Quigley Urges Swifter Phase Out of Single-Use Plastics in National Parks

Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), vice-chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, led a letter with twenty-nine of his colleagues calling on the Department of Interior (DOI) to expedite the phase-out of single-use plastics in national parks. Quigley is the lead sponsor of the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act, which would codify Obama-era guidance banning the sale of single-use plastic water bottles in national park facilities, where possible.

"We urge you to move as swiftly as possible to implement the phase-out plan within NPS, where the preservation of unimpaired natural resources is central to its mission. We must protect our national parks from plastic pollution if we hope to share these special places with generations to come. It is imperative that NPS prioritizes a policy to eliminate the use of single-use plastics in our national parks," the members wrote in their letter.

Earlier this year, Quigley applauded DOI's decision to ban the use of single-use plastics on public lands, however, the Department has announced a 10-year timeline for the phase-out. Quigley's letter calls on the Department to "move as swiftly as possible to implement the phase-out plan within NPS."

"The Department of the Interior's plan to phase out single-use plastic will curb millions of pounds unnecessary disposable plastic in our national parks and other public lands, preventing pollution of these special places. Oceana thanks Congressman Mike Quigley and the 29 other members of Congress who sent this letter urging the Interior Department to move more swiftly to protect our national parks from plastic. We have no time to waste when it comes to preventing single-use plastic's devastating impacts on our public lands, oceans, and communities," said Paulita Bennett-Martin, Federal Policy Manager, Oceana.

Earlier this year, Quigley led a delegation on a tour of Yosemite National Park as part of his Climate Change Tour series.

A copy of the final letter is available HERE.

The full text of the letter is available below.

Dear Secretary Haaland,

We are writing to applaud you for your work on the Secretarial Order 3407 and urge the expedited phasing out of single use plastics, specifically in our National Park Service. By phasing out the sale and distribution of single-use plastic, NPS will be able to greatly reduce plastic pollution within our nation's most beloved places while also advancing President Biden's executive order on federal sustainability (EO 14057).

Since 1916, NPS has safeguarded the invaluable natural and cultural resources of America's national parks and shared them with millions of visitors every year. Unfortunately, these treasured places are often inundated with plastic pollution. With more than 300 million people visiting America's national parks each year, park staff manage approximately 70 million tons of trash. In 2011, the National Park Service issued Policy Memo 11-03 that allowed parks to voluntarily eliminate the sale of disposable plastic water bottles. Unfortunately, this policy was subsequently reversed in 2017 by the Trump administration, even after NPS found that the plastic water bottle elimination programs were widely successful. A 2017 NPS report demonstrated that before its reversal, this policy diverted between 1.3 million and 2 million disposable plastic water bottles from entering our national parks, saving up to 111,743 pounds of plastic and 141 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. This report clearly demonstrates the positive implications of reducing plastic bottle waste and exemplifies the significant positive impacts a phaseout of single-use plastics can have in our national parks.

A recent national poll shows that 82% of voting Americans support ending the sale and distribution of single-use plastic in our national parks. Last July, over 300 American businesses and organizations sent you a letter requesting that the NPS adopt a new policy to phase out single-use plastics in national parks. Additionally, there is growing support in Congress for legislative solutions which would direct NPS to develop a plan for phasing out the sale and distribution of single-use plastic, such as the Reducing Waste in National Parks Act (H.R. 5533/S.2960) which currently has over 50 cosponsors in the House.

While we commend your leadership on these issues, we urge you to prioritize the phase out of single use plastics in NPS. We understand the 10-year timeline may be important when considering current contractual obligations and appropriate alternatives for plastic items you currently use. We urge you to move as swiftly as possible to implement the phase out plan within NPS, where the preservation of unimpaired natural resources is central to its mission. We must protect our national parks from plastic pollution if we hope to share these special places with generations to come. It is imperative that NPS prioritizes a policy to eliminate the use of single-use plastics in our national parks. Thank you for your service in protecting our national treasures. We look forward to working together in preserving our parks for generations to come.