California

Proposed legislation that would list bisphenol A as a hazardous chemical under California's Proposition 65 was stalled by a judge last Friday, who has granted a preliminary injunction to the American Chemistry Council's case against listing the chemical. This move effectively removes bisphenol A from the Proposition 65 list until a decision is reached.

The California Grocers Association announced its support for a bill today which proposes banning plastic bags across the entire state -- a move which has given the bill a significant public boost. The bill, SB 405, was introduced by Senator Alex Padilla (D- Pacoima) and would prohibit single use plastic bags from being distributed in pharmacies and grocery stores beginning January 1st, 2015. According to a Los Angeles Times article written by Marc Lifsher, convenience and liquor stores would face the same requirements the following year.

California has become the latest state to acknowledge bisphenol A, or BPA, as a chemical with potentially carcinogenic properties according to a new decision which surfaced yesterday, reports the SF Gate News. Contributor Stephanie Lee writes that bisphenol A is being included in the list of chemicals designated under Proposition 65 as cancer causing. The bill exposes such chemicals and:

Part of California's Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it intends to add the chemical bisphenol A to its list of dangerous chemicals under Proposition 65, according to a new article from the San Jose Mercury News this weekend. Writes contributor Sandy Kleffman, the agency has stated that bisphenol A meets Prop. 65's standards for chemicals which pose a risk to human health. However, this change might not necessarily be the beginning of substantial change for consumers. Kleffman comments that:

After significant pressure from environmental groups, the state of California's Environmental Protection Agency has revised the curriculum in planned to include in textbooks, lowering figures to more accurately reflect the amounts of plastic bags recycled each year, as well as eliminating a controversial section that was to discuss the merits of plastic bags to the environment. According to Mike Verespej of Plastics News: 

In a disappointing conclusion to a prolonged debate, California's efforts to pass a bag ban have failed once again, with insufficient support created in the legislature to ensure its passage. According to an article posted on the Plastics News website yesterday, the California Legislature ended its session on August 31st with no Assembly vote on a potential polystyrene ban, and no comment from the Senate on a proposed plastic bag ban.

Environmental activists met in Mira Mesa to discuss plans for a plastic bag ban in California last week, but as U-T San Diego columnist Matthew Hall comments, "Unlike windblown bags everywhere, the plans didn't go very far." According to the article published today by Hall, a simiar attempt at a ban failed in 2010, but he has confidence that this time, the ban will pass. Writes Hall,

A committee in the California Senate approved a bill today outlining a ban ban which would affect the distribution of plastic bags throughout the state. According to Plastics News, Assembly Bill 298 passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee with a 5-2 vote, and takes effect on January 1st, 2014. The article states, however, that