Senate Committee on Ways and Means (WAM) - chair: David Y. Ige, vice chair: Michelle N. Kidani

Wednesday, February 29, 2012, 9:15 a.m.. Conference Room 211

Testifier: Anna Hoover, Legislative Committee Member, LWV of Hawaii

Click here to view SB2511 SD1

Chair Ige, Vice Chair Kidani and members of the Ways and Means Committee: Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony representing the statewide members of League of Women Voters of Hawaii supporting a fee on single use plastic bags and the use of some of the resulting funds for the natural area reserve. The improper disposal of single use plastic bags is recognized as an environmental hazard. Curtailing this use in Hawaii by imposing a fee on each bag will mean fewer bags disposed of improperly finding their way to our landscape and waters and thus safeguarding our natural environment. The images we see of sea turtles ensnared in plastic bags that have washed from mauka areas is but one of many examples that causes us all to reflect on the impact of plastic bags on the natural environment. The League continues our support of placing some of the collected funds into the natural area reserve fund where it will be used for protecting native ecosystems and habitats for rare native plants and animals and protecting forested watersheds for water recharge, The League of Women Voters environmental protections and anti-pollution positions aim to prevent ecological degradation and to reduce and control pollutants before they do harm. Environmental protection and pollution control, including waste management should be considered a cost of providing a product or service. Our position is that consumers must expect to pay some of the costs of environmental protection. We ask you to pass SB 2511 S.D. 1.