Washington — Looking to boost its profile on state political issues, the Plastics Industry Association has hired a director of state government affairs.
The Washington-based trade group said Feb. 28 that Shannon Crawford has joined the association to lead its advocacy efforts with state and local governments.
The industry is facing more pressure from those governments over waste management issues like bag and polystyrene foam packaging bans.
As well, plastics industry groups have been increasingly active in pushing other legislation in statehouses, such as bills that they say would remove unfair barriers to plastics pipe in government infrastructure projects.
Scott DeFife, vice president of government affairs, said Crawford will be “poised to effectively launch our new, proactive efforts to expand recycling and energy recovery at the state and local level.”
Crawford most recently worked as a state legislative advocate at the National Association of Surety Bond Producers, and previously had been manager of legislative and industry affairs at the Design-Build Institute of America and manager of government affairs at the Solid Waste Association of North America.