Connecticut Caves to Industry Pressure in Suspending Critical Plastic Bag Law

There is No Scientific Proof Reusable Bags Contribute to the Spread of COVID-19
Lawmakers are Being Mislead by the Plastic Bag Lobby

 For immediate release: 

Friday, March 27, 2020

For more information contact:

Louis Rosado Burch, Connecticut Program Director- 475.434.1606 (mobile), lburch@citizenscampaign.org

Hamden, CT- Governor Ned Lamont signed an executive order suspending Connecticut’s 10 cent fee on plastic bags yesterday, in response to the plastic industry promoting fears about the use of reusable bags.

Connecticut’s bag fee has successfully curbed plastic pollution and encouraged reusable bag use across the state, making Connecticut a national leader on protecting our water from plastic pollution. The announcement comes as the plastic industry presses states and the federal government to outlaw reusable bags as a way to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. The EO clarified that reusable bags would not be prohibited as part of this initiative.

Louis Rosado Burch, CT Program Director for Citizens Campaign for the Environment, issued the following statement:

“The decision to suspend the 10 cent fee on single-use plastic bags is based on political science, not public health science. Incentivizing a return to polluting, disposable plastic bags will do nothing to protect public health. This is a time to base policy decisions on good science, and not succumb to the plastic industry’s efforts to capitalize on this pandemic for their own benefit.

Research shows that viruses last longer on non-porous surfaces like plastic than they do on fabrics and paper. Single-use plastic bags are handled multiple times before they are used to pack groceries, and are in no way sterile or resistant to viruses and bacteria. In fact, the irony is that the plastic bag industry is condemning reusable bags made of plastic while praising their bags, also made of plastic.

The good news is that the EO does not prohibit the public from continuing to bring their own bags in Connecticut. In truth, there is no peer reviewed scientific evidence to support the claim that reusable bags contribute to the transmission of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

This effort is more nefarious than it seems. Behind the scenes, plastics industry lobbyists in Connecticut and around the country are fighting hard to capitalize on this stressful crisis to undo the recent wave of plastic bag bans and fees that have swept the U.S. creating measurable changes in public behavior. Their actions are about profits, not health. If the industry cares about public health, they should not be promoting disposable plastic bags. In the end, this is little more than a shocking and heartless effort to capitalize on a pandemic to promote wasteful and environmentally harmful plastic bags.”

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Highlights and Happenings: February 2020

Help CCE build on our success, and support our campaigns to protect public health and the environment in NY and CT. Make a contribution today.

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Highlights

Plastic Bags are Banned in New York!

After over a decade of working to prevent plastic pollution throughout New York, we’re thrilled that NY is now plastic bag free. In 2019, Governor Cuomo and legislative leaders included legislation banning plastic bags in the state budget. The bill went into effect on Sunday, March 1 st . We threw a party to kick off the weekend, joining our environmental allies and NYS DEC to celebrate the death of the plastic bag. We’re overjoyed to see the public make the switch and remember to #BYOBagNY!

Fighting for our 2020 Priority Bills in CT 

The CT Legislature is considering several of our key priorities this session. We are supporting bills (and will need your support!) that would: 

• Restrict the use of firefighting foams containing toxic PFAS chemicals; 

• Ban toxic PFAS in food packaging; 

• Expand Connecticut’s Bottle Bill (to include a deposit on additional beverage containers); 

• Ban Styrofoam food packaging; 

• Prohibit the use of toxic chlorpyrifos pesticides; and 

• Create a Climate Change and Green Jobs plan to help speed Connecticut’s transition to 100% carbon-free energy. 

Great Lakes Restoration Bill Passes U.S. House! 

In February, the U.S. House of Representatives passed one of CCE’s highest priority bills—federal legislation to reauthorize the successful Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) program and increase funding to $475 million annually by 2026! The GLRI has been a resounding success in recent years, helping to clean up the Buffalo River and other toxic hot spots, fight invasive species, restore critical habitat, and provide immense economic benefits to Great Lakes communities in New York. Now we need the U.S. Senate to pass this important legislation! 

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Happenings

Protecting Pollinators from Toxic Pesticides

The use of neonicotinoid (a.k.a. “neonics) pesticides decimates bee populations, threatens food production, and pollutes our drinking water. In February, we joined our allies in Albany for a lobby day to support the Birds and Bees Protection Act, which would put a 5 year moratorium on neonics in New York State. We’re urging NYS to take immediate action and pass legislation this session!

Fighting for a Strong NY Environmental Protection Fund

For the past 27 years the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) has invested over $4 billion in projects that protect clean water, conserve open space, save family farms, protect our oceans and Great Lakes, increase recycling, and much more. We joined our coalition partners in Albany to urge our elected leaders to ensure at least $300 million for the EPF in the final state budget.

Holding Polluters Responsible for the Navy Grumman Plume

The Grumman/Navy Bethpage Plume is the largest on Long Island: 4.3 miles long, 2.1 miles wide, and as much as 900 feet deep. The plume travels under parks, schools, homes, and businesses; and is contaminating drinking water supply wells for thousands of residents. In February, Newsday released comprehensive coverage and previously undisclosed documents verifying the U.S. Navy & Grumman knew toxic chemicals from their operations were contaminating groundwater and putting public health in jeopardy. Their response was to perpetrate a decades-long cover up. We are now calling on our state and federal leaders to take immediate action and bring forth criminal charges against the Navy and Northup Grumman.

 Long Island Lobby Day

We traveled to Albany for our annual Lobby Day trip with the Long Island Lobby Coalition, which represents over 100 groups working to advance infrastructure projects, small business assistance, human services issues, environmental protection, and public transportation. We spoke with Assembly Members, Senators, and Governor Cuomo’s office about critical environmental issues impacting Long Islanders, including advancing solar and offshore wind, protecting drinking water from emerging contaminants, investing in sewage infrastructure, and improving public transportation.

Pushing for our 2020 NY Clean Water Priorities

To ensure that current and future generations can rely on abundant, clean, and affordable water resources in New York, CCE has brought together a diverse network of organizations to collaborate on water protection in New York State. In February, the coalition hosted a Clean Water Breakfast in Albany. CCE and coalition partners educated state elected leaders on the priority water issues that need to be addressed in NY, including funding water infrastructure improvements, removing emerging contaminants in drinking water, expanding drinking water testing, and protecting streams and wetlands that feed our drinking water supplies. On the day of the breakfast, we were thrilled that the NYS Assembly passed legislation to further protect streams in NY (Pictured: CCE and coalition partners celebrating with Assemblyman Sean Ryan, lead sponsor of the Streams legislation)!

CCE Executive Director Adrienne Esposito Makes the LI Power List

Each year, the Long Island Press publishes a list of the top 100 leaders in business, education, philanthropy, unions, and politics on Long Island. Adrienne made the list and attended a great celebration this February, where she was honored as one of this year’s “Change Makers.”

Joining Senator LaValle for his Environmental Roundtable

We attended Senator LaValle’s annual Environmental Roundtable, which brings together advocates and Long Island policymakers to discuss important environmental and public health priorities for NYS. Senator LaValle has been a champion of environmental issues and we look forward to working with him in his last year as a New York Senator.

Upcoming: Change Out Your Septic System in Suffolk County, NY

We are continuing our series of forums highlighting the importance of reducing nitrogen pollution from outdated septics and cesspools into the spring. These forums are designed to help Suffolk County residents get grants to change out their old systems for new, on-site, nitrogen-reducing treatment systems. You can get information on the grant program or fill out an application here.

A Call for Criminal Charges Against US Navy and Northrup Grumman

For immediate release:  Wednesday, February 19, 2020

For more information contact: Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Cell: 631-384-1378, aesposito@citizenscampaign.org

Newsday investigation demonstrates Navy & Grumman knowingly allowed the public to drink toxic water

Farmingdale, NY—Newsday released comprehensive coverage and previously undisclosed documents verifying the US Navy & Grumman knew toxic chemicals from their operations were contaminating groundwater and putting public health in jeopardy. Their response was to perpetrate a decades-long cover up. Despite their own consultants warning them of contamination of drinking water wells, they chose to ignore their obligations to protect the public and kept the contamination a secret. 

The Grumman/Navy Bethpage Plume is the largest on Long Island, 4.3 miles long, 2.1 miles wide, and as much as 900 feet deep.  The plume travels under parks, schools, homes, businesses, and is contaminating drinking water supply well for thousands of residents. Citizens Campaign for the Environment is calling on our state and federal leaders to take immediate action and bring forth criminal charges against the Navy and Northup Grumman.    

Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment released the following statement:

“If an individual poisoned their neighbor’s drinking water well or dumped toxic chemicals in a reservoir system, they should face criminal charges. The cover up and lies by the Navy and Grumman caused Bethpage residents to drink dangerous chemicals, thereby harming countless families and victimizing the Bethpage community. The only way to prevent this from happening again, is to hold polluters accountable for their actions, even when those polluters include the federal government. A fine or a slap on the wrist is not enough. Authentic safeguards are needed to stop the pollution of our drinking water. Like any other criminal who endangers the welfare of the public, polluters should go to jail for their crimes. The Bethpage/Grumman plume clean up is crucial to protect the community’s health in the long term however, criminal charges are necessary to give justice to all the families impacted by the Navy and Grumman cover up over the last 40+ years and to prevent this from happening again to other innocent communities.”

Adrienne Esposito Live on LI in the AM 2- 19-2020

SOURCE:

https://soundcloud.com/jvcbroadcasting/adrienne-esposito-of-citizens-campaign-for-the-environment-live-on-li-in-the-am-2-19-2020

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