On Wednesday, September 22, at 9:30 AM ET, the
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a business
meeting
to consider several of President Biden’s nominees, legislation to rename
federal buildings, and several General Services Administration
resolutions.
Immediately following the business meeting, the committee will hold a
hearing
on the importance of promoting a circular economy.
Witnesses:
Elizabeth Biser, Secretary, North Carolina Department of Environmental
Quality
Roberta Elias, Director, Policy & Government Affairs, World Wildlife
Fund
Brian Hawkinson, Executive Director, Recovered Fiber, American Forest
& Paper Association
William “Billy” Johnson, Chief Lobbyist, Institute of Scrap Recycling
Industries
The purpose of this hearing is to discuss federal research and
development and standards development needs to help address the plastic
waste crisis and barriers to the current recycling system. In addition,
the Subcommittee will explore challenges and opportunities for adopting
sustainable upstream plastic waste reduction solutions and efficacy of
existing lifecycle analysis models for assessing the impact of plastic
waste and metrics for sustainability. The Subcommittee will also
consider the role that the Plastic Waste Reduction and Recycling
Research Act can play in addressing these important issues.
Opening Statements
Chairwoman Haley
Stevens
(D-MI) of the Subcommittee on Research and Technology
Keefe Harrison, Chief
Executive Officer, The Recycling Partnership
Dr. Marc Hillmyer,
Director and Principle Investigator, University of Minnesota National
Science Foundation Center for Sustainable Polymers
Dr. Gregory Keoleian,
Director, Center for Sustainable Systems, Peter M. Wege Professor of
Sustainable Systems, School for Environment and Sustainability,
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, co-Coordinator,
Engineering Sustainable Systems Program, University of Michigan
Joshua Baca, Vice
President, Plastics Division, American Chemistry Council