“When unemployment is high, the issue of jobs resonates, said Marc Burgat, vice president of governmental relations for the California Chamber of Commerce.

“Often times the environmental community can be siloed and look at their one issue in particular and not look at the broader picture,” he said. “I think the business community’s concerns about the economy and the business climate are being heard.”

Environmental groups argued that banning plastic bags would create jobs for other companies that made different types of bags, or that banning polystyrene foam would create jobs for makers of cardboard or cornstarch containers. But they failed to persuade lawmakers.” (San Jose Mercury News, September 5, 2012). Read it here.