CHARLESTON — A renewed move is afoot to impose a 5-cent deposit on beverage containers as a means of discouraging litter along West Virginia’s highways.
In the past seven legislative sessions, the bill has failed to get out of the chute for a hearing before a major committee.
This year, its leading proponent, the West Virginia-Citizen Action Group, is banking on Gov. Joe Manchin to step up to the plate and lend his clout to getting a bill enacted.
“We’re not giving up,” Linda Frame, program director for WV-CAG, said last week.
“However, we think Gov. Manchin needs to step up and honor the promise he made to us over the years.”
In meetings with WV-CAG, she said, the governor pledged his efforts to work toward the so-called “bottle bill.”
But Manchin hasn’t called for passage of a proposal that would raise the retail sale of any beverage by 5 cents.
Nor does he intend to make a special pitch on its behalf, an aide said Tuesday.
“The bottle bill is not the governor’s bill,” the aide said.
“If the Legislature would pass it, the governor would sign it. He’s going to leave it up to the Legislature to examine the legislation.”
Originally, the group wanted a 10-cent, totally refundable deposit, but last year agreed to halve the proposed amount.
“Without his leadership to get us past these various, really powerful and well financed lobbyists, we won’t be able to get much more traction than we did last year,” Frame says.
A deposit would be added to plastic, aluminum and glass beverage containers.
“Money would be used to set up recycling centers,” Frame said.
“That part of the bill hasn’t changed. Any unclaimed deposit would be used for handling fees at redemption centers that are created.”
One result of the bill would be the creation of new small businesses to handle recycled containers, she said.
Larry Swann, a spokesman for the beverage industry, says the “bottle bill” is tantamount to a tax increase at a time when West Virginians are watching their dollars closely.
“It would be a terrible burden for West Virginians,” he said.
“And to start a massive, new government program, which is what you’re talking about, to take care of less than 10 percent of the waste stream, is not a smart option.”
Swann said 50 percent of West Virginians live in border counties and would be inclined to buy beverages in adjoining states while filling up on gasoline taxed less heavily.
“West Virginians are very, very cost conscious in today’s economy,” he said.
“If they can save on a lot of their items, they’ll do it. This would be devastating on the border counties’ retail business.”
Frame challenged industry to put some facts up to prove their criticism.
“Never, in any of our meetings with industry, never in any of our subcommittees, has anyone provided actual documentation of a real study to prove any of those complaints,” she said.
And that applies as well to charges that consumers would feel inconvenienced by paying the deposit.
Eleven states have enacted such laws, and some others are contemplating following suit, such as Tennessee.
While WV-CAG hasn’t conducted a formal poll, some informal ones by readers clicking online at newspapers produced varying results.
“With any poll, it depends on how you ask the question,” Frame said.
For instance, one newspaper asked its readers, “Would you put a tax on beverages?” The predictable result was a resounding no.
Another poll, conducted by the Clarksburg Exponent, asked if readers would consent to a deposit as a way to reduce litter, and they responded 3-1 favorably.
Delegate Barbara Fleischauer, D-Monongalia, is working to get a bill into the House Judiciary Committee, Frame said.
— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com
Local News
Group: Manchin holding the key to ‘bottle bill’
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Calendar — Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010
Today's events
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U.S. energy secretary tells W.Va. coal remains vital
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu says he’s sure the nation can develop ways to continue burning coal and boost the economy in the process.
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Rahall cuts visitors center ribbon
A crowd estimated at well over 100 people gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the Greenbrier Valley Visitors Center and the dedication of the center’s Rahall Conference Room here Tuesday.
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Fire Department to receive federal funding
Bradley-Prosperity Volunteer Fire Department will receive $223,820 in Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) funding through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration.
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Maynard, Rahall face off in first debate
U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., and Republican challenger Elliott “Spike” Maynard, clashed Tuesday over the future of coal, health care reform and jobs for southern West Virginia.
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Audience seeks info, supports candidates
People seeking information and offering support converged on Bluefield for a debate Tuesday evening between an incumbent and a challenger vying for a seat in Congress.
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Golf event to aid NIE, United Way
Beckley Newspapers and the United Way of Southern West Virginia will team up again next week for the third annual Swinging Seniors at Brier Patch Golf Course. Proceeds of this event will benefit Newspapers in Education and the United Way.
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TWV closer to moving into Soldiers Memorial
Theater West Virginia is one step closer to moving into the Soldiers Memorial building after a Tuesday decision by the Raleigh County Commission.
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Wyoming County students hospitalized after using synthetic pot
At least two students in Wyoming County have been hospitalized as a result of using a synthetic form of marijuana being sold in a few businesses, according to Rick Staton, county prosecuting attorney.
- Calendar, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010
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Calendar — Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010
