I may look like congressman huffman, but im not. Shock, im a andressman lowenthal congressman is back in sonoma dealing with the wildfires there was never able to get back here to washington. So were all hoping that, you that that the fires subside and that, you know, many people are safe and that mr. Huffman returns soon. That, the subcommittee on water, oceans and wildlife will come to order. Subcommittee is meeting today to hear testimony on a sea of problems. Impacts of plastic pollution on oceans and wildlife. Rule 4f, anyee the Opening Statements at hearings are limited to the chairman, the ranking minority member, the vice chair and the Ranking Member. This will allow us to hear from and helpsses sooner keep help members keep to ieir schedules so therefore, ask unanimous consent that all other members opening be made part of the hearing record if theyre submitted to the subcommittee by 5 00 p. M. Today, or the close of the hearing, whichever first. Hearing no objections, so ordered. Open it up now and i want to welcome all the witnesses and today, we are here to discuss a pressing environmental issue and that is pollution. Certainly Single Use Plastics have made life easier. Materials come at a much higher cost than many would like to admit. Last for centuries in the Natural Environment, and are on ourearly everywhere planet. Last year, i witnessed the pollution onstic wildlife in antarctica, one of the few places on earth that has relatively untouched by human activity, but certainly, the scourge ofy plastics. Personally, ive been involved tackle the growing plastic crisis for over 20 years. Constituent and friend, captain charles moore, the Scientific Research organization algalida did some of the Early Research on the plastic garbage theres an estimated tons of plastic that enter the oceans each year at a rate of about one garbage minute, threatening biodiversity and accumulating in the sea food that we eat and in we drink. That plastics have even been found in there in the right capitol visitors center. Plastics are also making Climate Change worse. Global life cycle emissions from one years plastic production throughout the United States are about the same as 462 coalfired power plants per year rising. Number is plastic production is an Environmental Justice issue also. Petrochemical factors and incineration facilities are in lowincome communities where local Health Impacts and air quality impacts are quite significant, but frequently are ignored. This subcommittee we need to look at solutions to deal with, for example, ghost fishing gear, fishing gear at sea, butlost continues to catch fish, marine mammals, turtles, birds and corals. Higher recycling commitments and on single use plastic items can be part of the ourtion, but we must expand tools to address this growing environmental and Public Health problem. In this committee, we switched to reusable pitchers and glasses water rather than the disposable plastic Water Bottles see so often around the capitol. But not every switch is as easy the option. Yone has burden of cleaning up pollution should not be the taxpayers. Its imperative that the companies that manufacture and products take ownership of their environmental impacts. Step up. Needs to it is for this reason that ive been working on comprehensive senator udall,h our legislation seeks to create a more circular approach by putting in place an extended program,responsibility implementing recycling content phasing out well as certain single use only items that have more sustainable alternatives. Im excited to announce that we should have a discussion draft this legislation quite soon, which we will disseminate i encourage all of you to let me know your thoughts release. Nts after its some federal agencies are also doing their part. Noaas Marine Debris program new projectsed 14 addressing aspects of this problem. However, the 2. 7 million provided to these projects close toven come addressing the scale of the Ocean Plastic problem. Line is this. We need to do more. We need to look at a Broader Solutions that are going to prevent wildlife from being strangled and to keep microplastics from ending up on our plate. Toh that, i look forward hearing more from our witnesses ideas and i will now invite the Ranking Member to share his remarks. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Subcommittee meets today to hear testimony on plastics and oceans. Pact on our from the tenor of the written testimony, it appears the blaming American Consumers for the Plastic Waste that reaches our oceans and is proposing to place restrictions on them that will dramatically reduce the convenience and of life thaty plastics have contributed to our modern society, while increasing costs dramatically. Blaming America First seems to recurring theme, but the facts paint a very different picture. In 2017 study published in the Environmental Science and Technology Magazine found that between 8895 of all the plastic debris that enters our from 10 rivers, none of which is anywhere close to the United States. Eight of those rivers are in asia and two are in africa. Therding to a 2015 study top 20 Marine Plastic prosecutors produced as much as metric tons of waterworn plastic debris. Justnited states generated 0. 11 million metric tons, barely 1 . Indeed, the entire United States water borneless plastic pollution than north korea so who does the majority blame for this . American consumers. But as dean kilpatrick once observed they always blame America First. According to the epa, americans have increased Plastic Recycling tom 20,000 tons in 1980 3. 1 million tons in 2015. A 155fold increase. Greatan consumers go to lengths to responsibly dispose of Plastic Waste and the numbers show that. American consumers are heroes, not villains in this fight against the plastic pollution of our oceans. We should be celebrating them and not punishing them. Yet that is just what draconian restrictions on plastic use starting with the 1. 7 million families who depend plastics manufacturing to put food on the table, roofs over their heads and taxes in our coffers. T the single largest state employer remains my home state where 80,000 californians are directly employed in the plastics industry. Object of the leftsire appears to be single use plastic containers, the tube, the sam to bottle, the plastic bag. They criticize them as wasteful plastic is used once and discarded and yet takes between years to decay. Well, if they were properly and americansf do, i have to ask what exactly problem . The most common single use packaging of the ancient world progressed from animal skins and gourds was the amphora of ceramic. In rome isill discarded amphori begs the question if we are going to ban single use plastic containers exactly what them . Eplace how about your toothpaste . Before plastics, toothpaste collapsible metal tubes. The opponents of plastics find this a more environmentally friendly container . The toothpaste tube was invented to protect consumers from the practice of getting toothpaste in glass jars and dipping your toothbrush into them. We return to glass jars . Before that toothpaste came in cardboard boxes and wax paper which required mixing a batch every time you teeth. To brush your plastics have largely replaced aluminum as the best container to protect food against food spoilage. Before aluminum it was tin. Takes four pounds of bauxite and seven and a half kilowatts of electricity to make one pound of aluminum. Do the plastic critics really think an environmentally friendly alternative is to return to the era of metal containers . Metal containers, glass was commonly used. Glass takes roughly 1 million to decompose. 1,000 times longer than the plasticestimate for decomposition. I suppose we could go back to cardboard and paper, but i a decadethe campaign ago to ban paper bags as wasteful and environmentally we dutifully replaced them with plastic bags theireave now attracted of the environmental left. Single use plastics properly disposed of mean greater convenience and lower prices for American Consumers and a much smaller environmental footprint than all of the different packaging materials that they have replaced. Inim very interested hearing today why americans who exemplary record of responsible plastic disposal and recycle register to blame for the excesses of other people in other countries and why those same americans should now be punished with higher prices, less convenience and a lower standard of living. Knowly, i would like to what are the plastics critics proposing as an alternative to plastic containers that they rejected overy the years . Back. To ask unanimous consent that the gentle person mexico, representative hallen be allowed to sit on the todays participate in proceedings. Without objection, that is ordered. Now, im going to introduce our witnesses. Our first witness is mr. Ted danson. You may know him better as the good place or sam ischeers, but mr. Danson also the vice chair of the board oceana where he has been closely involved since inception. Our next witness will be mr. Juan paris, who is the founder and executive director Environmental JusticeAdvocacy Service or tejas. Following him well hear from of Environmental Engineering at the university of georgia and the lead author of a study on plastic. Last witnessour rasoszewki, the president and ceo of the association. Let me remind all the witnesses that they must limit their oral to five minutes. But that their entire statement hearingear in the record. When you begin, the lights on the witness table will turn green. After four minutes, the yellow light will come on. Your time will have expired when red light comes on and ill ask you to please complete your statement. Ill also allow the entire panel to testify before questioning witnesses. The chair now recognizes mr. Danson to testify. Our committee. I would like to thank the andr and Ranking Member members of the committee for the opportunity to testify on plastic pollution. The vice chair of oceanas board of directors. Oceana is the Largest InternationalAdvocacy Organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Ive been working on ocean years. For more than 30 in the late 1980s, i cofounded the american oceans campaign, joined with oceana in 2002. Testify today about the growing problem of public pollution that is threatening oceans. Almost from the moment we wake bed,til the time we go to and when we wash our shampoo and conditioner from plastic bottles. The rest of our daily routines include one or several coffees in cups with plastic lids. Takeoutplastic containers with plastic utensils and grocery stopping where plastic is unavoidable. There isnt a place on earth untouched by the pollution from all this plastic. The list of marine animals pollutiony plastic grows. Plastic has been consumed by an estimated 90 of seabird species and eaten by every species of turtle. Even our corals are threatened. In addition to polluting the marine environment, plastic poses a risk to human health. Oure now seeing plastic in andr, our food, soil, air, bodies. Plastic particles have been found in everything from honey and beer to salt and tea. Affecting ouro climate. If plastic was a country, it would be the planets fifth emitter of Greenhouse Gases. Production rates anticipated to increase, so will plastics effects on the climate oceans. The most important thing to remember about plastic is that for centuries. This is what makes single use flawed. So profoundly they are created from a material forever, but are designed to be used once and away. Simply improving recycling rates will not solve the plastic crisis. Of all the Plastic Waste ever 9 has beennly recycled. That means the vast majority was a landfill, incinerated or polluted our Natural Environment including our oceans. Recycling is like trying to mop up water from an overflowing faucet isile the still running. We need to turn off the faucet the production of plastic. Companies need to significantly of single useunt plastic they are putting onto offer consumers plaquefree choices for their products. Companies arent doing enough and thats why we need your help. Policies governing the and use of singleuse plastic are effective. And these policies are becoming more common around the world and across this country. The european ultimately comprehensive u. S. Action is needed. This committee should use its authority to tackle the problem. I applaud you just top using plastic Water Bottles and committee hearings. Unfortunately, the policy has been reversed. The committee should make our other federal and lands and waters into single use plastic free zones. Federalongress to pass legislation that significantly reduces the production of this everlasting pollutant, and hold corporations responsible for this Global Crisis and enable states and cities to continue to lead the way dont fall to the false promise of recycling. Please dont stoop to incineration. We must stop the runaway increase in plastic production and reduce the amount of Plastic Companies are hoisting on us. We have no more time to waste. Thank you. Thank you. The chair now recognizes mr. Perez to testify for five minutes. Thank you chairman lowenthal and drinking member. We have been working on environment justice issues for over 60 years. We work at the intersection ofs of human rights and social justice issues. It is also the largest city. Other infrastructures can be built on the fence line. Derived fromc is fossil fuels. They are derived from gas or oil. The explosion in natural gas products has led to an increasing demand for gas liquid. It is another key element of plastic reduction. We are already exposed to a dangerous mix of toxic pollutants. Over the last several years that Chemical Complex has been expanding. Emissions anding related to ans evergrowing market in plastics. Around one thing, the production of plastics. We now understand the Major Economic impact oil and gas is undergoing. As they expand, so do so too did the instability. 37 people were injured, some with thirddegree burns. Workers were initially evacuated [inaudible] theyve malfunctioned during the event and Community Members in the end variable quality data to protect their health. Recent disasters, the exxon over eight sailors were held hostage under a chemical plume. On july 31st, 37 workers were injured and one september 20 to 2019 or 9 chemicals collide after the storm. In a recent report for environmental law, if Oil Consumption continues as expected, the consumption of oil by the sector will account for 20 of the total consumption by 2050. The reasons to be uncovered the facilities in the region and violated air pollution control over the last five years and were subject to environmental enforcement. But they were not penalized. Including the increased risk for developing cancer and other health conditions. [inaudible] and immigrant people that paid the price over the lifespan of the children and elderly is and i see that im out of time but ive also lived i will submit my entire document. Thank you. Thank you chairman and Ranking Member. And the rest of the subcommittee subcommittee. Im honored to be here to testify. Im a professor of Environmental Engineering at the university of georgia and National Geographic fellow ive been conducting research for 23 years with related projects for 18 projects regarding location and spatial analysis and global management. Sailing across the atlantic in 2015 and it was funded by the program in 2011 where over 2 million items have been lost by people all over the world. I previously testified to the senate on this issue. Im also a participant in the International Information program with the u. S. State department and this has brought me to 13 Different Countries and economies around the world to engage with governments, academics, ngos and citizens on this issue. My opinion based upon my background and experience conducting research. I spoke to educate and raise awareness that we now know we have a major problem with plastic ending up in the environment and in the ocean. It is used for the packaging and single use items and 6. 3 had become waste by 2015 for what have we done with that and how do we manage it . Another 12 have been incinerated as a 79 have ended up either in a landfill or the open environment. It is fragmented into smaller and smaller pieces youve heard the number in the science paper in 2015 we estimated the global plastic entering at 8 million tons in 2010 the quote about a dump truck of plastic entering every minute. In the intervention framework i developed in 2016 we start all the way upstream with reducing waste generation especially in places with highs per person like here in the usa is a the waste generation rate is two to six times ive thought of many countries around the world it is with individual choice and industry lead changes. For the endoflife management of the materials currently the Waste Management