Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Plastics News China
  • Rubber & Plastics News
logo-pn-color
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • End Markets
    • FYI Charts
    • LSR World
    • Multimedia
    • NPE2021
    • K Show
    • Special Reports
    • Top materials of injection molders
      Recycled PET use by product category
      US PET, flexible packaging desintations
      Global fluropolymers additives market: CAGR
    • NPE exhibitors question handling of deposits for canceled trade show
      Exhibitors back NPE cancellation: ‘We couldn't take that risk'
      NPE2021 canceled as in-person event
      NPE reviews its options as pandemic prompts exhibitor to exit
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • What Keeps You Up At Night
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Videos
    • Galleries
    • Podcasts
    • CEO Issue
    • Best Places to Work
    • Processor of the Year
    • Rising Stars
    • Women Breaking the Mold
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • Heavy Metal
    • One Good Resin
    • BRICS and Plastics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Getting back on the road
      How long will it take for EVs to replace internal combustion engines?
      Watching, and hoping, for progress in 2021
      COVID-19 stories dominate 2020 headlines
    • Kickstart: Bringing plastics, sustainability to the construction site
      Kickstart: Making more US beds
      Kickstart: Katherine Johnson, Perseverance, plastics and space
      Kickstart: Revving up interest in sustainability through racing
    • Heavy Metal: Coronavirus edition, plus the work of working from home
      Don't put off succession planning
      What's a good gift for your cobot? Batteries?
      Here's some big ideas to mull over the holidays
    • Green feet: Braskem partners with Dansko on bio-based clogs
      Curbell donates plastic sheet for prosthetics project in Ecuador
      Covestro volunteers build ramp for Ohio veteran
      Chase expands giving campaign in 2020
    • There was no choice but canceling NPE still a big deal
      The business case for producer responsibility
      Think divided government stalls plastics legislation? Think again
      ACC, NAM eye economic priorities in Biden presidency
    • Thermoformers: Would you believe a 12 percent gain?
      Just how big is thermoforming in North America?
      Changing names for compounders embracing corporate branding
      Diversity the key to outperforming the market
    • Thermoformers: Would you believe a 12 percent gain?
      The benefits of getting social
      Rising Stars shine bright future on industry
      Getting back on the road
    • Perspective: Plastics manufacturers — a surprising contribution to sustainability
      Plastics industry business owners: Listen to your future workforce
      Perspective: ‘Fake news' of a different sort?
      Perspective: Making products in the USA is good for the planet
    • Mailbag: Additional fees for electric vehicles ‘unfortunate'
      Mailbag: Where's the plastics industry's response to critics?
      Mailbag: Manufacturers struggling to follow COVID-19 safety rules
      Modernizing recycling infrastructure will benefit businesses as well as the environment
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
    • Maintenance can ensure efficient blender operation
      Dosing: Perfect for adding color
      Blending vs dosing: What you need to know
      Going low or high: Comparing volume
    • Colors and custom compounds
      In the laboratory: Compounding solutions
      Recycling content: Resins going ‘green’
      Compounding: Glass and other fillers
    • Dryer maintenance: Don’t err with air
      Dryers: Options for a shop’s process
      Dryer installation: Going central?
      Resins: Hygroscopic or non-hygroscopic
    • Electric injection molding presses: Efficiency is key
      Hydraulic injection molding machines
      Proper maintenance can prevent downtime
      Hybrid injection molding machines
    • Purging Hot runners: Open or closed methods
      Purging extrusion machinery
      Purging extrusion blow molding machines
      Purging: Chemical, abrasive and non-abrasive
    • Controls, special applications boost production, profitability
      Robot maintenance key for smooth operation
      High-speed robots: A rapid way to increase efficiency
      Robots: Every shape and size
    • Maintenance: Key for efficiency
      Shredders: Plastic in pieces
      Safety first for size reduction
      Granulators: The right fit
    • Video: Structural foam molding
      Structural foam molding: Flexibility for processors
    • Mold inventory: How many molds does a shop have?
      Molds: Innovation
      Mold changeover: Saving time and money
      How molds work
    • Labor: Apprenticeships may provide answer
      Internships: Solving the skills gap in-house
      College training, programs
      Lean Six Sigma: Transforming business operation
  • Events
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Ask the Expert
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Reifenhäuser Technologies Livestreams
    • 2020 Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
    • Polymer Points Live - February 2021
      Polymer Points Live - January 2021
      Polymer Points Live - December 2020
      Polymer Points Live - October 2020
    • Plastics in Healthcare 2020
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Plastics in Healthcare
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
  • Resin Prices
    • All Resins
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Rankings
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Data Store
  • Directory
  • More+
    • Classifieds
    • Digital Edition
    • Newsletters
    • Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Sponsored By Mitsubishi
      Innovative new technology from Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics Corporation helps reduce emission footprints
      Canon Virginia, Inc.
      Sponsored Content By Canon Virginia, Inc.
      Canon Virginia Inc. brings collaboration to the table
      Sponsored By CDS MACHINES
      Facing medical equipment shortages during COVID-19 outbreak?
      Sponsored Content By Canon Virginia, Inc.
      Transform your molding capabilities with the Canon Shuttle Mold System
    • Sponsored By Conexiom
      Use Sales Order Automation to free up time for CSRs to focus on customers, not manual entry
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
December 02, 2020 07:57 AM

Environmental groups see chance for 'historic plan' under a Biden administration

Steve Toloken
Plastics News Staff
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley

    Merkley

    Facing a closely divided Congress, a coalition of conservation groups and one U.S. Senator are urging President-elect Joe Biden and his administration to adopt what would be a new approach for Washington — targeted executive actions to get tougher on the plastics industry. 

    The coalition, which includes the Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace, Surfrider Foundation and 16 other founding partners, released an eight-point plan Dec. 8 asking the incoming Biden administration to do things like suspend permits for new plastics facilities, enact tougher emissions laws and use the federal government’s purchasing power to stop buying single-use plastics.

    The environmental groups want to link that tougher approach on plastics into plans by Biden and his administration to address climate change and environmental justice.

    At a news conference to release the plan, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., argued that executive actions like those could have a significant impact.

    "It is tough to get any bill through Congress, and executive action can make a huge difference," said Merkley. "[This plan] is really comprehensive and could have a huge, huge impact."

    The eight points include elements previously pushed by some of coalition members, like two CBD petitions to the Environmental Protection Agency in 2019 for tougher rules governing air and water emissions from plastics factories.

    It also includes organizations that have fought resin plant expansion in court, like a large Formosa complex in Louisiana, and the NGO that won a $50 million federal court lawsuit against Formosa in 2019 over pellet pollution in Texas waters.

    Organizers framed the effort as protecting communities near plastics plants and said the buildout of plastics resin facilities is accelerating climate change.

    "Implementing this historic plan would protect vulnerable frontline communities and marine life while addressing a key driver of climate change," said Julie Teel Simmonds, a senior attorney for CBD. "It's time to rein in the fossil fuel industry's insidious plans to keep fracking for plastic and polluting poor communities here and around the world."

     

    ‘Overlooking benefits'

    The plan drew sharp responses from plastics industry trade groups.

    The American Chemistry Council pointed to a study that said plastics can have significantly lower energy and greenhouse gas footprints than other materials, and it outlined industry efforts to manage plastic waste, like billions of dollars in announced investments in recycling facilities since 2017.

    "Misguided policies that aim to eliminate all plastics overlook the myriad of benefits provided by the material on which Americans rely," said Joshua Baca, ACC's vice president of plastics. "We look forward to rolling up our sleeves and working with the incoming Biden administration to address the challenge of plastic waste and collaborate on constructive, real-world solutions."

    He pointed to the role of plastics in medical products, in making cars more fuel efficient and in pipes for drinking water. Baca noted industry plans to have 100 percent of plastics packaging reused, recycled or recovered by 2040.

    The head of the Plastics Industry Association, Tony Radoszewski, said the plan from the environmental groups ignores the benefits of plastics.

    "While we're focused on working together toward bipartisan solutions, activists are determined to destroy an American industry that employs more than one million workers in the United States," he said.

    "We are right now witnessing the vital role of plastics in combating the pandemic," Radoszewski said. "People around the world depend on plastic for fresh food, water and medicine and other necessities anti-plastics crusaders take for granted."

     

    ‘Promising signals'

    But in a virtual news conference that lasted over an hour, speakers from several coalition members argued for specific changes in federal regulations they said would improve the environment and human health.

    They noted what they called promising signs from the new administration.

    Pete Myers, a scientist and founder of Environmental Health News, pushed for updated chemical health testing standards for plastics, including for toxins potentially introduced into recycled plastic manufacturing chains.

    "We are not going to end the manufacture of plastic," he said. "But let's end nonessential uses of all plastics, including single-use, and replace today's hazardous plastics with a new generation of inherently safer materials."

    As well, several speakers from communities around major plastics and petrochemical industrial zones in Louisiana and Texas pushed for regulatory changes they said would improve the environment there.

    Sharon Lavigne, the director of Rise St. James, a group fighting a new Formosa plastics plant in St. James Parish, La,. said the petrochemical plants in her community harm the health of residents and have caused the corridor to be dubbed "Cancer Alley."

    "We also need help from the federal government, which has ignored the plight of poor, Black communities and the plastic pollution crisis for way too long," she said. "I would like them to just ride around the community and see what we are going through. And if they stay here for two hours, I promise you they would leave with a stomachache or a headache."

    The coalition noted that Biden has identified climate change and environmental justice as priorities for his administration, and Teel Simmonds said the president-elect has specifically mentioned St. James Parish, where CBD is fighting the Formosa plant in court.

    "Those signals have been very, very promising," Teel Simmonds said. "He has made a few comments on single-use plastics and seems to support us reining in that problem, but we haven't yet seen a specific plan addressing plastics specifically."

    The coalition said its plan has more than 500 signatories and 19 founding members, including Break Free From Plastic and Beyond Plastics, which was founded by a former EPA regional administrator.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    logo-pn-color
    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber & Plastics News
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Plastics News China
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Tire Business
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • What Keeps You Up At Night
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
        • Polymer Points Live
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • FYI Charts
        • Current FYI
      • LSR World
      • Multimedia
        • Videos
        • Galleries
        • Podcasts
      • NPE2021
      • K Show
      • Special Reports
        • CEO Issue
        • Best Places to Work
        • Processor of the Year
        • Rising Stars
        • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • Heavy Metal
      • One Good Resin
      • BRICS and Plastics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Plastics in Healthcare
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
      • Industry Events
      • Livestreams/Webinars
      • Ask the Expert
      • Polymer Points Live
      • Reifenhäuser Technologies Livestreams
      • 2020 Caps & Closures Library
      • Plastics in Healthcare Library
      • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
    • Resin Prices
      • All Resins
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Rankings
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Data Store
    • Directory
    • More+
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified
      • Digital Edition
      • Newsletters
      • Sponsored Content
        • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Processor of the Year submissions