Berkeley’s Plastic Bag Ban Still a Dream Deferred

So much for the proscription on plastic bags, in Berkeley. Under apparent pressure from the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, city lawmakers have delayed the proposed ban until Alameda County completes an Environmental Impact Report on the environmental effects of plastic, the Daily Cal reports. Cities that instituted the ban without a full EIR were later sued by plastic bag enthusiasts — who might also be considered anti-paper-baggists. They cite the California Environmental Quality Act, which requires a well-rounded, well-researched report not only on plastic, but on the potential harms of paper, as well.