Still a chance for NY packaging reduction bill to reach assembly floor
Whether there will be enough votes to actually approve the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act remains to be seen.
In response to questions from the Niagara Gazette this week, Thomas O'Neil White, a spokesperson for assembly Majority Leader and Buffalo Democrat Crystal Peoples-Stokes, said the bill is not on the agenda yet, but People-Stokes believes it will make it to the floor for a vote before the end of the session, which is expected to close either Tuesday or Wednesday.
'It depends on what is in the bill as it could change a few times before coming up for a vote,' O'Neil White said.
Supporters of the bill said on Friday that 'possible' consideration was not good enough.
Renae Kimble, president of the Niagara Falls chapter of the NAACP, who joined local and statewide environmental advocates in calling for the bill's passage earlier this week, described the bill on Friday as 'vitally important' to protect the health of every Western New Yorker.
'Given the toxic legacy of Western New York, we need all of the assembly members to lead and support this bill,' Kimble said. 'The bill has already been amended 26 times at the request of various businesses. The Senate has already adjourned meaning there is no time for further amendments, so we need the assembly to vote on the bill, as is, before they also adjourn in the coming days.'
The act would impose a 30% reduction on packaging statewide over the next 12 years and calls for the phasing out of 17 toxic chemicals currently found in various forms of packaging.
Supporters say it would cut plastic waste, improve public health and reduce costs for taxpayers. They also warn that remnants from plastic waste impact health and wellness, resulting in higher costs of care borne by New York residents and local governments. Environmental advocates say plastic waste is particularly harmful to the environment, especially the Great Lakes, including Lake Ontario.
Kimble said the impacts have proven particularly harmful to minorities living in cities like Niagara Falls and Buffalo.
'Black, brown, disabled, and marginalized members of our communities across the state have been subjected to the deadly effects of toxic pollutants due to the disproportionate amount of contaminated packing waste sent to landfills and incinerators in heavily populated Environmental Justice communities,' Kimble said.
Supporters of the bill's passage have also noted that existing state and local policies, such as the State Agency Green Purchasing Executive Order, and retailer programs, such as Walmart, already work to avoid the use of high-hazard toxic chemicals in packaging and products.
Patti Wood, executive director of Grassroots Environmental Education, said the bill builds upon Governor Paterson's 2008 State Agency Green Purchasing Executive Order, which requires state agencies to prioritize the procurement of products. The former governor's order requires the state to reduce or eliminate the health and environmental risks from the use or release of toxic substances, minimize the risks of the discharge of pollutants into the environment and minimize the volume and toxicity of packaging.
'This bill builds on smart green purchasing state and local policies that have been requiring manufacturers to avoid highly toxic chemicals in their products and packaging and 'green the marketplace' since 2008,' Wood said.
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