A California appellate court upheld San Francisco’s single-use plastic bag ban in a precedent setting ruling Friday. [SF Gate]
After the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed the bag ban in February 2012, Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, a pro-plastic bag organization, filed a lawsuit demanding an invalidation of the ordinance because the board passed it without conducting an environmental review.
The coalition filed a similar lawsuit in San Luis Obispo Superior Court, as well.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors claimed exemption from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of the ordinance, as did the San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority
Judges in San Francisco and San Luis Obispo upheld the bans, finding that they did not cause harm to the environment and thus did not require CEQA review.
Save the Plastic Bag Coalition then appealed the San Francisco ruling, which the First District Court of Appeals upheld Friday.
Evidence supports San Francisco’s conclusion that the plastic bag ban can only benefit the environment, Justice Paul Haerle said in a 3-0 ruling.
