[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 893 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 893
Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the Intergovernmental
Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution's development of an
international binding agreement, which is expected to be completed at
its Fifth Session in Busan, Republic of Korea in December 2024.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 13, 2024
Mr. Cardin submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Foreign Relations
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RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the Intergovernmental
Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution's development of an
international binding agreement, which is expected to be completed at
its Fifth Session in Busan, Republic of Korea in December 2024.
Whereas the production of plastic polymers releases pollutants that degrade air
quality, water quality, and soil health and contribute to increased
health and environmental risks to nearby communities, biodiversity, and
the wider environment;
Whereas the chemical makeup of plastics mostly consists of extracted
hydrocarbons and synthetic chemicals that are processed to form
polymers, which enables plastic materials to be easily molded and shaped
when heat and pressure is applied;
Whereas plastic materials and products have unique, versatile, and convenient
applications, but plastic polymers, chemicals, and waste products are
extremely harmful when leaked into the natural environment, including
marine environments;
Whereas discarded plastic waste materials, particularly plastic products
designed or applied as single-use or disposable, which are most commonly
used in packaging, utensils, flatware, beverage and other liquid
containers, and plastic film, are ubiquitous and are products that
comprise the highest volumes of plastic pollution in the environment;
Whereas plastic pollution occurs when--
(1) plastic is deposited intentionally or unintentionally into the
environment;
(2) plastic particles are shed from plastic products during production
or use;
(3) plastic fibers are released during the routine washing of synthetic
textiles;
(4) waste and discarded plastic products escape from waste management
streams and wastewater treatment systems;
(5) plastic is mishandled or is littered into the environment; and
(6) there is inadequate mitigation and management of emissions,
polymers, and byproducts from plastic chemical refining, manufacturing, and
transport processes;
Whereas less than 9 percent of plastics discarded in the United States is
recycled;
Whereas, according to the United Nations Environment Programme, 430,000,000
metric tons of plastic are produced annually worldwide;
Whereas plastic breaks down into microplastics that--
(1) become ubiquitous in the environment;
(2) are easily ingestible by marine life where plastic enters the food
web;
(3) are increasingly found in ambient air, drinking water supplies,
food crops, and animal proteins;
(4) can persist for centuries; and
(5) can be inhaled or ingested by humans;
Whereas the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals estimate that between
19,000,000 and 23,000,000 tons of plastic annually leaks into aquatic
ecosystems, such as lakes, rivers, and seas;
Whereas a 2021 National Academies of Sciences study found that the United States
annually contributes between 1,000,000 and 2,000,000 metric tons of
plastic pollution into the environment;
Whereas abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (also known as
`ghost gear') is a deadly form of pollution to marine species in our
ocean, and is often made of plastics;
Whereas plastic pollutants, including microplastics, pose significant threat to
human health, including fetal development, endocrine disruption, liver
and kidney disease, and brain and neural development, through--
(1) inhalation, dermal exposure, and ingestion of contaminated food or
beverages; and
(2) the use of degrading plastic containers, utensils, and flatware;
Whereas inland waterways and coastal communities that are dependent on healthy
fisheries, safe and hazard free maritime channels, tourism, secure
property values, and safe recreation, are negatively affected by plastic
pollution and marine debris, which impairs economic growth and economic
opportunity;
Whereas achieving circularity in the full lifecycle of polymer production,
plastic product manufacturing, and the handling, processing, recycling,
and disposal of post-consumer plastic waste through sustainable
recycling processes in which plastic materials are manufactured to be
durable, repairable, reusable and fully and safely recyclable, would
significantly reduce the negative impacts of plastic;
Whereas the accumulation of marine debris and plastic pollution in the oceans--
(1) are navigational hazards;
(2) cause significant damage to vessels; and
(3) disrupt maritime transportation;
Whereas least developed countries face considerable waste management capacity
constraints due, in part, to exports of plastic and plastic waste from
other countries, inadequate infrastructure, collection costs, and the
lack of a responsible end-market for recovered and recycled plastics,
all of which weaken such countries' ability to responsibly manage
plastic waste;
Whereas existing plastic substitutes, such as bamboo, natural fibers, aluminum,
paper, and wax, could cut plastic waste by 17 percent by 2040;
Whereas 96 countries have enacted more than 225 national laws to address plastic
pollution and marine debris;
Whereas in 2023, the United States Agency for International Development
estimated that its Save Our Seas initiative has prevented the equivalent
of nearly 8,000,000,000 plastic bottles (or more than 73,500 metric
tons) from polluting the environment though its work in Peru, the
Dominican Republic, Kenya, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the
Philippines, Fiji, Micronesia, and Papua New Guinea;
Whereas several States and municipalities in the United States have imposed a
variety of localized measures to curb single-use plastics, including--
(1) bans or taxes on single-use shopping bags;
(2) bans on plastic straws and plastic utensils provided at restaurants
and grocery stores;
(3) restrictions on the use of non-recyclable plastic in single-use
applications;
(4) support for reusable infrastructure, such as dine-in establishments
or water-refill stations;
(5) zero-waste targets and plans, including reduction requirements for
single-use plastics;
(6) requirements for plastic product redesign, including for reuse and
recycling; and
(7) extended producer responsibility requirements for producers of
single-use plastics;
Whereas best available science, including the latest modeling, points to plastic
reduction, is essential to ending plastic pollution;
Whereas the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution,
operating under the framework of the United Nations Environment
Programme and tasked with developing an international legally binding
instrument on plastic pollution, consists of several groups of
countries, including--
(1) the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Production, which is a
group of 65 countries, co-chaired by Norway and Rwanda, which supports an
agreement aimed at ending plastic pollution by 2040 by--
G (A) restraining global plastic consumption and production;
G (B) developing a circular economy for plastics that protects the
environment and human's health; and
G (C) environmentally sound management and recycling of plastic
waste; and
(2) the Like-Minded Countries Group, led by Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran,
and other oil producing countries, which supports a more limited agreement
focusing on--
G (A) improvements to recycling and waste management systems; and
G (B) allowing countries to determine their own targets for plastic
pollution reduction;
Whereas the draft agreement text proposes articles addressing the full lifecycle
of plastics, including microplastics and nanoplastics, and extended
producer responsibility;
Whereas the United States submission at the Fourth Session of the
Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution called for
an agreement that--
G (A) addresses plastic's harm to human health and the environment,
including marine environment;
G (B) incrementally reduces the demand for plastics;
G (C) creates environmentally sound waste management practices;
G (D) supports research into alternative plastic products and
plastic substitutes; and
G (E) establishes an international governing body;
Whereas the Parties have considerable work to do before reaching an agreement on
comprehensive and impactful provisions that address--
(1) the lifecycle of plastic pollution;
(2) the effects of plastic pollution on human health, particularly
vulnerable communities proximate to the sources of plastic pollution; and
(3) the development of science-based targets and timelines for ending
plastic pollution;
Whereas the United States has a responsibility to play an important leadership
role in the negotiations to convene parties and build consensus towards
an effective new binding international agreement regarding plastic
pollution; and
Whereas the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on
Plastic Pollution will focus on refining and seeking consensus on the
text for the adoption of a new comprehensive internationally legally
binding agreement to address plastic pollution:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the United States
must--
(1) work towards the achievement of a new international
agreement to address plastic pollution that--
(A) protects human health and the environment; and
(B) mitigates the risks plastic pollution has on
global economic activity and public safety;
(2) continue to play a critical leadership role in
developing an ambitious international agreement that seeks to
end plastic pollution consistent with United Nations Resolution
5/14;
(3) advance outcomes and objectives in the negotiations
that clearly support the economic, diplomatic, technological
advantage, public health, safety, and security interests of the
United States;
(4) seek to build consensus among stakeholders, while
encouraging civil society representatives, labor, scientific
subject matter experts, and impacted commercial and industrial
sectors to cooperate towards achieving the most ambitious
agreement possible with respect to reducing plastic pollution;
(5) help convene and facilitate, whenever appropriate,
discussions within the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee
on Plastic Pollution to bring the international community
towards a unified and comprehensive international agreement;
(6) oppose certain parties' efforts to delay progress
towards such an agreement;
(7) ensure that all countries realize a shared
responsibility to address global plastic pollution;
(8) consider pursuing an initial agreement that takes a
``Start and Strengthen'' approach to addressing plastic
pollution by identifying critical policy areas for phasing down
and phasing out plastic pollution, with the clear intention to
strengthen and increase the ambition of the agreement over
time;
(9) work to ensure that the obligations, goals, targets,
and preferred approaches described in the final agreement to
reduce plastic pollution are supported by the best available
science, which should also determine the scope and scale of
global plastic pollution that the agreement will aim to solve;
(10) insist that the new binding international agreement
applies obligations to all parties and provides parties
sufficient flexibility to determine their own policies and
measures to address their contributions of plastic pollution,
including microplastics, into the environment;
(11) work to ensure that the financial mechanism has an
expanded donor base that--
(A) reflects current economic realities; and
(B) prioritizes support for countries with limited
technical and financial capacity to implement the
agreement; and
(12) prioritize the inclusion of strong transparency and
accountability procedures and mechanisms that will ensure the
effectiveness of actions taken by each party to the agreement.
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