Newsom Orders Redo of California's Landmark Anti-Plastic Rules, Citing Cost
(Bloomberg) -- California Governor Gavin Newsom has told state regulators to go back to the drawing board on sweeping rules that would drastically reduce single-use plastics, citing concerns over the measure's cost.
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The governor's office said the draft regulations, set to clear a key rulemaking hurdle on March 8, would impose unacceptable burdens on businesses. Newsom is worried that the added cost will also affect consumers, said spokesperson Daniel Villasenor.
The governor is directing the state agency CalRecycle to redraft the regulations and wants to 'ensure California's bold recycling law can achieve its goal of cutting plastic pollution and is implemented fairly — minimizing costs for small businesses and working families as much as possible,' Villasenor said in a statement.
Newsom's move, coming more than two years after he signed the landmark bill into law, underscores the rising clash between California's environmental agenda and the price tag of its ambitious goals. Many of the governor's fellow Democrats have increasingly said they need to make the state more affordable for people already struggling with the high cost of living.
The legislation requires companies to reduce single-use plastic packaging by 25% by 2032 and requires all plastics to be recyclable or compostable in the same time frame.
Environmentalists hailed the law as an example of how the nation's most populous state can use its market power to sway an industry toward a greener future. Many environmental groups have expressed concern that delaying the regulations risks throwing the entire law into jeopardy.
But business groups have been advocating against the rules, warning of their cost. An industry group that includes Amazon.com Inc., Coca-Cola Co. and Procter & Gamble Co. is tasked with ensuring that companies comply with the law. That group, called the Circular Action Alliance, has spoken with Newsom's office and sought to extend the regulatory process, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.
Arguments about the measure's effects on businesses and families have appeared to resonate with the governor. His office cited a CalRecycle report saying the regulations introduced in December would cost businesses over $8,000 a year and consumers $330 annually. A report from 2023 said implementing the regulations over a decade would cost $36.3 billion.
'The governor wants to see what's possible to reduce those costs,' Villasenor said.
California has also banned plastic bags at grocery stores and sought to reduce the use of plastic straws in separate laws.
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San Francisco Chronicle
8 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
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12 minutes ago
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Boston Globe
14 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Most US adults say Trump's military parade is not a good use of money, a new poll finds
Advertisement Carol Sue Quillen, 69, of Live Oak, Florida, said she sees the parade as a way to honor the country's service members, who she said include her late father — an Air Force test pilot killed on a helicopter training mission when she was a baby — and her son-in-law, who serves in the special forces. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I don't necessarily think we appreciate our military as much as we should,' said Quillen, a retiree who described herself as a Trump supporter — although she said the Republican president's personality 'can be a bit overwhelming.' 'All branches should be celebrated for what they do,' Quillen said. 'That just boosts morale.' Featuring hundreds of military vehicles and aircraft and thousands of soldiers, the celebration on Saturday, which also happens to be Trump's birthday, has grown extensively in scope and size since Army planners started working on a festival two years ago to mark the military branch's anniversary. Besides a military parade — which Trump had unsuccessfully pushed for during his first term — there will also be concerts, fireworks, NFL players, fitness competitions and displays all over the National Mall for daylong festivities. Advertisement The Army expects as many as 200,000 people could attend and says putting on the celebration will cost an estimated $25 million to $45 million. Most Republicans, around two-thirds, approve of the event, and a similar share sees it as a good use of money, but about one-third say it's not a good use of government funds. Democrats overwhelmingly say the parade is not a good use of public money, as do independents. And while about half of Democrats disapprove of the parade, about half of independents neither approve nor disapprove, suggesting that they may have heard less about it or have less strong feelings about it generally. Matt Wheeler, 40, called the display 'extremely wasteful' and 'a bit of a performance' that 'just sends a bad message' in terms of the overt military display. 'The only other time I can think about this, it's been in old throwbacks to the USSR or things you see out of North Korea,' said Wheeler, who works in nonprofit fundraising in Los Angeles and described himself as a lifelong Democrat. 'It's a direction this administration is inclined to move in that isn't in line with what I thought our country really was.' Sam Walters, 45, who works in restaurants in Fort Worth, Texas, described himself as a former conservative who now has more libertarian leanings. Walters, who voted for Trump in last year's election, said he appreciated that Trump had 'really kind of stuck to his guns' concerning many of the issues on which he campaigned, assessing his second term so far as 'a pretty good job.' Advertisement But when it comes to the military parade, Walters said he was concerned about why so much additional funding was needed for military-adjacent activities, given the country's overall defense spending price tag. 'When they're getting hundreds of billions a year for funding, more than for anything else, it seems kind of hard to justify them spending extra for that,' Walters said, referencing the parade. Americans are generally divided on whether the government is devoting too much money to the military. About 3 in 10 say the government is spending 'too much' on the military, while a similar share says the government is spending 'too little.' About 4 in 10 say the government is spending 'about the right amount.' Those numbers are largely unchanged from an AP-NORC poll conducted in January. About 4 in 10 Americans approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president, which is unchanged from an AP-NORC poll conducted last month. Approval of his handling of immigration, at 46%, continues to be higher than approval of his handling of the economy or trade negotiations with other countries, which both landed at 38%. (The poll was conducted from June 5-9.) Andrew Thomsen, 31, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, said that he has voted for Trump in general elections and that he would 'generally approve' of the direction in which the country is headed. Thomsen, who works in education, said that, while he appreciates any intent of the parade and associated events 'to celebrate those who have given of themselves to the service of our protection,' he wasn't a fan of attempts to show off U.S. military might. Advertisement 'If it is a march of rows and rows of members from our different branches while showboating our tanks, missile systems, and other equipment to show how strong we are, then I don't support that,' he said. The AP-NORC poll of 1,158 adults was conducted June 5-9, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
