Sec. 2. Findings
302 words·~1 min read·
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Congress finds that— plastics production is exacerbating the climate crisis and driving environmental injustice in vulnerable communities located near petrochemical facilities; plastics production is on track to double in the decade beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, locking in harmful emissions for decades; plastics and other petrochemicals are forecasted to become the largest driver of oil and hydraulically fractured gas demand by 2050; some studies have projected that the plastics industry will emit more greenhouse gas emissions than coal plants in the United States by 2030; petrochemical facilities that produce plastics are more likely to be located in low-income communities and communities of color, disproportionately exposing those communities to harmful pollutants; plastics production and certain disposal facilities pollute surrounding communities with chemicals that are known to cause cancer, birth defects, and other serious illnesses; transitioning from the use of fossil fuels for power generation and transportation only to replace that demand with more fossil fuel-based plastics production— is not a viable strategy; and fails to protect communities; plastics carry impacts throughout the lifecycle, including the impacts of— oil and gas extraction; plastics refining, manufacturing, and certain methods of disposal; and resulting plastics pollution in communities and the environment, where the degrading plastics— leach chemical additives; and emit greenhouse gases; addressing the plastics crisis requires a shift away from single-use plastics in nonessential settings; technologies that convert plastics to fuel, use plastics for energy generation, generate feedstocks for the chemical industry, or produce hazardous waste and toxic air pollution are not a sustainable solution to the plastics crisis; and the projected impacts of climate change, including rising sea levels, heat, and extreme weather, pose physical risks to facilities involved in plastics production and disposal, which can increase the risk of accidents, additional emissions, and other negative impacts on surrounding communities.