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Micropastics found in the Great Lakes by university researchers.
(Courtesy | SUNY-Fredonia)
The U.S. House has approved a bill that would ban the sale and manufacture of tiny rinse-off plastic particles, often used in cosmetic products, that environmental advocates say are filtering through water treatment plants and polluting the Great Lakes.
The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, (H.R. 1321), co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St Joseph, and Rep. Frank Pallone, D-New Jersey, passed the U.S. House of Representatives by unanimous voice vote on Monday, Dec. 7.
"As someone who grew up on Lake Michigan and represents a large chunk of Michigan coastline, I understand firsthand how important it is to maintain the beauty and integrity of our Great Lakes," said Upton, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which passed the bill on voice vote Nov. 18.
The House bill would phase microbeads out of consumer products over the next few years, starting with a ban on manufacturing the beads starting July 1, 2017, followed by product-specific manufacturing and sales bans in 2018 and 2019.
Environmental groups have been pushing for bans on the beads. The tiny particles are ending up in lakes, rivers and oceans because most treatment plants are not designed to filter them out of wastewater.
The concern is that pollutants can attach to the floating plastic, which enters the food chain when fish and wildlife mistake the tiny beads as edible.
"Action at the federal level sends a strong message that the true solution to the problem of plastic pollution in U.S. waters must focus on the sources," said Molly Flanagan, Alliance for the Great Lakes vice president for policy. "We urge the Senate to follow the House's lead."
The bill language, which defines microbeads as "any solid plastic particle" less than 5 millimeters in size intended for use as an exfoliant, shuts the door on a loophole that could have let manufacturers switch to a different type of plastic.
California and a collection of other states and municipalities across the country have adopted microbead bans. A federal law would supersede those rules, which is something bill sponsors said would help eliminate uncertainty for manufacturers.
Michigan legislators debated a state ban this fall without reaching a consensus.
A companion measure in the U.S. Senate, has yet to advance beyond the health, education and labor committee since referral there in May. After Monday's House passage, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat, began calling for the Senate to act on a ban.
That bill, sponsored by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, defines microbeads as "synthetic."
Garret Ellison covers business, environment & the Great Lakes for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at gellison@mlive.com or follow on Twitter & Instagram