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City Council approves sweeping ban on plastic bags, but it may not be able to override a promised veto

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SHE’LL VETO IT. >> THEY WANT ME TO ACT NOW SARAH: COUNCILMAN CHRIS JERRAM IS TALKING ABOUT THE PEOPLE HE REPRESENTS, SAYING IT’S THE RIGHT TIME FOR A PLASTIC BAG BAN, AND THE MAYOR KNOWS I >> WHEN SHE TOLD ME, HEN SHE TOLD THE PRESS THE BAN WAS GOO SHE KNEW IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO AT THE RIGHT TIME. SARAH: THAT WAS MOMENTS BEFORE HE AND 3 OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS VOTED TO APPROVE A PLASTIC BAG BAN IN OMAHA. AND HOURS AFTER HEARING TESTIMONY FROM THOSE FOR AND AGAINST THE BAN. STUDENTS, CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR FUTURE. >> WE CAN THROW AWAY AS MA PLASTIC BAGS AS WE WANT BUT THEIR LIGHTWEIGHT ALLOWS THEM TO BE TURNED INTO A KITE TO BE CARRIED OFF TO THE OCEAN OR OUR LAND. SARAH: THEN, OPPONENTS INCLUDING GROCERY STORES, WHICH SAID THEY’RE ALREADY WORKING TOWARDS ALTERNATIVES, ON THEIR OWN TIMEFRAME. >> WE’RE COMMITTED TO PHASING OUT SINGLE USE BAGS IN FAVOR OF REUSABLE OPTIONS BY 2025. SARAH: COUNCILMEMBERS VOTING AGAINST THE BAN, SAID IT’S NOT THE RIGHT FIRST STEP. >> WE HAVE A LITTER PROBLEM THAT THIS INST GOING TO NECCESARILY FIX. SARAH: MAYOR STOTHERT RELEASED STATEMENT, SAYING SHE WILL VETO THE BAN. SHE SAYS SHE BAN DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF PLASTIC DEBRIS IN OUR LANDFILL, PARKS AND RIGHT OF WA INSTEAD, SHE ASKS THE COUNCIL TO CONSIDER A LITTER STUDY TO ADDRESS THE BROAD PROBLEM OF PLASTIC DEBRIS. COUNCILMAN PETE FESTERSEN, SAYING THIS ISN’T OVER. >> THERE WOULD BE A VETO OVERRIDE O

Advertisement Mayor follows through with veto on plastic bag ban City Council approves sweeping ban on plastic bags, but it may not be able to override a promised veto Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Mayor Jean Stothert released her letter to the Omaha City Council Wednesday afternoon, following through with her promised veto on the plastic bag ban.The council needs one additional vote to override the mayoral vote.Minutes after its passage, Stothert promised a veto of an ordinance that would ban single-use plastic bags in Omaha stores larger than 10,000 square feet starting in 2022."I have been clear with the council that I will not support an ordinance to ban plastic bags, but would support a resolution to require retailers to phase out the use of plastic bags by 2025," said Stothert in a statement. "I plan to veto the ordinance."After a two-hour public hearing the Omaha City Council voted 4-3 to pass the ordinance proposed by council members Ben Gray and Pete Festersen.Festersen, Gray, Chris Jerram and Vinny Palermo voted in favor of the ban. Aimee Melton, Brinker Harding and Rich Pahls voted against it.Five votes are needed to override a mayoral veto.Melton said the city has a litter problem that a bag ban won't necessarily fix, and suggested education efforts would be more effective.But council president Ben Gray said the ordinance represents a first step toward solving a bigger problem. Among those testifying for the ban were a group of 5th graders from St. James school. Students from Westside, Creighton Prep, Duschene and other schools also spoke in favor of banning plastic. A representative of Baker's stores noted it has set 2025 as a goal to end the use of single-use plastic bags. Sheila Lowry said the phase-out requires a great deal of preparation and asked the council to allow Baker's to maintain its own timeline.In her statement, Stothert said the plastic ban ordinance would not be effective."As recently as yesterday, I shared research and surveys with council members that show a ban on plastic bags will have no significant effect on plastic waste," wrote Stothert.The Mayor urged the council to consider a study on litter instead.See the full letter to council members here.