I don't necessarily disagree with you as to what kind of an investment this is from a business perspective. But I'd rather see someone making paper bags in the US and creating jobs here in the US, than our country not having the capacity to make these bags, and losing that manufacturing to other countries who do have the capacity to make the bags and taking additional US jobs away. I get that it is probably not that many jobs, but we have really lost a lot of jobs in the US over the years with this sort of attitude (oh, that towel factory that moved overseas only had 2,000 employees, that isn't so bad; oh that factory that made plastic wrap and trash bags and sandwich bags that moved overseas only had 500 employees, that isn't so bad; oh, that car plant that moved to Mexico only had 3,000 employees that isn't so bad)- individually these numbers may not sound so bad but in aggregate this is many thousands of lost jobs compounded over many years.
Almost all of the reusable cloth/plastic bags are made overseas, but that is nothing new. However historically most of the single use plastic bags and virtually all of the paper bags have been made in the US.
Also, it seems folks in both political parties who are dealing with plastic bag bans and the paper bag shortage, have different feelings on this as well.
The State of Washington, in conjunction with its plastic bag ban, is using taxpayer money to provide incentives to revitalize the pulp and paper industry and build more paper bag plants in WA/expand capacity of existing plants.
I don't know if the timing of Catsimatidis exploring a paper bag plant in NY in response to that state's plastic bag ban, or the Washington legislature coming up with the idea to provide monetary support to build more paper bag manufacturing capacity in its state, idea in conjunction with its plastic bag ban, came first. I think I heard about it in WA first... but not sure on exact timing of who had the idea first.
But back to my original point given he is looking to build a paper bag plant I do not think Catsimatidis is looking to sell his stores in NYC.