ALBANY - Advocates of expanding New York's bottle deposit law continue to press lawmakers to pass the bill backed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer, even as they question the bill's chances in Albany this session.
The current bottle deposit law - which was signed into law June 15, 1982 - places a 5-cent deposit on beer, soda and wine coolers sold in New York.
The “Bigger, Better Bottle Bill” sponsored by Republican Sen. Ken LaValle would add bottled water, iced tea, sports drinks, juice and some other non-carbonated beverages.
The bill would also require beverage distributors to transfer any unclaimed deposits from unreturned containers to the state Environmental Protection Fund.
An estimated $140 million a year in unclaimed deposits are kept by beverage companies, according to the New York Public Interest Research Group, one of the largest backers of the bill.
A similar bill introduced by Sen. Carl Marcellino would expand the deposit law to include iced tea, bottled water, sports drinks and juice but would not collect nickels.
“It's an uphill fight,” said Marcellino, a Long Island Republican, adding that while he isn't giving up on his bill, he is trying to be realistic in light of opposition from a powerful colleague.
Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno has long been against the bill, and on Thursday Bruno spokesman Mark Hansen said “It's not a priority for the end of session.”
“Bruno feels that it would be an increased cost to consumers and an increase in the amount of trash they'd have to bring back to stores,” said Hansen.
However, the bottle bill has not been dropped by its strongest supporters, including Spitzer, and it's one of a dozen issues that could still end up passing in the dwindling days of the legislative session.
From 2003-2006, the bill's opponents -including the bottling industry, food retailers and beverage distributors - spent $3 million in campaign contributions, according to data compiled by Common Cause-New York, a good government group. Another $6.3 million went toward lobbying expenses on behalf of the Food Industry Alliance of N.Y.S. and Anheuser-Busch, among others.
Last month, opponents of the legislation held a fundraiser for Bruno in Manhattan, donating thousands of dollars to the Senate Republican Campaign Committee.
Spitzer included an expansion of the bill in this year's state budget proposal but an agreement could not be reached. While the Democrat-led Assembly has passed the measure in the past few years, most of the GOP-led Senate has opposed it.
“We're certainly willing to work with others in our support of this,” said Charles “Skip” Carrier, a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. “We would certainly like to work to see this enacted.”
The issue hasn't been raised at weekly public meetings held by Spitzer and legislative leaders since April, according to Laura Haight of NYPIRG. Still, she said the organization isn't completely giving up hope yet, even though the bill's passage may be unlikely.
“Anything can happen in Albany,” she said, adding that NYPIRG will be stepping up their efforts over the next several days, including leafletting of Senate districts.
The “Bigger, Better Bottle Bill” sponsored by Republican Sen. Ken LaValle would add bottled water, iced tea, sports drinks, juice and some other non-carbonated beverages.
The bill would also require beverage distributors to transfer any unclaimed deposits from unreturned containers to the state Environmental Protection Fund.
An estimated $140 million a year in unclaimed deposits are kept by beverage companies, according to the New York Public Interest Research Group, one of the largest backers of the bill.
A similar bill introduced by Sen. Carl Marcellino would expand the deposit law to include iced tea, bottled water, sports drinks and juice but would not collect nickels.
“It's an uphill fight,” said Marcellino, a Long Island Republican, adding that while he isn't giving up on his bill, he is trying to be realistic in light of opposition from a powerful colleague.
Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno has long been against the bill, and on Thursday Bruno spokesman Mark Hansen said “It's not a priority for the end of session.”
“Bruno feels that it would be an increased cost to consumers and an increase in the amount of trash they'd have to bring back to stores,” said Hansen.
However, the bottle bill has not been dropped by its strongest supporters, including Spitzer, and it's one of a dozen issues that could still end up passing in the dwindling days of the legislative session.
From 2003-2006, the bill's opponents -including the bottling industry, food retailers and beverage distributors - spent $3 million in campaign contributions, according to data compiled by Common Cause-New York, a good government group. Another $6.3 million went toward lobbying expenses on behalf of the Food Industry Alliance of N.Y.S. and Anheuser-Busch, among others.
Last month, opponents of the legislation held a fundraiser for Bruno in Manhattan, donating thousands of dollars to the Senate Republican Campaign Committee.
Spitzer included an expansion of the bill in this year's state budget proposal but an agreement could not be reached. While the Democrat-led Assembly has passed the measure in the past few years, most of the GOP-led Senate has opposed it.
“We're certainly willing to work with others in our support of this,” said Charles “Skip” Carrier, a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. “We would certainly like to work to see this enacted.”
The issue hasn't been raised at weekly public meetings held by Spitzer and legislative leaders since April, according to Laura Haight of NYPIRG. Still, she said the organization isn't completely giving up hope yet, even though the bill's passage may be unlikely.
“Anything can happen in Albany,” she said, adding that NYPIRG will be stepping up their efforts over the next several days, including leafletting of Senate districts.
The Citizens' Say
Post your comment - click hereThere are No comments posted.