14 States, Including Minnesota, Want Action on ‘Plastic Pollution Crisis’

(The Center Square) - Fourteen state attorneys general asked the Biden Administration to do more to "combat the plastic pollution crisis."

An Aug. 3 media release, the group stated, "Plastic does not fully degrade, instead breaking down into smaller pieces called microplastics, which have been found in drinking water, food, air, and even human blood and living lung tissue."

Michigan AG Dana Nessel office said plastic manufacturing's pollution also disproportionately affected low-income communities and communities of color and addressing it was part of the "environmental justice" movement.

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The letter sent to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants a stronger plan to dramatically reduce the production of plastic materials. The states included in the letter were California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

“All Michigan communities deserve to be safe from the harmful effects of plastics pollution,” Nessel said in a media release. “Our defense of Michigan’s natural resources includes protecting them from the chemicals produced by the manufacture and disposal of plastics. I stand firmly with my colleagues in asking the Biden administration for a robust plan that responds to the plastics pollution crisis and reduces our nation’s global plastics footprint in meaningful ways.”

Pennsylvania AG Michelle Henry said the AGs are "demanding that the EPA implement standards to cut down on plastics contaminating our natural resources."

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“My office’s ongoing actions in environmental causes are consistent with our fight to ensure Pennsylvanians’ basic rights to drink clean water and breathe clean air,” Henry said in a media release. “Time and time again, we have taken positions to regulate industry pollution that jeopardizes the health of future generations."