And finally… clutching at straws

Local authorities would be banned from banning plastic straws for the next five years under a bill proposed by a Florida senator.

The law would see the US state slap local authorities with a $25,000 fine if they try to regulate single-use plastics before the completion of a study into the environmental impact, the Miami Herald reports.

The original version of the bill, introduced by Republican Senator Travis Hutson, would have required restaurants to only give out plastic straws on request.

However, he later amended it to postpone any measures on plastic straws within a five-year moratorium period.

Senator Hutson said he decided his original bill was “government overreach” and decided to “file an amendment that would put a moratorium but give us a study”.

The bill has won approval from the Senate commerce and tourism committee.

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