Pennsylvania residents call on lawmakers to enact balloon release ban legislation
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — They're a sign of celebration. From birthdays and weddings to memorials and vigils, balloon releases feel exciting in the moment but cause damage down the line.
KDKA-TV viewer Susan Stone watched our reporting Thursday about the city of Pittsburgh's push to ban single-use plastic bags and Giant Eagle's decision to ditch the bags in 14 stores.
She asked what is being done about balloon releases, and KDKA-TV did some digging and found out a local lawmaker's trying to get them banned.
"Balloons don't go to heaven," Plum resident Susan Spot said.
Spot says the balloons just come back down and cause problems.
"Because that is littering, it's pollution. It's bad for the environment because the balloons have to come down." She added. "If you or I would be driving down the street and dump out a handful of balloons, we would get cited for littering. And if you release them in the air, it should be the same thing."
Social media is filled with videos of balloon releases gone wrong. Some releases sparked power outages and fires after they got tangled in power lines. They're found floating in our rivers and our oceans, and animals often hungrily mistake them for food and die.
"Birds will eat them, cats, dogs, other wildlife eat them, and it can kill them," said Spot.
That's why Spot and many others want to see Pennsylvania enact a balloon release ban. State Representative Aaron Bernstine already tried.
"Like many things in Harrisburg, sometimes it's just difficult to get things across the finish line," Bernstine said. "I think that's why people have been so frustrated with politics today. It's something that I'm working on, and I know that many other people are as well."
He wants Pennsylvania to join the list of other states that already passed balloon release legislation: California, Connecticut, Florida, Tennessee, Maine, Maryland and Virginia.
Rep. Bernstine said our state's legislation ran out of time.
"Previously with this legislation, it was only referred to committee because there weren't a lot of legislative days before we actually recessed."
He hopes the new fall session brings a renewed push to bring down the balloons.
"May not seem like it's a big issue at all, but I know numerous farmers that have had their animals die or have been very sick from consuming these plastics that have been out there from balloons. So, we wanted to make sure that we're keeping the agriculture community safe," Berstine said.