John, It’s past time to confront the problem of plastic pollution, which is not only impacting our oceans and climate, it’s a major health detriment to communities living near plastic production plants. That’s why I’ve joined with my colleague Sen. Cory Booker to introduce legislation to address this growing crisis. Our bill focuses on protecting community health, reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change, and combating worsening environmental justice. Plastics are derived from fossil fuel and are already a significant part of our climate footprint. And it’s about to get worse. The fossil fuel industry knows that we are moving quickly to decarbonize the power and transportation sectors. Their fallback plan to keep the world addicted to their planet-killing product is to push even more plastics into our economy. The fossil fuel/plastics industry’s plan is to double the production and consumption of plastics – and the greenhouse gas emissions associated with plastics – over the next decade. We can’t let that happen. Beyond climate destruction, plastic and petrochemical plants release air and water pollution into neighboring communities. Nearby residents suffer increased rates of debilitating health conditions like cancers, asthma, heart disease, development disorders, and more. And, those frontline communities bearing the burden are disproportionately made up of low-income communities and communities of color. We’ve tolerated this environmental and social injustice for too long. Confronting this climate and environmental justice problem requires cracking down on the plastic production process, holding big fossil fuel producers accountable, establishing stricter rules for petrochemical plants, and transitioning our economy away from an over-reliance on single-use plastic. If you’re with me in this fight to stand up for public health, environmental justice, and climate protection, add your name here. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this plastics crisis under control and protect the health of all Americans. Thanks for all you do. Jared

Congressman Jared Huffman represents California's 2nd District, which spans from the Golden Gate Bridge north to the Oregon border. As a Democratic leader, Jared is committed to protecting our environment and fighting for access to affordable healthcare and equality for all Americans. Click here to support Jared's campaign with a contribution today, or sign on to become a sustaining supporter by making a monthly contribution.