ALBANY — Calling it a “complicated” issue, Gov. Cuomo said Wednesday he hasn’t decided whether to sign a bill to block implementation of a controversial 5-cent disposable bag fee in New York City.
“There are real environmental concerns, but there are also economic concerns,” Cuomo told reporters during a Schenectady appearance.
“You charge people 5 cents for every plastic bag — doesn’t sound like much (but) it adds up,” he said.
He also questioned why under the city law that the money raised from the fee would stay with the merchants.
“There are a lot of complicated issues. We’re going through it and we’ll have a decision soon,” he said.
The Assembly and Senate this week overwhelmingly passed legislation that would impose a one-year moratorium on the city bag fee law that is due to go into effect Feb. 15.
Supporters of the moratorium criticized the bag fee as nothing more than a tax that would hurt lower income people.
Opponents of the delay said the fee would benefit the environment by reducing the number of plastic bags sent to landfills. They also ripped the Legislature for overruling a separately elected body — the City Council.
If Cuomo signs the moratorium bill, the City Council would be required to pass another version of the bag fee legislation when the moratorium is up.
City Council Members Margaret Chin and Brad Lander Tuesday called on Cuomo to “to help us reach a compromise that would allow New York City to try out this effective, common-sense strategy.”
But state lawmakers who backed the moratorium said it would give the state and city additional time to hold hearings and come up with alternatives to cut the use of plastic bags.
The city law was initially supposed to go into effect last October. But after state legislators in both houses threatened to override the city, its enactment was delayed until Feb. 15 so there could be talks between the city and state.
No deal was reached.
Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) recently told the Daily News he believes there are enough votes in both houses for the first override of Cuomo’s tenure should he veto the bill.
