New York. (AP) New York retailers have begun giving up single-use plastic bags as the state prepares for the March 1 implementation of a ban aimed at reducing pollution. But some environmentalists worry that the state's new regulations include a loophole that could allow stores to skirt the ban by handing out plastic bags thick enough to be considered suitable for multiple uses. "It is a giant loophole which they should close in the future," said Judith Enck, a former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, who now leads the environmental advocacy group Beyond Plastics. "It's not good for the environment if you go from thinner plastic bags to thicker plastic bags.'' A final version of the regulations was released Feb. 17 and removed some provisions that plastic bag critics found objectionable, but they said the rules still fell short. The regulations allow stores to hand out plastic bags if they are washable, can be used at least 125 times, carry 22 pounds over at least 175 feet, and have an attached strap that doesn't stretch with normal use. A spokesman for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who signed the ban last year, dismissed concerns about the regulation being too flexible. "These groups should stop promoting baseless conspiracy theories and focus their efforts on helping New Yorkers transition to re-usable bags,'' spokesman Jason Conwall said.