Twelve AGs Submitted Comments on EPA’s “Safer Choice and Design for the Environment” Program

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes led a coalition of 12 attorneys general, along with the City of New York, in comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed changes to its “Safer Choice and Design for the Environment” program, which certifies consumer products as safer for human health and the environment. In the comments, the AGs urged EPA not to certify products that are primarily packaged in plastic, or to at least prohibit chemical recycling of plastic packaging from products that are certified. Chemical recycling is a process that breaks plastic waste down to the molecular level; it yields almost no recycled materials and causes harmful air emissions. Additionally, the AGs called on the agency to stop certifying products that contain or are packaged with materials that contain per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

• Documents: CommentsAZ Press ReleaseCA Press Release
• Document Type: Comment Letters Press Releases/Statements
• States: Arizona California Connecticut Maryland Massachusetts Minnesota New Jersey New York Oregon Pennsylvania Vermont Washington, D.C.
• Agencies: Environmental Protection Agency
• Issues: PFAS Plastics & Petrochemicals Public Health Toxics
• Era: Biden Administration
• Action Type: Rulemaking & Other Federal Administrative Proceedings