Palo Alto settled a lawsuit over its plastic bag ban. From the PA Weekly:
Under the settlement, the city will be able to maintain its ban. But any expansion of its scope would have to be accompanied by a complete environmental review.The city’s current ban applies to seven supermarkets, three of which had voluntarily stopped using plastic bags before the ban was adopted. Only Safeway, JJ&F Food Store, Andronico’s and Mollie Stone’s were required to stop using plastic check-out bags.Stephen Joseph, the attorney representing SaveThePlasticBag.com, said the group is pleased with the settlement because it ensures that the city’s ban on bags will not expand without a full review.
The City Council and staff have consistently indicated that they would like to ban plastic check-out bags from local pharmacies and other stores. The settlement essentially guarantees that the city’s quest to expand its bag ban will take longer than officials had hoped.
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