Travis County approves comprehensive smoking ban

by JADE MINGUS / KVUE News and photojournalist SCOTT MCKENNEY Bio | Email | Follow:
@JadeM_KVUE kvue.com Posted on January 29, 2013 at 6:49 PM Updated Tuesday, Jan 29 at 7:01 PM
AUSTIN -- Travis County commissioners approved a comprehensive smoking ban for all county property
Tuesday afternoon.
It bans the use of all tobacco related products on county property both indoors and outdoors. That includes parks
and the Travis County Expo Center, but commissioners could later pass exemptions for big events including the
Republic of Texas Biker Rally and the Heart of Texas Fair and Rodeo.
Tobacco kills approximately 570 people in Travis County every year according to Dr. Philip Huang, the medical
director of Austin-Travis County.
"Tobacco kills more than AIDS, crack, heroin, cocaine, alcohol, car accidents, fire, murder and suicide
combined, and it's entirely preventable," said Dr. Huang.
The smoking ban encompasses county-owned property only, not private property, and it's drawing criticism.
"They might as well ban the cigarettes then in my opinion," said smoker John Early.
The county will post warning signs, but does not plan to enforce the ban in any other way. It takes effect April 7.
The county estimates the only cost is $8,000 to post the signs on county property. The City of Austin is paying
$5,000 of that.
Published on CNS News (http://cnsnews.com)

1. Why is the county implementing a smoking ban? Remember to use textual evidence and A-C-E,
match all three!

A: The county is implementing a smoking ban because tobacco kills a lot of people.
C: In the text it says, Tobacco kills more than AIDS, crack, heroin, cocaine, alcohol, car accidents, fire,
murder and suicide combined, and it's entirely preventable. "
E: This shows that tobacco is bad for you and this ban could prevent deaths.

Austins Plastic Bag Ban Worse for Environment Than Bags It Outlaws
(CNSNews.com)-- In an effort to protect the environment, Austin,Texas passed an ordinance banning single-use
plastic bags in 2013.
However, a recent review concludes that Austins bag ban has backfired, creating more negative effects on the
environment than the plastic bags it outlawed.

Beginning March 1, 2013, no person may provide single-use carryout bags at any City facility, City-sponsored
event, or any event held on City property, the ordinance [1] reads. Beginning March 1, 2013, a business
establishment within the City limits may not provide single-use carryout bags to its customers or to any person.
Two years after the bag ban was implemented, the city asked the Austin Resource Recovery group to investigate
its effectiveness. Their June 10 report [2], written by Aaron Waters, states that while the ban was successful in
lowering the amount of single-use plastic bags made from high-density polyethylene in city landfills, it was
actually worse for the environment overall.
The amount of single use plastic bags has been reduced, both in count and by weight, Waters states.
However, in their place, the larger 4 mil [4/1,000ths of an inch] bags have replaced them as the go to standard
when the reusable bag is left at home. This reusable plastic bag, along with the paper bag, has a very high
carbon footprint compared to the single use bag.
The 4 mil reusable bags are often made from non-recycled low-density polyethylene and require more resources
to manufacture than the single-use bags, Waters explained. Many of the heavier gauge 4 mil bags are also
shipped from overseas, which increases their carbon footprint compared to the single-use bags.
Waters also reported that the ordinance increases costs for both consumers and retailers. Consumers are
spending more money purchasing reusable bags and some businesses are losing customers due to the ordinance.
For example, a Here Everythings Better (HEB) grocery store within Austin city limits must adhere to the
ordinance. However, it is surrounded by neighboring towns that have no such restrictions.
The close proximity of the other grocery stores has proven problematic for the HEB in this area of Austin, as
they have reported that upon the implementation of the Single Use Bag Ordinance, this store lost between
$60,000 to $70,000 per week in revenue as a result of customers choosing to shop at a store which would
provide single use bags, Waters reports.
Waters recommended that the city eliminate the 4 mil reusable bags, educate consumers on recycling, and
encourage surrounding areas to ban plastic bags as well.
There has been some backlash within Texas in the nine jurisdictions that currently have some type of bag
ban.The Texas Retailers Association initially sued Austin over its bag ordinance, but later dropped [3] the case.
However, earlier this month the Dallas City Council voted to repeal [4] its plastic bag ordinance after a group of
bag manufactures filed a similar lawsuit.
Then-Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott also argued [5] that state law prohibits local governments from
enacting such ordinances, which have been passed in nearly 200 cities and towns in 17 states [6]. A ban on
plastic bags was first imposed at the state level in California [7].

Texas is being Californianized and you may not even be noticing it, now Governor Greg Abbott said [8]
earlier this year. Its being done at the city level with bag bans, fracking bans, tree-cutting bans. Were forming
a patchwork quilt of bans and rules and regulations that is eroding the Texas model.
A June 2014 report [9] by the Reason Foundation also found that for the main environmental effects of concern
i.e. non-renewable energy consumption, water consumption and greenhouse gas emissionsHDPE [ highdensity polyethylene] plastic bags are superior to the alternative options currently available.
Advocates of restrictions on plastic bags frequently assert that their preferred option is for people to use
reusable bags. When the impact of washing such bags is taken into account, the environmental effect of such
bags is likely worse than HDPE plastic bagsespecially in places such as California where fresh water is
relatively scarce.
Source URL: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/emily-richards/austins-plastic-bag-ban-worse-environment-bagsit-outlaws

2. Why is the plastic bag ban that the county implemented worse for the environment? Remember to use textual
evidence and A-C-E, match all three!