Politics & Government

Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club Honors Sen. Ebbin

State Sen. Adam Ebbin receives 2013 Water Champion Award.

by Drew Hansen

State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-30th) was honored by the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club Tuesday evening when he was awarded the organization’s 2013 Water Champion Award at Alexandria City Hall.

It was the first time the Virginia Chapter voted to recognize members of the General Assembly for their work in the state house.

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The group chose to honor Ebbin for his work on litter reduction.

“I am honored to receive the recognition of the Sierra Club,” he said in a statement. “Together, we will reduce bag pollution and improve the health of our streams, rivers, wildlife, and communities.”

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Ebbin, who lives in Alexandria, introduced legislation to limit the use of plastic bags by placing a small fee on their use in the grocery store. A large percentage of the fee would be used to fund environmental cleanup and restoration efforts as well as provide free reusable bags to Virginians.

Ebbin has introduced the bill for four consecutive years. It has never passed.

“With a single bill, Senator Ebbin proposed an incentive for consumers to make the switch to reusable grocery bags and established new revenues to support cleanup of our affected streams and rivers,” said Susan Stillman, legislative chair of the Virginia Chapter. “That’s an elegant solution.”


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