Another enviroment update from The Capital's environment reporter, Pam Wood: 

The perennial effort to do away with plastic bags has a new champion and a new tactic in Annapolis this year.In past years, efforts to ban the flimsy bags have failed.

This year, Del. Alfred C. Carr Jr. of Montgomery County is trying a new approach.Carr wants to put a new tax on any and all single-use bags (plastic or paper) given out by businesses - grocery stores, drugstores, takeout restaurants and the like.The little bags for ice cream, meat and seafood would be exempt.

Merchants would collect the 5 cents per bag tax. They’d get to keep a penny for their troubles, or two pennies if they offer an incentive or rebate for customers using reusable bags. (Think of Giant’s nickel credit for customers who bring their own bags.)

The thinking is that the tax would give people an incentive to forgo the paper or plastic bags, while also raising money for state coffers - in this case, the money would go to Chesapeake Bay restoration.

The concept isn’t new. It’s something akin to the “sin taxes” on cigarettes and alcohol.Carr said his bill sidesteps the touchy issue of paper vs. plastic. Each has its own environmental downsides and its own supporters.

“When you get to these debates of paper vs. plastic, the answer really is neither,” Carr told delegates during a bill hearing last week. He passed around blue reusable bags with his name and stars emblazoned in red and white.

With about a month left in the General Assembly, the prospects of the bag tax aren’t looking good.

A nonpartisan analysis from the Department of Legislative Services estimates the state would need to spend more than $200,000 a year for four employees to run the bag tax program in the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. With the state in a financial crunch, bills that cost the state more money aren’t a top priority.It isn’t clear how much money the tax would raise for environmental programs.

During the bill hearing, lawmakers heard from lobbyists representing businesses, the plastic bag industry and the paper bag industry - all opposed, naturally. The paper bag lobbyist did draw laughs, however, when he said he’d be OK with the bill if it was changed to apply only to plastic bags.