To the editor:
On Wednesday, Jan. 25, four members of Pemaquid Watershed Association’s Keep Pemaquid Peninsula Beautiful Committee traveled to Augusta to witness an important hearing in front of the Maine Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Rep. Mick Devin has co-sponsored L.D. 57, a bill to ban single-use plastic bags at all points of retail checkout in the state.
We support this bill because it would significantly reduce plastic in the environment that has been proven to harm many marine and land animals. Plastic never completely degrades. Ten speakers spoke eloquently and factually in support of the bill, and some suggested further amendments to strengthen the environmental impact even more vigorously.
These speakers included those representing the Surfrider Foundation, the Maine Audubon Association, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, and a professor from the University of Maine at Augusta. Organizers for proposals in Kittery, Brunswick, and Bath spoke on behalf of the bill, as well as a leader of the Topsham ordinance currently in place.
We were pleased to hear that there are at least 10 more towns and cities in various degrees of planning and organizing either bans of single-use plastic bags or purchase fees, along with the seven municipalities that already have ordinances in place.
We encourage you to thank Rep. Devin for his work on this legislation and support it in any way you can. Educate yourself on the serious environmental impact of single-use plastic bags on our oceans and watersheds and spread the word.
There should be continued organizing for ordinances in many towns and cities until this bill is passed. The Environment and Natural Resources Committee may be waiting to see how many cities and towns will establish their own ordinances before establishing a statewide ban. It will happen, and for the environment’s sake, we should work for it to happen sooner rather than later!
Lynne Gilbert, Bristol
Joanna Holland, Bristol
Linda Shaffer, Bristol
Joan Panek, Damariscotta
