Sen. Durbin Introduces Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act to Ban Plastic Waste in Waterways
A bill to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate certain limitations with respect to pre-production plastic pellet pollution, and for other purposes.
This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being sent to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works for review. It is not yet scheduled for a vote and remains in the committee phase. There are no companion bills currently linked to this proposal.
Part of: story →Companion bill: Plastic Pollution: Banning Plastic Pellets in Waterways →While environmental protection is popular, strict regulations on the plastic industry often face heavy opposition in a divided Congress and rarely move past the committee stage.
Small businesses involved in plastics manufacturing, molding, forming, packaging, or transporting pre-production plastic pellets would face new compliance costs to prevent any discharge into waterways. These companies would need to install containment systems, update stormwater management, and meet zero-discharge standards in their permits, which could be especially burdensome for smaller operations with tight margins.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. (text: CR S1583)
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
In the United States, the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act has been reintroduced in Congress to mitigate plastic pollution. Environmental advocates continue to push for its passage as global incidents highlight the devastating toll that unmanaged plastic pellets take on marine environments.
US Democrat representatives Mike Levin and Hillary Scholten reintroduced the Plastic Pellet Free Waters Act on Feb. 13. The legislation seeks to require the EPA to issue a rule prohibiting the discharge of plastic pellets and other plastics into national waters, addressing a gap in the Clean Water Act.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
A bill to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to promulgate certain limitations with respect to pre-production plastic pellet pollution, and for other purposes.
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