Dive Brief:
- Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake vetoed a city ordinance that called for a plastic bag ban across the city.
- Rawlings-Blake said she disapproved of the process through which the ordinance was approved. An unforeseen change prompted her change of heart: originally, the bill included a 5 cent fee for plastic bags, but was altered at the last minute to an outright ban.
- Baltimore City Council passed the measure on an 11-1 vote. Now, three-quarters of council members must vote to override the veto, although that scenario is unlikely.
Dive Insight:
The shift to an outright ban was proposed by the president of the City Council, Bernard “Jack” Young, who said, “I decided the best course of action was an outright ban.” He said environmental research led him to the decision, citing the impact that plastic bags have on waterways.
Baltimore, MD was poised to become one of the first cities on the East Coast to pass a bag ban. Several cities have considered bag bans, while Chicago and multiple cities in California passed their own local ordinances, eventually prompting California to become the first state in the nation to ban plastic bags.