POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County lawmakers
are debating whether or not to ban plastic grocery bags in stores.
The proposal, by Legislator Joel Tyner, is aimed at cutting down on litter
and landfilling of those bags, as well as other protections of the environment.
Not all legislators are totally supportive of the idea. Joseph Incoronato
has his concerns.
? “You may not agree with the use of plastic bags, and they do get
into waterways and they litter the streets, no question about it, but
you can’t tell an enterprise that you can’t use paper or plastic
or old dresses. If they chose to do that, I think it would be an infringement
of their right to involve themselves in commerce,” he said.
Incoronato suggested the legislature consult with its legal counsel before
taking any action.
Lawmaker April Farley is one who staunchly supports doing away with those
bags.
“We do have over excessive use of plastic bags. If you go down Route
9 and go by any Wal-mart area, you will see all of the plastic bags being
caught up in a ditch and they do get caught up in the drains and they
are not biodegradable,” she said.
Lawmakers are also considering a prohibition of the sale of puppies or
kittens bred in puppy and kitten mills. No decision has been made on that
plan either.
