The Biden administration has unveiled a strategy aimed at addressing plastic pollution, with a significant emphasis on phasing out single-use plastics like utensils, cups, and straws within federal agencies.
In July, President Biden issued an order to confront the “climate crisis,” calling for a unified effort from all federal departments.
“The President is dedicated to ambitious measures… to eliminate plastic pollution and is urging the international community to follow suit, aiming to decrease the global production and use of virgin plastics,” stated the White House.
As part of this initiative, the White House disclosed plans to eliminate single-use plastics, covering “plastic and polystyrene food and beverage containers, bottles, straws, cups, cutlery, and disposable plastic bags.”
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White House announced climate change plan which has impacts on the federal government.
(Fox News Digital)
“[T]he Biden-Harris Administration is setting a new target to phase out federal purchases of single-use plastics for food service operations, events, and packaging by 2027, and for all federal operations by 2035,” the White House announced. “Achieving this new objective… will help agencies meet their responsibilities under the [previous] Executive Order.”
Biden’s earlier executive order focused on limiting the sale of single-use plastic items in public lands.
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Some Republican lawmakers have criticized the initiative, arguing that the Biden administration’s focus on plastic is “laughable” and “absurd.”
“The world is in turmoil, and he’s concerned about plastic forks,” remarked Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., to the Daily Mail.
The White House announced a plan to phase out plastics in the federal government.
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“This is merely messaging and nonsensical, targeting that entire industry,” stated Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. “It’s also clearly out of touch. It could lead to increased costs for many individuals, rendering it irrelevant regarding deficit concerns.”
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, noted that he expects the plan to impact “government workplaces” and “military bases.”
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He suggested that instead of cutting down on plastics, a better approach would be to reduce the size of the federal government.
Composition with plastic bottles of mineral water. Plastic waste (Credit: iStock)
(iStock)
“If they want the government to consume less, they should consider shrinking its size. The reason it is the largest consumer is that it employs a significant number of people and engages in many activities for which it was never intended,” he mentioned.
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The Biden administration clarified that in situations deemed “national security” relevant, specific agencies might exempt certain activities from the new executive order.
“The head of an agency may exempt specific activities and associated personnel, resources, and facilities from the provisions of this order when it’s deemed in the interest of national security, to safeguard intelligence sources and methods from unauthorized disclosure, or where necessary to protect undercover law enforcement operations,” articulated the White House.
