WASHINGTON— Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), member of the Senate Commerce Committee, proposed six amendments to strengthen the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act to reduce marine plastic pollution.
The amendments are provisions to reduce plastic waste and strengthen the Save Our Seas bill, which comes in response to the growing problem of plastic ocean pollution. Udall is currently developing landmark legislation with U.S. Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) that would address the plastic pollution crisis on a comprehensive scale. Udall and Lowenthal have circulate a discussion draft of the bill and have requested public comments.
U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) joined Udall to cosponsor several of the amendments.
“I am proposing these amendments today because we face a plastic pollution crisis,” Udall said. “Plastic waste contaminates our oceans, our neighborhoods, and our very bodies. That’s why I am developing legislation that takes on the issue of plastic waste as a threat to public health and the ecosystems we depend on. I am looking forward to discussing these amendments in committee.”
Udall’s filed amendments include:
Udall 1: To establish a national container deposit requirement-The amendment requires the Secretary of Commerce to develop a national container deposit system for beverage containers at 10 cents.
Udall and Blumenthal 2: To prohibit certain single-use plastic products- The amendment prohibits the sale and distribution of certain single-use plastic products beginning in January 2022.
Udall and Markey 3: To include a provision relating to marine debris prevention-The amendment clearly states U.S. policy on plastic pollution in the ocean.
Udall, Markey and Blumenthal 4: To improve the Genius Prize for Save Our Seas Innovations-The amendment prohibits technologies that convert plastic wasted into products such as chemicals, feedstocks, fuels, and energy from being eligible for the Genius Prize.
Udall, Markey and Blumenthal 5: To refine the report of the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee-The amendment prohibits the committee from including options to convert plastics into chemicals, feedstocks, fuels, and energy into the report.
Udall and Markey 6: To require an examination of plastic scrap into and out of the United States-The amendment directs the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to research plastic scrap into and out of the United States to better understand the environmental and social impact of existing United States plastic waste trade.
