A new Virginia law makes it illegal for anyone 16 or older to release or dispose of balloons outside and imposes fines of $25 a balloon, with the money earmarked for the Game Protection Fund, reports The Hill.
Democrat Virginia Del. Nancy Guy, the bill’s sponsor, said she wants the law to raise awareness on how non-biodegradable balloons damage the environment. The law went into effect on Thursday.
"I don’t think people do these balloon releases out of malice; they do it out of ignorance about how dire these impacts can be. By having a statute on the books that makes it subject to a fine, it’s now possible for environmental groups to publicize that fact," said Guy in an interview with The Virginian Pilot.
Joan Kark, a retired Virginia Tech professor who supports the bill and petitioned the university to not release balloons because animals could die from swallowing them, told ABC News affiliate WRIC, "Why would you want to risk danger to wildlife to commemorate someone?"
The release of balloons is illegal in several other states, including California, Connecticut, Florida, New York, Tennessee, and Texas.
Legislation is also being considered in Rhode Island. On Thursday, the state’s General Assembly approved legislation sponsored by Rep. Susan Donovan and Sen. Susan Sosnowski, both Democrats, to protect wildlife by banning the intentional release of 10 or more balloons at a time. That legislation will go to the governor.
A press release from the Rhode Island General Assembly stated, "All released balloons, including those falsely marketed as biodegradable, end up as litter on waterways and landscapes. Animals, attracted by their vibrant colors and shapes, mistake them for food, causing injury or death to countless sea and land creatures each year. Balloons are also a nuisance to commercial fisherman and can even cause power outages when they tangle with power lines."
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