California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Thursday that he intends to launch an investigation into the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries for their contribution to global plastic pollution.
Bonta also said that he intends to subpoena ExxonMobil as part of this process.
“The public has been aggressively misled by some of the world’s largest and most influential corporations,” Bonta said at a news conference on Thursday.
“The fossil fuel and petrochemical industries have engaged in a half-century campaign of deception that has harmed our environment, our people and our natural resources,” he added.
The investigation aims to identify the companies that have caused or exacerbated the plastic pollution crisis. Bonta said his office will examine “the industry’s historic and continuing efforts to mislead the public and whether and to what extent these actions may have violated the law.”
“We will not hesitate to hold these companies accountable if the law was broken,” he added.
Speaking to reporters at Dockweiler State Beach in Los Angeles, Bonta said plastic and other debris must be removed daily from these sands, which he characterized as “a small example of a much bigger problem.”
He said the problem dates back to the 1980s, when the plastics industry “began an aggressive and misleading advertising and marketing campaign to convince the public that we could recycle our way out of the plastic waste problem.”
“The fact is that it was all a big ruse,” he said, noting that the vast majority of plastics cannot be recycled.
Bonta said that ExxonMobil will be a specific target of the investigation. He described the company as “a major source of global plastic pollution” that has embarked on a “decades-long campaign of plastics deception”.
He also called the company, one of the world’s largest plastics producers, “one of the leaders when it comes to deception.”
In response to Bonta’s announcement, the American Chemistry Council, a trade association representing major US plastics and petrochemical companies, said in a statement that “plastics belong in our economy, not our environment.” and that “America’s plastic manufacturers are committed to a more sustainable future.”
The council added that plastic makers have proposed plans that would require all plastic packaging to include at least 30 per cent recycled materials by 2030, establish a producer responsibility system and support a legally binding global agreement to stop leakage. of plastic.
The Hill has also reached out to ExxonMobil for comment.
“We are going to be thorough, thorough, objective, completely fair in our investigation, and based on what we find, we will determine if we can take legal action and, if so, what that legal action will be,” Bonta said. .
The head of Greenpeace USA’s plastics campaign applauded Bonta’s move.
“Hopefully this is a sign that policymakers are ready to start holding corporations accountable,” said Graham Forbes, global plastics campaign leader at Greenpeace.
—Updated at 5:17 pm
Reference-thehill.com