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Plastic Bag Ban Gains Traction In NY Budget Talks

WAMC photo by Dave Lucas

Two New York lawmakers say a proposal for banning plastic shopping bags has gained traction for inclusion in the next state budget being negotiated in Albany.

Sen. Todd Kaminsky and Assemblyman Steve Englebright, both Long Island Democrats, say Wednesday that they're optimistic that a ban on single-use plastic shopping bags could be included in the spending plan that's due Sunday. They say ongoing discussions on the issue include whether to impose a fee on paper bags.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo supports a plastic bag ban.

Meanwhile, Albany County's Local Law L, expanding the ban on Styrofoam containers to all food service establishments county-wide, became effective Wednesday.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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