied, because it is an expensive procedure. Ms.
Montgomery said she called Kimberly Beckman, a [veterinarian]
for the Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G), in Fairbanks,
and she confirmed a musk ox calf had asphyxiated on a plastic
bag and a turtle from the Alaska SeaLife Center [in Seward] had
died from plastic bag consumption.
MS. MONTGOMERY said the coalition started outreach to community
groups to spread awareness "about what was going on," and people
were receptive to learning about the issue. The coalition
approached the Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce, and people
donated money, which the coalition used to run some radio spots
and buy [reusable] bags to be handed out in grocery stores. She
said Mayor Bert Cottle took on the issue in Wasilla, where the
public testimony was overwhelmingly in favor: 47 to 1 in
written testimony, 2 to 1 in public testimony, and 5 to 1 by
vote of the city council. She reported that Channel 11 News
conducted a survey that showed "75 percent were in favor of
extending the bag ban to Anchorage." She said [the plastic bag
ban] in Wasilla has been in effect almost a year and in Palmer
three months, and already the area is cleaner; a windstorm
currently in effect has resulted in far fewer plastic bags
"stuck" in parking lots of grocery stores. She noted that
tourists who rode the Alaska Railroad used to complain about the
amount of trash, but that area is "already much better." Ms.
Montgomery emphasized the bottom line is that [adjusting to a
plastic ban] is "no big deal."
8:24:05 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked for definition of fistula, as used in
ruminants.
MS. MONTGOMERY answered that it is a devise [that can be
implanted in the side of ruminates] that allows for a person to
reach in to [the rumen] and extract its contents. She indicated
that many reindeer on farms have died because "they don't have
that option." She said the owners of Agate Inn, in Wasilla,
reported one of their reindeer suffered a heart attack after
consuming plastic bags; there were so many bags in the
reindeer's rumen that they put pressure on his heart. She said
reindeer forage for food by pawing the ground, and despite
efforts to keep the area clean, the reindeer still consume
plastic bags.
8:25:52 AM
EVE DOWNING, Alaska Youth Environmental Action, stated that the
plastic bag ban in Soldotna, Alaska, has positively impacted her
community. She said most community members have gotten into the
habit of bringing reusable bags to the store when they shop, and
many of them have said they just needed "a push" to remember to
bring reusable bags. She said there are no longer plastic bags
floating through the streets or getting caught in trees. She
said she is always surprised to visit communities that still
allow plastic bags, because such bags are "a tool of the past."
She said her community caters to tourism, and plastic bags are a
detriment to the beauty of Soldotna. She said single-use
plastic bags are detrimental to the wildlife surrounding her
community; many animals have died from consuming plastic bags.
She stated that fishing is also an important economy of
Soldotna, but when single-use plastic bags float into streams
and other waterways, they are consumed by fish and other marine
creatures, which can block the digestive tracks of those animals
and cause them to starve to death. She indicated that plastic
consumed by salmon, for example, can end up consumed by humans.
She opined that banning [plastic] bags is a step toward "being
conscious of the impact that we have on the environment around
us, as well as a step toward a sustainable future for Alaska."
Ms. Downing concluded by expressing support for HB 81. In
response to Co-Chair Drummond, she confirmed that the plastic
bag ban to which she had referred applies only to Soldotna.
8:29:07 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that HB 81 was held over.