[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 196 (Wednesday, November 18, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5911-H5913]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PARTNERING AND LEVERAGING ASSISTANCE TO STOP TRASH FOR INTERNATIONAL
CLEANER SEAS ACT
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4636) to authorize the Secretary of State and the
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
to prioritize and advance efforts to improve waste management systems
and prevent and reduce plastic waste and marine debris, and for other
purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4636
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Partnering and Leveraging
Assistance to Stop Trash for International Cleaner Seas Act''
or the ``PLASTICS Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Eight million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean
every year. Marine debris damages the health of marine life,
impedes local economic development, and threatens health
systems. Ten river systems carry an estimated 90 percent of
the river-based plastic waste that ends up in the ocean.
(2) Mismanaged plastic waste has the highest risk of
contaminating rivers and oceans. China contributes the
largest share of this mismanaged waste, followed by
Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Egypt,
Nigeria, and South Africa. The United States is the world's
second-largest producer and consumer of plastics products,
and the top exporter of plastic scrap.
(3) Most marine debris, particularly plastics, enters the
oceans from land-based sources, mainly in developing
countries, that lack the capacity to adequately manage waste
and prevent dumping.
(4) During the Our Ocean Conference in October 2018, the
United States announced assistance to prevent marine debris
from entering the ocean through development of waste
management systems and reduce plastics in marine protected
areas in the Indo-Pacific.
(5) During the June 2019 G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, the
United States joined other G20 members in endorsing the
``Osaka Blue Ocean Vision'' to reduce additional pollution by
marine plastic litter to zero by 2050 and the G20
Implementation Framework for Actions on Marine Plastic
Litter, which outlines a commitment to prevent and reduce
plastic debris in the oceans through waste management and
clean-up efforts to remove marine plastic debris and
prioritizes efforts to advance innovative solutions and
international cooperation to support such initiatives.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States to consult, partner,
and coordinate with the governments of foreign countries,
international organizations, private and civil society
entities, and other stakeholders in a concerted effort to--
(1) prevent and reduce marine debris and plastic waste,
including through reduced consumption, greater transparency
in global trade of plastic waste, and support for integrated
waste management systems in developing countries;
(2) advance innovative market-based solutions and catalyze
private capital to prevent and reduce marine debris and
plastic waste, support integrated waste management systems,
and improve market demand for recycled material;
(3) build the capacity of national and subnational
governments in other countries to develop and implement
integrated waste management systems, measure and report
progress in reducing plastic waste, and prevent plastic waste
from entering rivers and oceans;
(4) support local economic development through programs
that assist community members, particularly women, youth, and
marginalized populations, to derive economic benefit from
waste products and participation in waste management systems;
and
(5) engage in international and regional cooperation to
prevent and reduce marine debris and plastic waste, share
best practices, and empower national and subnational
governments, local communities, civil society, and the
private sector to engage in such efforts.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that, in pursuing the policy
described in section 3, the President should direct United
States representatives to appropriate international bodies to
use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States to
advocate support for the following:
(1) Efforts to improve transparency in global trade of
plastic waste, improve plastic waste regulation to ensure the
safety of humans and the environment, strengthen integrated
waste management systems, and prevent, reduce, reuse, and
recycle plastic waste, to the extent practical.
(2) Collaborative approaches to establish measurable
targets and objectives, with related action plans, for
reducing marine debris and plastic waste from all sources and
sharing best practices in waste prevention and management
systems to prevent plastic waste.
SEC. 5. UNITED STATES SUPPORT TO IMPROVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS AND PREVENT AND REDUCE MARINE DEBRIS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State and the
Administrator of the United States Agency for International
Development, in coordination with the heads of relevant
Federal departments and agencies, are authorized to
prioritize and advance ongoing global efforts to--
(1) prevent and reduce marine debris and plastic waste,
including through reduced consumption, greater transparency
in global trade of plastic waste, and support for integrated
waste management systems in developing countries;
(2) advance innovative market-based solutions and catalyze
private capital to prevent and reduce marine debris and
plastic waste, support integrated waste management systems,
and improve market demand for recycled material;
(3) build the capacity of national and subnational
governments in other countries to develop and implement
integrated waste management systems, measure and report
progress in reducing plastic waste, and prevent plastic waste
from entering rivers and oceans; and
(4) support local economic development through programs
that assist community members, particularly women, youth, and
marginalized populations, to derive economic benefit from
waste products and participation in waste management systems.
(b) Coordination With Private Sector.--The Secretary and
the Administrator, in coordination with the Chief Executive
Officer of the United States International Development
Finance Corporation and the Chief Executive Officer of the
Millennium Challenge Corporation and in consultation with the
heads of relevant Federal departments and agencies, are
authorized and encouraged to work with entities in the
private sector and with nongovernmental organizations to
leverage sources of public and private capital to complement
the efforts described in subsection (a), including by
financing infrastructure investments, supporting capacity-
building activities, and entering into cost-sharing, cost-
matching, and other cooperative agreements to support and
finance such efforts.
(c) Monitoring and Evaluation.--The Secretary and the
Administrator shall establish monitoring and evaluation
mechanisms, including measurable goals, objectives, and
benchmarks, to ensure the effective use of United States
foreign assistance to achieve the objectives described in
paragraphs (1) through (4) of subsection (a).
(d) Domestic Resource Mobilization.--In carrying out the
authority under subsection (a), the Secretary and the
Administrator, in coordination with the heads of relevant
Federal departments and agencies, shall seek to provide
technical assistance to mobilize the domestic resources of
recipient countries in order to increase cost-sharing, self-
reliance, and host country ownership of waste prevention and
management programs.
(e) Cost Limitation.--No additional funds are authorized to
be appropriated to carry out this Act.
(f) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the Administrator,
in consultation with the heads of relevant Federal
departments and agencies, shall jointly submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a report on ongoing
programs and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to carry
out the authority under subsection (a) that includes a
description of--
(1) the monitoring and evaluation plans and indicators used
to measure performance of assistance programs, in accordance
with subsection (d);
(2) best practices and lessons learned in implementing the
efforts authorized under subsection (a);
(3) the extent to which recipient countries have
demonstrated a commitment and willingness to cooperate to
advance the efforts described in subsection (a) and to
dedicate resources to support waste prevention and management
initiatives;
(4) the extent to which host country governments and other
governments in the region are investing resources to advance
initiatives to prevent or reduce marine debris and plastic
waste and develop integrated waste management systems; and
(5) the extent to which other funding sources, including
through private sector investment, have been identified to
advance waste prevention and management initiatives.
(g) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
[[Page H5912]]
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate.
SEC. 6. PLASTIC WASTE REDUCTION INITIATIVE.
(a) In General.--The Chief Executive Officer of the United
States International Development Finance Corporation is
authorized to establish, in coordination with relevant
Federal departments and agencies and incorporating any
existing programs of the Corporation for such purposes, an
initiative to pursue investment opportunities to address
plastic waste pollution and support improved, integrated
waste management systems in developing countries, including
by catalyzing global public and private-sector investments to
prevent and reduce marine debris and plastic waste in such
countries.
(b) Reference.--The initiative established under subsection
(a) may be referred to as the ``Plastic Waste Reduction
Initiative''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Espaillat) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 4636.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
McCaul), the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, for his
hard work on this measure, which I am pleased to support.
This bill aims to address a growing problem we all see around the
world: plastic waste and other debris in our oceans.
Products made from plastic are a part of everyday life. In the
morning, we brush our teeth with a plastic toothbrush and wash our hair
with shampoo from a plastic bottle. We drink water from a plastic cup,
eat snacks out of plastic containers, and consume meals with plastic
utensils. We drive cars with plastic components and do our work on
plastic keyboards. At the end of the day, when we throw plastic away,
we don't often think about where it ends up.
Well, every day, more than 8 million metric tons of it end up in the
ocean, leading to a host of problems. It damages the health of marine
life, chokes off economic development, and harms the environment.
Most marine debris enters the ocean from land-based sources, mainly
in developing countries that aren't able to manage waste and prevent
dumping.
This legislation will advance efforts to work with national
governments and local communities to develop integrated waste
management systems to effectively prevent and reduce plastic waste.
It encourages Federal departments and agencies to work with the
private sector and nongovernmental organizations, aiming to leverage
public and private capital in concert with American assistance
programs.
It supports local economic development initiatives to assist
community members--particularly women, young people, and marginalized
populations--to realize the economic benefits to be gained in scaling
up waste management systems.
It also urges U.S. leadership in international and regional efforts
to prevent and reduce marine debris and plastic waste. This legislation
supports the commitment that the United States made at both the 2018
Our Ocean Conference and the 2019 G20 Summit to achieve measurable
benchmarks in preventing marine debris from entering the ocean and
reduce plastic pollution.
The United States is one of the world's largest producer and consumer
of plastic products, and the top exporter of plastic scrap. So we have
a critical role to play in addressing this particular issue. This
legislation puts us on the right track to remedy this rapidly growing
problem.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this legislation, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
{time} 1500
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York and Chairman Engel
for their support.
Mr. Speaker, over 8 million metric tons of plastic enters the oceans
each year. That is the equivalent of a garbage truck full of plastic
being dumped out every single minute.
According to the United Nations Environment Program, if no change is
enacted, our oceans could contain more plastic bags than fish by 2050.
Mismanaged plastic waste in our oceans and communities can take
centuries to decompose. That threatens economic development, hurts
marine life, and threatens health systems around the world. Reversing
the trend of increased plastic waste in our oceans will require a
coordinated global response.
It is important to note that just 10 river systems carry an estimated
90 percent of river-based plastic waste to the ocean. China contributes
the largest share of this mismanaged waste, followed by developing
countries, such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
That is why Chairman Engel and I introduced the PLASTICS Act. This
legislation elevates the United States to a leadership role in
international efforts to reduce and safely manage plastic waste.
The PLASTICS Act will allow America to do more to help build the
capacity of developing countries to manage their waste. And it will
help prevent more waste from spilling into the ocean on the scale that
it is today.
The PLASTICS Act elevates ongoing efforts by USAID, and it
prioritizes new partnerships between the private sector and the U.S.
Development Finance Corporation. This will allow us to leverage
additional financing for companies putting these waste management
practices into place in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that yesterday the United States
Development Finance Corporation announced its Ocean Plastics
Initiative, based on this bill, and it is exactly what this bill calls
for. This initiative aims to catalyze $2.5 billion in the private
sector infrastructure investments aimed at reducing plastic waste and
marine debris.
By elevating the role of women and marginalized populations in these
initiatives, we can spur economic development and opportunity across
the globe. Our work to combat plastic waste is an investment in the
health of our oceans and our communities, not just for ourselves, but
also for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for
his leadership, and I also rise in enthusiastic support for the
PLASTICS Act of Mr. McCaul and Mr. Engel.
Texas is a Gulf State. Before we even get to the ocean, we can see
the impact of plastic even in our area. To hear the stark report that
more plastic than fish in 2050, I ask the question: What do we leave
for our children?
I think this legislation has a very important and strategic point to
combine public and private partnership, to acknowledge the devastation
of plastic, and to be able, in essence, to save the Earth.
Mr. Speaker, for a moment, I want to allude also to the
nonproliferation legislation that we just discussed and to join in
support of the dire conditions and dire straits that the Nation and the
world will be in if we allow the proliferation of nuclear abilities.
It is very important that we contain those nuclear abilities. We have
been on the floor today discussing Russia and its poisoning of
dissidents, its intrusion into its neighbors. And we understand that
the reckless use of nuclear materials really pose a danger to our
children and our children's children. It is for that reason that I
believe that we must continue fighting for nuclear nonproliferation.
As a member of the European Parliamentary Exchange and many other
groups discussing this, I believe this is an important and ongoing
responsibility, along with the PLASTICS Act, it is intended to make our
world safer and better for all. That is a commitment that we, as the
Members of the United States Congress, should take extremely seriously,
and I think it will be we who will stand in the gap to show
[[Page H5913]]
the world what America's true values really are. We care about the
environment and we care to keep the world safe from nuclear
proliferation.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank the sponsor
and the cosponsor of the legislation.
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close if the gentleman from
New York has no further speakers.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, as my colleagues and I have been speaking on
this bill for the last 10 minutes, over 300,000 pounds of plastic has
entered our oceans. It is amazing to think about that, just in the 10
minutes we have been speaking here today.
Reversing this trend and preventing plastic from choking our oceans
will require this coordinated global response that is both practical,
innovative, measurable, and, quite frankly, it is the right thing to do
for our future generations.
With the PLASTICS Act, we will be taking a huge large step in that
direction. We have a duty to protect future generations from the
repercussions of today's waste. I also strongly support ongoing efforts
to ensure final passage of Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, which includes
components of this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for
their great bipartisan work. I also thank my dear chairman, Eliot
Engel, and the gentleman from New York. Chairman Engel has been a dear
friend of mine in this Congress. We are going to be sad to see him go,
but I know he has bright aspirations for his future, and we look
forward to celebrating with him. And one way we can celebrate this is
by passing the PLASTICS Act.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I thank the manager and
the sponsor of this legislation for their kind courtesies.
Mr. Speaker, it is never too late to say ``thank you,'' and I wanted
to just not forget to thank Chairman Engel for the years of commitment
to these issues and to his service on the Foreign Affairs and the
Energy and Commerce Committees.
I know this list of legislative initiatives has had the impact of our
manager, the distinguished gentleman from New York, and certainly all
of the friends and the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
But I think it is appropriate, having known Mr. Engel for a very long
time, that he is a true believer in democracy, he is a believer in the
international responsibilities of the United States, and he is also one
who recognizes transition of government in the right way. He is
transitioning, and he is doing it with dignity and respect.
Mr. Speaker, I want to express to him my deepest respect for his
service to not only the United States Congress and his family's
sacrifice, but to the United States of America. We thank him for that
service. It is my desire to have that in the Record at this time. I
thank him on behalf of this Nation.
Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation is a great example of how America can
lead in finding solutions to environmental challenges such as this one,
a grave challenge to the world, and helps to create jobs and builds
prosperity.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support it, and I am grateful that Mr.
McCaul and all the bill's cosponsors have put this forward.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Espaillat) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4636, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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