[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 175 (Friday, October 9, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                         SAVE OUR SEAS 2.0 ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               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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