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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SAVE OUR SEAS 2.0 ACT
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speech of
HON. HALEY M. STEVENS
of michigan
in the house of representatives
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1982, Save Our Seas
2.0, and to commend my colleagues for their work to resolve the serious
issues our country and our world have with marine debris.
For over 70 years, plastic has evolved to be invaluable in many
applications. It's used as a high-performance material for medical
devices and in safety components for automobiles. Plastic is also
convenient. It's a mainstay in American households from our
toothbrushes to food storage to shampoo and detergent bottles. Global
plastic production increased from 2 million tons per year in 1950 to
400 million tons annually in recent years.
What happens to all of this discarded plastic is why I am speaking
out in support of this legislation today. We can no longer deny that we
face a plastic waste crisis. There are plenty of reasons for why and
how we got here; however, a major factor is because we failed as a
nation to invest in domestic recycling infrastructure and policies to
account for the growing demand for plastic. As a result, today, the
U.S. recycles just 9 percent of its plastic waste.
At least 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans and Great
Lakes every year and make up 80 percent of all marine debris from
surface waters to deep-sea sediments. This marine debris ends up being
ingested or entangled by marine life, from whales to sea birds, causing
severe injuries and death.
In addition to the harm it causes our marine ecosystem, plastic
debris also endangers our human health, coastal tourism, and threatens
our food safety. This important bill works to improve the domestic
response to marine debris, incentivize international engagement on
marine debris, and strengthen domestic waste management infrastructure
to prevent the creation of new marine debris.
This crisis will not be solved by only one bill or another. We need
to work together as a Congress on bicameral, bipartisan solutions that
have the potential to create jobs, develop supply chains, and meet
environmental needs.
This summer, I was proud to introduce the bipartisan Plastic Waste
Reduction and Recycling Act which directs the establishment of a
plastic waste reduction and recycling research and development program
to develop a world-leading U.S. industry in advanced plastics recycling
technologies, and unleash the innovative potential of our nation to
address our plastic waste crisis and generate greater value from the
plastics we do produce.
I would like to congratulate my colleagues, Congresswoman Suzanne
Bonamici, Congressman Don Young, Senator Dan Sullivan, and Senator
Sheldon Whitehouse, on the passage of this historic bill, and I look
forward to working with them and our colleagues on powerful solutions
to solve our plastic waste crisis.
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