Washington, D.C., – Congressman Jim Moran, Northern Virginia Democrat, introduced Earth-friendly legislation that would place a 5 cent fee on "single use" bags from grocery stores and other retail outlets in order to encourage reusable bag use. The "Plastic Bag Reduction Act of 2009," would allocate the funding generated to land and water conservation programs, to pay down the national debt, and to cover the costs for local businesses to implement the program.

"Our environment is literally choking on plastic bags," said Moran. Whole swaths of our oceans, in some places up to 580 square miles – 13 times the size of the Commonwealth of Virginia -- have become floating landfills. Ingested marine debris, particularly plastic bags, are killing thousands of birds, turtles, marine mammals, fish, and squid each day.