Clean Air Council Disapproves of Signing of HB 1808 into Law

Harrisburg, PA (November 30, 2020) Last week, the day before Thanksgiving, Governor Wolf signed House Bill 1808 (Mackenzie-R-Lehigh) into law as Act 127 of 2020.  HB 1808 was signed by both chambers in the General Assembly and presented to the governor on November 19 as one of the last legislative actions of the 2019-20 term.  It will allow burning plastic waste to be considered “advanced recycling” under Pennsylvania law.

Joseph Otis Minott, Esq., Executive Director and Chief Counsel of Clean Air Council, issued the following statement:

“House Bill 1808 will increase air pollution and Pennsylvania’s reliance on single-use plastics.  It reduces regulatory requirements and defines ‘advanced recycling’ to include polluting practices like pyrolysis and gasification, which are expensive and turn plastics into, for example, jet fuel and crude oil.  Let’s be clear – this is not recycling.  HB 1808 will lead to increased fracking operations, since fracking is needed for the single-use plastics that will serve as feedstock for these ‘advanced recycling’ facilities.  It may also lead to clean energy funding being redirected to dirty projects, as facilities that burn plastic may lobby for renewable energy credits.  Although the majority voted for HB 1808, this legislation did not pass both chambers with veto-proof margins.  This legislation should have been vetoed.  I am disappointed that it wasn’t.”