Hawaii County Chokes on Plastic Bag Ban

Ah, how fleeting the sweetness of success.

After the first passage of an amended bill to ban plastic bags two weeks ago, Hawaii County looked poised to join Maui, Kauai, and countless other counties and cities around the world who have stepped up to the plate and taken local action to thwart the global plague of plastic pollution and climate change.  But yesterday three council members joined forces to call for "further public hearings" before the final vote, delaying the bag ban now until at least November.

Given that this bill has been in the works for three years, it is hard to imagine that further testimony is necessary.  Instead, this tactic is a clear instance of a minority opinion (driven mostly by business interests) to stall an otherwise popular measure.

One of the main arguments against the bill is that government should not meddle in such affairs of business. But this position ignores the fact that businesses are incentivized to use plastic bags because they are cheaper—due to subsidies—which is another case of government meddling. Until we do away with subsidies for fossil fuels, it is unlikely that businesses (except for a few environmentally-conscious ones) will of their own accord reduce their plastic addiction. Thus, the need for laws to help even-out the playing field. The sad part is, businesses thrived before and after plastic bags existed. And they would continue to do so here in Hawaii, too.

But all hope is not lost. If you live in Hawaii County, keep your eye out for public hearings, which will be held on the following dates: Keaau: June 7, Pahoa: July 12; Naalehu: July 26; Hilo: Aug. 25; Laupahoehoe: Oct 27; and Kona: Nov. 15.

Meanwhile, stay involved with actions you can take to help get legislation through at the state level, here.

FOR HAWAII RESIDENTS ONLY, Surfrider Foundation Oahu chapter has asked that residents please call Representative Marcus Oshiro to have him give HB 998 a hearing in the Finance Committee (a bag ban and bag fee bills have both made it through the Senate committees).  So far, HB 998 (plastic/paper bag fee bill) has not yet been scheduled for a hearing by the Finance Committee. Surfrider asks to "Please call Rep. Marcus Oshiro at 808-586-6200 and ask him to hear this bill in the Finance Committee in order to protect our marine environment from plastic pollution, lighten the load on our overflowing landfills/maxed-out H-Power, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil."

PLEASE ONLY CALL IF YOU ARE A HAWAII RESIDENT. To call the Hawai'i State Gov. from the Neighbor Islands, dial toll free:

Hawai`i: 974-4000; Maui: 984-2400; Kaua`i: 274-3141 ; Moloka`i/Lana`i: 1-800-468-4644

Followed by the extension 66200 for Rep. Oshiro (it will sound like they've hung up on you, but stay on the line...)

Though Hawaii County is bogged down, you can help the state rise above the political waters, and pass landmark legislation to reduce single-use plastic bags.

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Photo credit: Newton grafitti