“I think it is a gross example of government overreach on an issue that is clearly an issue of local control,” she said of the Senate measure.

Mike Fina, executive director of the Oklahoma Municipal League, said no cities in the state are looking at banning plastic bags, but the Legislature is prepared to pass a preemption bill that deteriorates local control.

He called it “another unnecessary law.”

He said plastic bags don’t recycle in the recycling machines and can “gum up” the process.

A lot of cities in Oklahoma will not take plastic bags for recycling purposes, he said.

Sen. Kevin Matthews, D-Tulsa, voted against the measure. He said he didn’t understand why the state was passing a law that prohibited communities from doing things to protect the environment.

Mike Thornbrugh is manager of public and government affairs for QuikTrip, which has 78 stores in Oklahoma and 793 nationwide.

He said retailers that operate in as many governmental jurisdictions as QuikTrip want uniformity.