On Monday, Democrat Maura Healey announced at the Clinton Global Initiative summit in New York that Massachusetts state agencies will no longer buy single-use plastic bottles.
"We know that plastic waste, plastic production are among the leading threats to our oceans, our climate, and environmental justice," Healey said during the summit's keynote address. "In government, we have an obligation --we also have an opportunity -- to not only stop contributing to this damage, but to chart a better path forward."
The Democratic governor's announcement comes in the form of an executive order and a spokeswoman said the administration plans to issue executive orders next Thursday to make the ban official, according to the Boston Globe.
Once Healey's order is made official, Massachusetts will become the first state in the country to ban plastic bottles.
During her speech, the Democratic governor also announced that she will lower the line to state agencies to establish conservation goals related to biodiversity for 2030, 2040 and 2050.
"Our seas and forests are the most fundamental climate resources we have; we are determined to protect them," said Healey, who also mentioned that there are more than 430 species listed as endangered in Massachusetts.
However, beyond the speech, the Democratic governor did not present further details of her conservation plans.
Some users on X (formerly Twitter) reacted against the measure by criticizing the governor for not focusing on "more important things" or questioning what would happen in the middle of an emergency, since it is not clear if, in exceptional cases, state agencies can distribute water to victims of natural disasters or events of that type.
"So heroic and the virtue signaling is just the best. Like there aren’t 5 million more important things to focus on. These are not serious people…," one user wrote about the move.
Another user raised a question: "So in emergencies, no water is handed out? Or gallons? @MassGovernor or reusable canvas canteens that we then have to walk to a water source to refill? Anyone who loses power and has an electric water pump loses water."
