Sarah Trafton reports for Columbia-Greene Media that Greene County legislators are not adding a five-cent tax to paper bags. Legislators did not go on the record with an actual vote, but in a discussion did not support a tax. In March, a ban on single-use plastic shopping bags goes into effect statewide, with counties also allowed to add their own paper bag tax. Ulster County, for instance, decided in favor of the five-cent tax on paper bags. Legislator William Lawrence, a Republican from Cairo, dismissed the dangers to the environment from plastic, but is concerned about other environmental issue. “So can I bring a plastic bag to the store?” he said, discussing the new state law. A Styrofoam ban, to Lawrence, is another matter. “I think it’s a good move,” he said. “Styrofoam is a very dangerous material.” He said he would soon bring up his countywide ban on Styrofoam one more time for a vote. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.