"The plastic bag bans helped reduce litter, protected wildlife and cattle and made stormwater management easier, environmental advocates say."
"Are you a Texan who hates having to take reusable shopping bags on your grocery run? Rejoice, for your time has come. After a new Texas Supreme Court ruling, your store could soon be stocked with all the plastic bags your heart desires. Want to double-bag that lollipop? Go for it! Hell, triple bag it.
In the last decade, at least 11 Texas cities — including Fort Stockton, Austin and Brownsville — have enacted laws banning single-use plastic bags at retail stores. The Laredo Merchants Association challenged Laredo’s ordinance in 2015, arguing that its ban was out of line with state law. On Friday, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of the trade group, striking down plastic bag bans across the state.
The ruling is the latest volley in state leaders’ escalating war on local control. When Denton passed an ordinance to ban fracking in 2014, the Legislature stepped in, banning all bans on fracking to avoid what Governor Greg Abbott called a “patchwork of local regulations.” When Austin voted for stronger background checks for rideshare companies in 2016, the Legislature once again passed a statewide law that effectively voided part of the city’s ordinance and pre-empted other cities from following suit."
Naveena Sadasivam reports for the Texas Observer June 22, 2018.
