Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—joined by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Peter Welch (D-VT), and U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA-02)—today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory calling for the United States to use its influence
Senator traveling to Busan, South Korea, to help shape global plastic pollution agreement Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley—a leading voice in Congress on the urgent need to address the plastic pollution crisis—today issued the following statement before traveling to the fifth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) in Busan,
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today introduced the Fighting Fibers Act of 2024 to address microfiber pollution from clothing. Scientists estimate millions of tons of microfibers enter the ocean every year—making textiles the largest known source of marine microplastic pollution. The Fighting Fibers Act focuses on one
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Rhode Island’s U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-37) today introduced a bicameral resolution designating July as Plastic Pollution Action Month. They spotlight the dangers plastic pollution poses to both human health and the environment, and call on Americans
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Peter Welch (D-VT) and U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) released the following joint statement today after the conclusion of the fourth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) in Ottawa, Canada: “The global plastic pollution crisis demands bold, urgent action. Plastic
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Peter Welch (D-VT), and U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) today urged for a strong, binding international agreement to curb plastics after attending the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) in Ottawa, Canada. “In Ottawa, we pressed U.S. negotiators to join with
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) today called for development of an ambitious international treaty to clean up plastic pollution ahead of the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4). Government
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) led their colleagues today in a letter to encourage U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to push for decisive measures in addressing plastic production at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC)’s current session next month. The lawmakers
Senator Jeff Merkley, Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight and Senator Alex Padilla, Chair of the EPW Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, led a joint hearing titled “Understanding the Presence of Microplastics in Water” on February
Microplastics may be traveling through wastewater systems and ending up on our farms. Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, along with Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), introduced legislation to research the impact of microplastics on biosolids and
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