Bag ban: Science sacrificed on political altar

Re: “Tacoma’s plastic bag bother will fade away; the bags don’t,” (TNT editorial, 7/9).

“Follow the science” is the mantra of many who claim to care about the environment. Actually following their own advice, however, is difficult.

Take, for example, the recent ban on plastic grocery bags adopted by the Tacoma City Council. Advocates of the ban, including the News Tribune, claimed, “an estimated 100,000 marine animals die each year from contact with plastic bags, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.”

The problem: There is no study supporting this claim. NOAA could not find a study, noting, “We are so far unable to find a scientific reference for this figure.” NOAA speculated the reference may be to derelict fishing gear, not plastic bags — a completely different issue.

In fact, the link on the Center for Biological Diversity’s web page points to a dead link. Quite simply, the claim is false.

When Rhode Island considered a similar bag ban, a senior scientist at Wood’s Hole Oceanographic Institute drove down to oppose it, calling some of the claims about plastic bags “borderline comical.” He knows the science.

There is still time for the Tacoma City Council to follow the science and change direction. Unfortunately, they are more likely to follow the politics.

This story was originally published August 2, 2017 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Bag ban: Science sacrificed on political altar."