 |
|
|
June
10, 2010
Guest
Column: Should the plastic bag ban be
extended to all Outer Banks businesses? By MARC BASNIGHT
That
concern for the economic well-being of our community, and for the
health of our people, is what led me to last year’s law to reduce the
use of plastic bags in the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks is in
the
business of looking good. Our natural beauty is a top reason
that
millions of people come here every year and support our
economy.
I have seen so many bags in our area, as I know you have – hanging in
trees, from marsh grasses, and on our dune’s sea oats. They
flutter along in the wind and likely end up in our waters. At
some point I began to wonder what effects these plastic bags were
having on our environment – or if they posed no more harm than simply
being an eyesore. I
began to look into the issues of plastics and waste, and what I found
was disturbing. In an area of the Pacific Ocean – nobody is
sure
of the exact size, but scientists say that it is certainly larger than
our entire state – there is something called the Pacific Garbage Patch,
consisting of billions upon billions of pieces of plastic, from
microscopic size to chunks as big as a lawn chair. A 1999
study
found six times more plastic than plankton in water samples of the
Pacific Ocean. When I heard about large concentrations of
plastic
debris in the Atlantic as well, I began to fear for the health and
future of our fisheries here at home. The Mayo Clinic already cautions us about fish that may be contaminated with mercury and other pollutants, and I fear that plastics could further contaminate our marine life. Plastic bags are made of high-density polyethylene and titanium chloride – or more simply put, complex carbons and transitional metal – and they break down into tiny pieces in the water. Scientists are currently studying the potential impacts these plastic materials and other chemicals could have on marine life and, later, to human health as a result of seafood consumption. And although we do not yet know for certain what these impacts will be to our fisheries, I would much rather err on the side of caution than to see our fisheries fall apart because of something that we could have stopped. Our
waters have sustained our community’s culture and economy for
generations. And it is our future that could be in
jeopardy. But if we cannot make one small change here to help
prevent that, why would anyone else fight for us? Why would
Washington or Raleigh take steps to protect the health of our
fisheries? Why would America or China or anyone else reduce
carbon emissions to reduce mercury in our waters? If we do
not
show we are willing to make a change at home, nobody will stand up for
us. This
is why I feel so strongly about reducing the presence of plastic bags
on the Outer Banks. There is nothing I like about the
overreaching of government. I have seen our federal
government
strangle our commercial fishermen, prevent our bridge from being built,
and break a longtime promise to maintain public access to our national
seashore. But on certain issues – like this one – that
threaten
our economy, our health and our way of life, I do believe that
government has a responsibility to its people and an appropriate role
to play. I fully abide by our forefathers’ beliefs that a person should be frugal and responsible with the materials around him. In 1806 Thomas Jefferson said, “We must use a good deal of economy in our wood, never cutting down new, where we can make the old do.” Today, Jefferson and others who founded our country would urge us to use and re-use what we have, and not be wasteful – because when we cast it aside, it becomes someone else’s problem. Plastic bags may be a convenience now, but what problems are we creating tomorrow through our convenience today? Last
year’s law applied to flimsy lightweight bags sold at large major
retailers. I believe it has made a difference but there is
more
we can do. This year, I proposed that this law be extended to
apply to all businesses on the Outer Banks of Dare, Currituck, and Hyde
counties and apply to plastic bags of all weights – a total ban on
plastic bags on our barrier islands. But I do not want to
move
forward with this law without input from you – because we all share in
this community’s future together, and it’s only by working together
that we can make the Outer Banks a better place for the
future. I have already sent a letter to more than 600 Outer Banks businesses to explain my proposal and my reasoning, and to ask for feedback and support. I have received little negative reaction thus far, but I sincerely want to hear your thoughts and concerns about the potential threat that plastics pose to our marine life and our fisheries – and to the future of our community. Please call Katie Hall at my office in Raleigh (919-733-6854) or email her at Katie.Hall@ncleg.net to share your thoughts with her. I have asked her to collect any feedback and bring it to my attention. If you would prefer to speak to me directly, please leave a message with my staff and I will be happy to call you. Banning
plastic bags is not about getting you to use paper bags, or even
keeping you from having plastic bags. It is not about whether
or
not tourists will show up with reusable bags or be annoyed by having to
use paper. Rather, it is about you and me making small
changes
that could have a lasting effect on our community’s future.
Using
reusable bags is easy. They are cheap to buy, easy to carry,
and
sturdy. They hold plenty of groceries, and are built to hold
everything from a carton of eggs to nuts and bolts and tools.
By
making reusable bags your habit, those of us that live here can show
the rest of America that it is not difficult to use reusable
bags. And we can demonstrate how great our natural areas look
and
how our waters are free from plastic debris because of our small
efforts. (Marc
Basnight is president pro tempore of the North Carolina state
Senate. He is a Manteo Democrat who represents Dare and Hyde
and
other counties.)
FOR MORE INFORMATION http://www.islandfreepress.org/2009Archives/06.25.2009-DetailsAboutBanOnPlasticBagsOnOuterBanks.html |
|
  |
|
|
|
The
Outer Banks has always been a place where the people’s livelihoods
depended on the bounty of our land and our waters. Even as
our
community has grown and changed over the centuries, our reliance on our
natural resources remains the same. Our commercial watermen,
who
bring in fresh seafood every day, need a healthy fishery to
survive. Our small businesses, recreational industry, and
tourism-based economy rely on clean water and beautiful
beaches. For me, as for so many others who are
fortunate to
call this place our home, protecting these natural gifts is not an
environmental issue – it is an economic one.