Preview Newsletter
ACC PM 29/05/18
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(ACC Mentioned) Plastic Resin Producers and Circular Economy Goals: An Interview With the ACC
May 29, 2018 | Plastics Today
By Rick Lingle
On behalf of the nation’s leading plastics resin producers, the Plastics Division of the American Chemistry Council (Washington, D.C.) announced on May 9 three goals designed to accelerate the industry’s transition to a more circular economy. -
Statement on Lowe’s Commitment to Ban Deadly Paint Strippers
May 29, 2018 | Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families
Today the home improvement retailer Lowe’s announced that it would phase out the use of two toxic chemicals known as methylene chloride and N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) in its paint removal products sold globally by the end of this year. -
Lowe's Commits to Phasing Out Chemical Products Linked to Cancer
May 29, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Miranda Green
Home improvement retailer Lowe's will soon be ridding all of its stores of products carrying a toxic chemical known to cause cancer. -
Greens Seek to Depose Pruitt Over FOIA Requests
May 29, 2018 | E&E Greenwire
By Amanda Reilly
Greens want to force EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to testify in litigation over the agency's processing of Freedom of Information Act requests. -
Downstream Users of UK REACH Registrations ‘Could Become Importers’ Post-Brexit
May 29, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Luke Buxton
The European Chemical Industry Council, Cefic, has put forward the idea of allowing the transfer of UK REACH registrations to downstream users of those chemicals in the EU to ensure their continued use after Brexit. -
Construction Begins on Houston Ethylene Export Terminal
May 29, 2018 | Houston Chronicle
By Katherine Blunt
Houston's Enterprise Products Partners and London's Navigator Holdings announced Tuesday that construction has begun on their ethylene export terminal at Enterprise's Morgan's Point facility on the Houston Ship Channel. -
Halliburton Inks Deal to Develop Saudi Unconventional Natural Gas
May 29, 2018 | Natural Gas Intelligence
By Carolyn Davis
Houston-based Halliburton Co. has inked a contract to help Saudi Arabia develop the country’s unconventional natural gas. -
Greens File Suit Over EPA Rejection of Baytown Challenge
May 29, 2018 | E&E Greenwire
By Sean Reilly
Two environmental groups have gone to court after EPA rejected their administrative challenge to the operating permit for one part of Exxon Mobil Corp.'s sprawling Baytown refinery and petrochemical complex near Houston. -
Friends of the Earth Says to Sue Shell Over Climate Change
May 29, 2018 | Reuters (In The New York Times)
Friends of the Earth plans to file a lawsuit against Royal Dutch Shell, accusing the oil company of failing to act on climate change, the environmental activist group said on Tuesday. -
Keystone XL Developer Showers Nebraska with Campaign Cash
May 29, 2018 | AP (In The Washington Post)
By Grant Schulte
The developer of the Keystone XL pipeline is showering Nebraska public officials with campaign cash as it fights for regulatory approval in a state that is one of the last lines of resistance for the $8 billion project. -
Canada to Buy Major Pipeline to Ensure It Gets Built
May 29, 2018 | AP (In The New York Times, The Washington Post)
Canada's federal government said Tuesday it is buying a controversial pipeline from the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific Coast to ensure it gets built. -
Pruitt Proposes Keeping SOx Standard As Is
May 29, 2018 | PoliticoPro - Whiteboard
By Alex Guillen
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt today proposed keeping the current sulfur dioxide air quality standard as is. -
Emails Show Climate Change Skeptics Tout ‘Winning’ Under Trump
May 29, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By John Bowden
A conservative think tank that seeks to battle global warming "alarmism" celebrated during President Trump's first year in office, according to emails obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request. -
Judge Rejects White House Attempt to Derail Kids' Suit Trial
May 29, 2018 | E&E Greenwire
By Amanda Reilly
A federal court has rejected another attempt by the Trump administration to scuttle an upcoming trial in a lawsuit brought by kids over climate change. -
Slowly But Steadily, the Travel Industry Cuts Its Ties to Disposable Plastics
May 29, 2018 | The Washington Post
By Andrea Sachs
When Dianna Cohen travels, she packs as if she were headed into battle.
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(ACC Mentioned) Plastic Resin Producers and Circular Economy Goals: An Interview With the ACC
May 29, 2018 | Plastics Today
By Rick Lingle
On behalf of the nation’s leading plastics resin producers, the Plastics Division of the American Chemistry Council (Washington, D.C.) announced on May 9 three goals designed to accelerate the industry’s transition to a more circular economy. These include:
1. 100% of plastics packaging will be re-used, recycled or recovered by 2040;Sponsored Content Brought to you by EpicorTransforming the Shop Floor Into a Strategic Business Driver
Like many manufacturers, your shop floor operations may be challenged with inefficient processes, unpredictable downtime, and difficulties with machinery maintenance. A manufacturing execution system (MES) can help make the most of your shop floor's capabilities, with tools that can identify under-performing and high-performance machines, and then optimize asset utilization accordingly.
2. 100% of plastics packaging will be recyclable or recoverable by 2030; and
3. 100% of the U.S. manufacturing sites operated by ACC’s Plastics Division members will participate in Operation Clean Sweep-Blue by 2020, with all of their manufacturing sites across North America involved by 2022.
There’s a lot to unpack from this ambitious strategy, so I caught up with Steve Russell, ACC’s vice president of plastics regarding reactions, implications, innovations, challenges and more.
How long has this strategy (or position paper) been in process before the release?
Russell: For many years, America’s resin producers have partnered with governments, brand owners, nonprofits and others in numerous initiatives designed to significantly improve recycling and recovery of post-use plastics packaging.
However, we realized that to move beyond incremental progress we needed to set goals. So these new goals are designed to accelerate progress. The goals are informed by years of experience, evaluation of new technologies, and the commitments being sent by major companies in key value chains. In the end it was only a matter of weeks for our members to approve these goals, demonstrating that they are deeply committed to growing recycling, and in addition, to supporting their customers’ commitments to do the same.
What’s been the feedback thus far?
Russell: So far, the reaction has been extremely positive. A few have asked if we can go faster, but many more have noted that these are in fact very ambitious goals. We’ve been clear that we believe these are stretch goals, and that they are an important first step in establishing a common vision to further align everyone with a stake in growing plastics recycling and recovery. At the same time, we realize meeting these goals is going to be a challenge. It will require our industry’s best thinking combined with long-term collaboration, investment, agility and resolve.
Any notable or unexpected positive reaction from an individual or group?
Russell: Since making the announcement, brand owners, nonprofits, and even executives within our member companies have reached out with positive feedback. It’s now up to all of us to capture that enthusiasm to put in place the technology, systems and infrastructure we need to make it happen.
What’s Operation Clean Sweep-Blue? And why is that the first goal?
Russell: Operation Clean Sweep is a system of best practices designed to help contain plastic pellets at all stages of production, shipping, handling and use to minimize accidental releases to the environment. OCS-Blue is a higher standard of practices that includes submitting data that will be publically reported in aggregate over two- to three-year increments. All of our producer members already participate in Responsible Care and have undergone independent certification to ensure they have systems in place to continuously improve environmental performance. In addition, many of them already participate in OCS. Adopting OCS-Blue in resin production operations across North America will help fast-track the move toward greater circularity while keeping valuable plastics out of our oceans and waterways.
Does this change the role or direction of plastics and/or bioplastics in any way?
Russell: Plastics, including bioplastics, will continue to be used in applications similar to today, but with greater opportunities in place to recycle and recover them afterward. Plastics are extremely efficient materials that are helping to lower environmental impacts in virtually every aspect of modern life. By increasing recycling and recovery options, we enable society to sustain economic growth while improving the environment for future generations.
What could be the most exciting changes related to pursuing these goals?
Russell: From an innovation standpoint, new technologies are being developed, some of which can convert used plastics back into basic building blocks, such as industrial chemicals—including monomers for new virgin plastics, waxes, lubricants, and fuels. Our members are taking a strong interest in these technologies. We see expanding value chain partnerships and new business models as key to achieving greater circularity. And from a cultural standpoint, we hope these improvements will enable consumers to view used plastics as raw materials awaiting their next use. We need them to do their part, too.
Of the six key areas identified, is there any one of these that companies should or will focus on first or are all do-able in parallel?
Russell: We intend to focus on these areas: (1) designing new products for greater efficiency and repurposing, (2) developing new technologies and systems for collecting, sorting, recycling and recovering materials, (3) making it easier for more consumers to participate in recycling and recovery programs, (4) expanding the types of plastics collected and repurposed, (5) aligning those products with key end markets, and (6) and expanding awareness that used plastics are valuable resources.
Right now, there’s a lot of emphasis on end markets and seeking innovative ways to repurpose more plastics. In one exciting example, Agilyx (Tigard, OR) is using chemical recycling to create styrene monomer from post-use polystyrene, and Americas Styrenics (The Woodlands, TX) has agreed to purchase that monomer to make new (virgin) polystyrene resin.
https://www.plasticstoday.com/packaging/plastic-resin-producers-and-circular-economy-goals-interview-acc/4807529058832
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Statement on Lowe’s Commitment to Ban Deadly Paint Strippers
May 29, 2018 | Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families
Today the home improvement retailer Lowe’s announced that it would phase out the use of two toxic chemicals known as methylene chloride and N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) in its paint removal products sold globally by the end of this year. Lowe’s becomes the first major U.S. retailer to commit to ending the sale of such products, which have been found to pose unacceptable health risks, including cancer, harm to the nervous system and childhood development, and even death.
Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families’ Mind the Store Campaign Director Mike Schade issued the following statement in response to the announcement by Lowe’s:
“We congratulate Lowe’s for its outstanding leadership in phasing out the sale of these toxic paint strippers. We thank Lowe’s for being the first retailer to take action on this critical consumer and worker safety issue. When complete, the removal of dangerous paint strippers from the shelves at Lowe’s and other stores will be a huge victory for the families who have lost loved ones to methylene chloride and for the more than 200,000 consumers across the country who signed petitions demanding action. It shows the power of both consumers and retailers to drive dangerous chemicals out of the marketplace. When facing federal inaction on vital issues facing the American public—some of which are matters of life or death—retailers have a responsibility and an opportunity to do right by their customers. Lowe’s has set the pace for the rest of the retail sector with its announcement today. The company’s actions will also help drive the development of safer green chemistry solutions.
We now urge other top retailers like The Home Depot, Walmart, and Menards to join Lowe’s in banning these dangerous products. If Lowe’s can commit to end the sale of these toxic products, so can its competitors. When will they match Lowe’s leadership?
Lowe’s action begins to fill a vacuum left by EPA’s failure under Administrator Scott Pruitt to finalize a ban on the use of these chemicals in paint strippers that EPA first proposed in January 2017. Today’s announcement by Lowe’s underscores the urgency for the EPA to finalize its proposed ban on both methylene chloride and NMP in paint strippers. Since the EPA first proposed action on these two chemicals, at least four consumers have died while working with methylene chloride-based paint strippers.”
BACKGROUND
Methylene chloride has been linked to more than 60 deaths nationwide since 1980. At least four of these deaths have occurred since the beginning of 2017 when the EPA first proposed its ban and advocates asked Lowe’s and The Home Depot to cease sale of these paint strippers. The chemical is also linked to lung and liver cancer, neurotoxicity, and reproductive toxicity. N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) impacts fetal development and can cause miscarriage and stillbirth. According to the EPA, more than 60,000 U.S. workers and 2 million consumers are exposed to methylene chloride and NMP annually.
Lowe’s announced its new policy amid a national campaign led by Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, NRDC, and other national and state coalition partners. More than 200,000 consumers nationwide have signed petitions urging Lowe’s to act over the past two months. In early May, advocates held a week of action in more than a dozen states demanding that Lowe’s act on methylene chloride. Last year, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families sent Lowe’s a letter warning the company about the dangers of these chemicals and requested that the store stop selling paint strippers containing toxic chemicals, including the product that killed one of their customers.
In January 2017, the EPA proposed banning paint strippers containing these chemicals under the newly strengthened Toxic Substances Control Act, citing the products’ unreasonable risks to human health. Under pressure from the chemical industry, the agency has yet to finalize the ban. Two days after EPA Administrator Pruitt met with families who have lost loved ones due to methylene chloride exposure, the EPA announced that it would finalize the methylene chloride rule. However the agency has revealed few details on the regulatory action it plans to take.
https://saferchemicals.org/newsroom/statement-on-lowes-commitment-to-ban-deadly-paint-strippers/
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Lowe's Commits to Phasing Out Chemical Products Linked to Cancer
May 29, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By Miranda Green
Home improvement retailer Lowe's will soon be ridding all of its stores of products carrying a toxic chemical known to cause cancer.
The company announced Tuesday it will soon phase out all products, including paints and paint thinners, that contain the toxic chemical methylene chloride. The change will occur throughout its global market by the end of the year.
The chemical, commonly found in paint thinners and metal cleaning products, can affect the central nervous systems of those who come in contact with it. Long exposure can at times lead to liver cancer. The chemical has been linked to dozens of deaths.
“We care deeply about the health and safety of our customers, and great progress is being made in the development of safer and more effective alternatives,” said Mike McDermott, chief customer officer at Lowe’s, in a statement. “As a home improvement leader, we recognize the need for viable paint removal products and remain committed to working closely with suppliers to further innovate in this category.”
Additionally, the company said in a statement it will be actively working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to "lead change in the industry."
The decision by Lowe's comes at a time where the federal government appears to be slow rolling a decision on whether to ban the chemical. The agency under the final days of the Obama administration proposed a rule to ban paint strippers containing the chemicals, but the Trump administration has yet to follow through with the proposal.
In December, the proposed bans were dropped from administration’s Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, but in March it signaled that it would follow through with the ban announcing that it won't reverse the Obama administration findings that enumerated various harms from exposure to the paint-stripping chemical.
The announcement that the EPA “is not re-evaluating the paint stripping uses of methylene chloride and is relying on its previous risk assessments” was a welcome sign for environmental and health advocates who had suspected that the Trump administration would go soft on the substance.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/389704-lowes-commits-to-phasing-out-chemical-products-linked-to-death
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Greens Seek to Depose Pruitt Over FOIA Requests
May 29, 2018 | E&E Greenwire
By Amanda Reilly
Greens want to force EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to testify in litigation over the agency's processing of Freedom of Information Act requests.
The Center for Biological Diversity on Friday asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for permission to depose Pruitt in court.
The group says it's necessary to determine whether EPA has complied with FOIA requests related to Pruitt's communications.
"Unless Pruitt's hauled before a judge, it's pretty obvious he'll just keep lying," Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. "Even Congress can't get a straight answer out of him. Putting Pruitt on the witness stand could finally reveal how he's colluding with polluters to sabotage protections for our air and water."
At issue in the case are FOIA requests that the Center for Biological Diversity filed seeking Pruitt's emails and other communications, as well as his schedules. The requests were filed on Feb. 28, 2017, 11 days after Pruitt became administrator of the agency.
CBD's suit alleges that EPA waited until August 2017 to even begin a narrow search of Pruitt's communications in his first days as administrator. When it finally responded months later, according to CBD, the agency released only email messages that other parties had sent to Pruitt and not any created by the administrator. The agency also excluded text messages, voice mails and other forms of communication, the lawsuit alleges.
CBD told the D.C. district court that EPA's response "does not pass the straight-faced test."
"In effect, EPA asks the Court to believe that a cabinet official such as Administrator Pruitt, who may have possessed at least four EPA email addresses and an unknown number of personal email accounts when he took office, did not generate a single email to anyone during his first days as EPA Administrator," the group said in Friday's motion.
CBD asked the court for permission to depose up to five EPA officers familiar with Pruitt's communications. The group said it also wants to question Ryan Jackson, Pruitt's chief of staff, and Elizabeth White, whose office oversees FOIA request processing in the Office of the Administrator.
EPA did not respond to a request for comment.
In court documents, however, the agency said it had performed a "reasonable search of all locations that were likely to contain information responsive to plaintiff's FOIA requests" and that it released all information that wasn't exempt from disclosure.
Judge Timothy Kelly, who was confirmed to the D.C. district court last year, is handling the case.
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2018/05/29/stories/1060082889
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Downstream Users of UK REACH Registrations ‘Could Become Importers’ Post-Brexit
May 29, 2018 | Chemical Watch
By Luke Buxton
The European Chemical Industry Council, Cefic, has put forward the idea of allowing the transfer of UK REACH registrations to downstream users of those chemicals in the EU to ensure their continued use after Brexit.
In a hard Brexit scenario – in which Britain becomes a third country outside the scope of REACH – existing registrations submitted by UK legal entities will become ‘non-existent’ from 30 March 2019.
Furthermore, UK only representatives (ORs) will cease to exist as registrants and will not be able to register substances for importers based in the EU27.
Speaking at Chemical Watch’s recent Brexit conference, Cefic’s REACH director Erwin Annys said that "all of a sudden from one day to the next" downstream users will be "confronted by the fact that they are not covered by a registration any more". And they "risk becoming an importer that has to register substances".
The only way to avoid this, he said, is if the UK registrant appoints an OR in one of the EU27 member states.
Mr Annys suggested that authorities and industry should be "flexible enough in our mindset to look at this possibility" and explore "how to tackle this in the best way".
He also raised the question of whether post-Brexit there is scope for a potential new pre-registration period for DUs of chemicals previously registered by UK entities. He gave the example of Croatia being granted a six-month pre-registration period when it joined the EU in 2013.Early stages
Mr Annys subsequently told Chemical Watch the transfer of a registration under these circumstances is "a theoretical possibility", yet Cefic does not know how many companies could be affected.
"For the moment we have not been very loud on it because we are further exploring all the possibilities and trying to get an idea of how big this potentially could be," he said. As such, the trade body has not approached Echa or the Commission directly with the idea.
Earlier this month, Cefic met with the European Automotive Industry Association (Acea) which has, according to Mr Annys, "the same feeling" that the loss of UK registered chemicals "may create some problems for a number of companies". Acea was unable to comment in time for publication.
Mr Annys said the chemicals industry feels that it is "clearly not living alone" with the idea that Brexit may create some "unforeseen problems". These, he said, will need to be discussed in advance with the Commission, to find out "the potential ways to make the life of EU27 companies as smooth as possible after Brexit".
Cefic plans to ask other industry associations if they have "more concrete proposals" to ease withdrawal, he said.
https://chemicalwatch.com/67256/downstream-users-of-uk-reach-registrations-could-become-importers-post-brexit
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Construction Begins on Houston Ethylene Export Terminal
May 29, 2018 | Houston Chronicle
By Katherine Blunt
Houston's Enterprise Products Partners and London's Navigator Holdings announced Tuesday that construction has begun on their ethylene export terminal at Enterprise's Morgan's Point facility on the Houston Ship Channel.
The terminal, a joint venture of the two companies, will have the annual capacity to export approximately 2.2 billion pounds of ethylene, a building block of many plastics. It's expected to being operating late next year.
The project comes amid a surge in ethylene production along the U.S. Gulf Coast. The so-called shale boom in West Texas has unleashed a cheap and steady supply of natural gas liquids such as ethane, a feedstock for petrochemicals and plastics.
U.S .ethane production is projected to increase nearly 60 percent to 2 million barrels a day by 2021, up from 1.26 million barrels a day in 2016, according to the research firm IHS Markit.
Much of that will be turned into ethylene. Enterprise and Navigator anticipate that U.S. ethylene production will reach 90 billion pounds per year during the same period.
https://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/Construction-begins-on-Houston-ethylene-export-12950438.php
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Halliburton Inks Deal to Develop Saudi Unconventional Natural Gas
May 29, 2018 | Natural Gas Intelligence
By Carolyn Davis
Houston-based Halliburton Co. has inked a contract to help Saudi Arabia develop the country’s unconventional natural gas.
Senior executives of state-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Co., i.e. Saudi Aramco, and Halliburton signed the agreement on Sunday for work to begin in June. The contract is for two years with the option for a one-year extension. No financial details were disclosed.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil exporter and it leads the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. However, the country also has huge gas reserves, much of it in shale and tight resources.
Halliburton is the No. 1 hydraulic fracturing company in North America.
“As a leader in unconventional resource development, we believe Halliburton will work best with Saudi Aramco to help in our pursuit of unconventional gas to serve domestic needs, offset local crude burning, provide feedstock for chemical industry development, and spur regional economic development in line with Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s national transformation program,” said Aramco’s Mohammed Y. Qahtani, senior vice president of upstream.
Vision 2030 is a modernization plan underway to open the country’s energy sector to foreign investment and eventually take Aramco public.
Aramco’s unconventional resource development program is focused on three areas: Northern Kingdom, South Ghawar, Jafurah and Rub’ Al-Khali.
Halliburton CEO Jeff Miller called the agreement a “great opportunity to provide a tailored application of Halliburton technology, logistics management and operational excellence to maximize Saudi Aramco’s asset value and deliver optimal recovery.”
Halliburton plans to use an integrated approach to support Aramco’s increased recovery and to meet production targets by providing project management, hydraulic fracturing, coiled tubing, wireline/perforating, completion tools and testing services.
“This contract includes a strong component to support our In Kingdom Total Value Add Program as developing Saudi labor force and developing and utilizing local suppliers is vital to the success of this project,” Qahtani said.
The Saudis are diversifying worldwide and in particular along the Texas coast through Aramco and Saudi Basic Industries Corp., aka SABIC, which agreed last year to develop with ExxonMobil Corp. a world-class ethane steam cracker on the South Texas coast near Corpus Christi.
Late last year Aramco signaled that it was interested in making investments outside the kingdom, and reportedly had inquired about purchasing unconventional assets in the Permian Basin and the Eagle Ford Shale.
Aramco also reportedly has discussed with Houston’s Tellurian Inc. about acquiring a stake or purchasing natural gas from a flurry of projects underway in Louisiana and Texas.
Aramco already has substantial Texas investments underway from Corpus Christi to the Golden Triangle complex east of Houston in the Beaumont/Port Arthur area.
Aramco-owned Motiva Enterprises, headquartered in Houston, operates North America’s largest refinery in Port Arthur, with crude capacity of 630,000 b/d.
In April Motiva secured two agreements that represent billions in potential investments to take advantage of growing U.S. natural gas and oil feedstocks. Memorandums of understanding were signed with TechnipFMC and Honeywell UOP to study at least two petrochemical projects.
Aramco in March also clinched commercial oil and gas partnerships with 14 U.S. energy companies, including Halliburton, and with other global operators that combined are worth $10 billion-plus.
The dealmaking followed transactions secured by Aramco last year during President Trump’s trip to the Middle East and Europe. Contracts secured at that time, which included U.S defense and healthcare industries, were worth an estimated $50 billion.
http://www.naturalgasintel.com/articles/114528-halliburton-inks-deal-to-develop-saudi-unconventional-natural-gas
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Greens File Suit Over EPA Rejection of Baytown Challenge
May 29, 2018 | E&E Greenwire
By Sean Reilly
Two environmental groups have gone to court after EPA rejected their administrative challenge to the operating permit for one part of Exxon Mobil Corp.'s sprawling Baytown refinery and petrochemical complex near Houston.
In the lawsuit, filed last week with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Environmental Integrity Project and Sierra Club did not spell out the grounds for the legal challenge. But in March, EPA had rejected their 2016 petition questioning a decision by Texas regulators to classify a new ethylene production unit at the complex as a "minor modification" not subject to New Source Review permitting requirements that could have resulted in added pollution controls.
While the petition argued that state officials improperly relied on another permit that set "plantwide applicability" emissions limits, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt wrote that the environmental groups should have raised those concerns when that earlier permit was issued more than a decade earlier (E&E News PM, March 22).
The 2016 administrative petition was one of five challenging the Title V operating permits at the Baytown complex and other major industrial facilities in Texas. Since EPA failed to act on any of those petitions by a statutory 60-day deadline, the agency is now under a court order to deal with them at the rate of one a month through July.
Including the rejection of the Baytown petition now being challenged with the 5th Circuit, EPA has issued three of those decisions. The next, due by Friday, will come on a petition disputing the Title V permit for Motiva Enterprises LLC's Port Arthur, Texas, refinery. The last, required by July 2, pertains to the permit for the Welsh Power Plant, located in northeast Texas and owned by Southwestern Electric Power Co., a subsidiary of American Electric Power Co. Inc.
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2018/05/29/stories/1060082895
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Friends of the Earth Says to Sue Shell Over Climate Change
May 29, 2018 | Reuters (In The New York Times)
Friends of the Earth plans to file a lawsuit against Royal Dutch Shell, accusing the oil company of failing to act on climate change, the environmental activist group said on Tuesday.
Shell has set out "ambitions" to halve carbon emissions by 2050 and expand in renewables, but the Anglo-Dutch company has come under pressure from investors and activists to reduce its carbon footprint and comply with the 2015 international Paris climate agreement.
Friends of the Earth informed the oil and gas company last month it planned to take legal action if Shell did not reduce investment in fossil fuels and cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.
In response, Shell Company Secretary Linda Szymanski said in a letter, dated May 28, seen by Reuters, that the company did not believe that these claims had merit. "Nor do we consider that the courts provide the right forum to advance the global energy transition."
A Shell spokeswoman confirmed the letter had been sent and its content.
Sam Cossar-Gilbert of Friends of the Earth International said in a statement: "Yesterday Shell rejected our demands, so now we will take them to court, formal summons will be issued shortly."
The lawsuit will be filed in the Netherlands.
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2018/05/29/business/29reuters-shell-climatechange.html
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Keystone XL Developer Showers Nebraska with Campaign Cash
May 29, 2018 | AP (In The Washington Post)
By Grant Schulte
The developer of the Keystone XL pipeline is showering Nebraska public officials with campaign cash as it fights for regulatory approval in a state that is one of the last lines of resistance for the $8 billion project.
A political action committee for TransCanada Inc. has donated more than $65,000 to campaigns within the last year, mostly to Republican state lawmakers, the Nebraska GOP and Gov. Pete Ricketts, according to an Associated Press review of campaign disclosure records.
Pipeline opponents say the company’s contributions show it’s trying to exert influence over the state’s top elected officials at the expense of landowners who don’t want the pipeline running through their property.
“There is no question big political donations have bought some politicians,” said Jane Kleeb, president of the Bold Alliance.
Kleeb said her group has worked to recruit and support candidates who openly oppose the Keystone XL pipeline. She noted that activists have kept the project from moving forward for a decade, despite being outspent. TransCanada first proposed the pipeline in July 2008.
Within the past year, TransCanada has given $25,000 to Ricketts’ re-election campaign, $15,000 to the Nebraska Republican Party and $25,500 to state lawmakers, according to filings with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission.
TransCanada spokesman Matthew John defended the contributions.
“We participate in an open and transparent political process and will continue to support elected officials and public policies that promote the safe and environmentally responsible development of North American energy infrastructure,” he said.
John said the Keystone XL is “a safe and critical piece of energy infrastructure” that will provide economic benefit to local communities.
Most of the donations were made last year, before a state regulatory commission narrowly approved the project. The Nebraska Public Service Commission voted 3-2 in favor of the pipeline in November, but its decision is mired in a pending lawsuit before the state Supreme Court and could get returned for a new review. Oral arguments in the case aren’t expected until September at the earliest.
The 1,179-mile pipeline would transport up to 830,000 barrels a day of Canadian crude through Montana and South Dakota to Nebraska, where it would connect with lines to carry oil to Gulf Coast refineries. TransCanada announced in April it was meeting with landowners and starting aerial surveillance of the proposed route. The company hopes to begin construction in early 2019.
The pipeline faces intense resistance from environmental groups, Native American tribes and some landowners along the route, who worry about its long-term impact on their groundwater and property rights. Many of the affected Nebraska landowners have accepted the company’s proposal, however, and are eager to collect payments.
A federal lawsuit brought by Montana landowners and environmental groups seeks to overturn President Donald Trump’s decision to grant a presidential permit for the project, which was necessary because it would cross the U.S.-Canadian border.
TransCanada’s spending in Nebraska is high compared to many companies that lobby state officials, said Jack Gould, issues chairman of Common Cause Nebraska, a political watchdog group. In addition to the campaign contributions, TransCanada has previously reported spending more than $1.2 million on lobbying in Nebraska between 2006 and mid-2017.
“I guess from their perspective, they’re doing what they think they need to do to get the pipeline built,” Gould said.
The Nebraska Legislature gave the project an informal boost in March 2017 when a super-majority of the state’s lawmakers signed a letter calling on the Nebraska Public Service Commission to approve the route through the state. All but three were Republicans, although some Democrats support the project because of its promise to create union jobs.
The letter said the pipeline has already undergone a thorough review and would generate local property tax revenue. Four months later, many of those who signed the letter received donations ranging from $500 to $5,000.
This year, a bill that would have imposed tougher regulations on oil pipelines was killed early in the legislative session.
Sen. Bob Krist, of Omaha, the measure’s sponsor, withdrew the measure less than a week after introducing it. Krist, who has taken contributions from TransCanada in past years and is now a Democratic candidate for governor, said there was no point in pursuing the legislation after it was intentionally steered to a hostile committee.
Nebraska Republican Party Executive Director Kenny Zoeller said TransCanada made the party contributions as a sponsor for state GOP events, including recognition dinners for state senators and local volunteers. The state party has approved resolutions in the past voicing formal support for the Keystone XL, he said.
One state lawmaker who received a $1,000 donation, state Sen. Dan Watermeier, of Syracuse, is now running for an open seat on the Nebraska Public Service Commission.
Watermeier, a Republican who supports the pipeline, said he has received contributions from the company in the past. The most recent one was made before he announced his candidacy for the commission, and Watermeier noted that other candidates have taken donations from industries the commission regulates.
“I don’t think it’s a big deal,” he said.
In a statement, Ricketts campaign spokesman Matthew Trail said the governor “appreciates the support of each of the more than 2,700 contributors to his re-election campaign, who share his vision for a bright, prosperous future for our growing state.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/keystone-xl-developer-showers-nebraska-with-campaign-cash/2018/05/29/0ef3f06e-6360-11e8-81ca-bb14593acaa6_story.html?utm_term=.15008d661a7b
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Canada to Buy Major Pipeline to Ensure It Gets Built
May 29, 2018 | AP (In The New York Times, The Washington Post)
Canada's federal government said Tuesday it is buying a controversial pipeline from the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific Coast to ensure it gets built.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government plans to spend $4.5 billion Canadian (US$3.4 billion) to purchase Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline.
The pipeline expansion would triple the capacity of an existing line to ship oil extracted from the oil sands in Alberta across the snow-capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies. It would end at a terminal outside Vancouver, resulting in a seven-fold increase in the number of tankers in the shared waters between Canada and Washington state.
Facing stiff environmental opposition from British Columbia's provincial government and activists, Houston-based Kinder Morgan earlier halted essential spending on the project and said it would cancel it altogether if the national and provincial governments could not guarantee it.
"It must be built and it will be built," Finance Minister Bill Morneau. "Make no mistake: this is an investment in Canada's future."
The pipeline would allow Canada to diversify and increase exports to Asia, where it could command a higher price. Canada has the world's third largest oil reserves but 99 percent of its exports now go to refiners in the U.S., where limits on pipeline and refinery capacity mean Canadian oil sells at a discount.
"For too long we have relied on one trading partner for our oil and gas exports," Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr said.
The project has pitted oil-rich Alberta against coastal British Columbia, where concerns about fisheries, real estate values, tourism and ocean ecology are high. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson calls the pipeline an unacceptable risk that threatens 10,000 jobs in the harbor.
Indigenous leaders and environmentalists have pledged to do whatever necessary to thwart the pipeline including chaining themselves to construction equipment.EDITORS’ PICKSHallucinogenic Drugs as Therapy? I Tried ItSurest Way to Face Marijuana Charges in New York: Be Black or HispanicStorms, Missteps and an Ailing Grid Left Puerto Rico in the Dark
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The Trans Mountain expansion is projected to lead to a tanker traffic balloon from about 60 to more than 400 vessels annually as the pipeline flow increases from 300,000 to 890,000 barrels per day.
Morneau called the purchase an "exceptional situation" and said the government doesn't intend to be a long-term owner of the pipeline. The government is buying the existing pipeline and the scheduled twinned pipeline expansion. The federal cabinet approved the purchase on Tuesday.
Steve Kean, chairman and chief executive of Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd., said the deal represents the best opportunity to complete the expansion project. "We've agreed to a fair price for our shareholders and we've found a way forward for this national interest project," he told a conference call with financial analysts.
Analysts have said China is eager to get access to Canada's oil, but largely gave up hope that a pipeline to the Pacific coast would be built.
Trudeau approved the expansion, arguing that it was "economically necessary" and enabled him to overcome opposition to a carbon tax plan that will help Canada cut its greenhouse emissions.
But many indigenous people see the 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) of new pipeline as a threat to their lands, echoing concerns raised by Native Americans about the Keystone XL project in the U.S. Many in Canada say it also raises broader environmental concerns by enabling increased development of the carbon-heavy oil sands.
More than 200 people, including two members of Parliament, have been arrested already at Kinder Morgan's oil tanker and terminal site in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley cheered the news of the federal government's purchase on Twitter. "This project has more certainty than ever before. We won't stop until the job is done!"
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/05/29/world/ap-cn-canada-pipeline.html
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Pruitt Proposes Keeping SOx Standard As Is
May 29, 2018 | PoliticoPro - Whiteboard
By Alex Guillen
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt today proposed keeping the current sulfur dioxide air quality standard as is.
The proposal was expected following a recommendation from the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee to retain the current standard. The SO2 standard was last updated by the Obama administration in 2010, when it was strengthened to 75 parts per billion averaged over one hour.
“The U.S. is making tremendous progress reducing SO2 concentrations, and the proposal to retain the existing standard is based upon the best available science and the recommendations of our independent science advisors,” Pruitt said in a statement.
SO2 pollution, which comes from fossil fuel power plants and other industrial facilities, exasperates respiratory illnesses, contributes to the formation of acid rain and particulate matter pollution and creates visibility-reducing haze.
WHAT’S NEXT: EPA will take public comment for 45 days once the proposal is published in the Federal Register. The agency faces a court deadline to finalize its decision by Jan. 28.
https://subscriber.politicopro.com/energy/whiteboard
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Emails Show Climate Change Skeptics Tout ‘Winning’ Under Trump
May 29, 2018 | The Hill - E2 Wire
By John Bowden
A conservative think tank that seeks to battle global warming "alarmism" celebrated during President Trump's first year in office, according to emails obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request.
The trade publication E&E News reported that Joe Bast, the co-founder of the Illinois-based Heartland Institute, wrote to allies in January that 2017 had been "a great year for climate realists" due to policies pursued by the Trump administration. The email referred to the White House's efforts to direct federal agencies to remove references to climate change from official documents.
"This is what victory looks like," he wrote in October when noting that "global warming" wasn't mentioned in the EPA's strategic plan for upcoming years.
"More winning, this time at FEMA," he added in March when FEMA cut references to climate change from its plans.
According to the released emails, the EPA coordinated with Heartland to include climate change skeptics in meetings about accuracy and scientific integrity, and is asking Trump officials to appoint a committee designed to combat "the bias that infected climate science and policymaking" under the Obama administration.
Former Texas Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R), who now leads the group, told The Associated Press that the EPA recognizes his group as a "pre-eminent organization opposing the radical climate alarmism agenda."
An EPA spokesperson told the AP that the agency works with the Heartland Institute, among other organizations, "to ensure the public is informed."
An internal EPA memo leaked in March showed that the agency instructed staffers to balance evidence that links human beings to climate change with "gaps" in the science.
"Human activity impacts our changing climate in some manner. The ability to measure with precision the degree and extent of that impact, and what to do about it, are subject to continuing debate and dialogue," reads the memo, which says administrator Scott Pruitt encourages an "open" debate on climate science.
In April, the EPA said that updates to the website including those that removed references to climate change “reflect the views of the leadership of the agency.”
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/389713-emails-show-climate-skeptic-group-gloated-about-winning-under-trump
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Judge Rejects White House Attempt to Derail Kids' Suit Trial
May 29, 2018 | E&E Greenwire
By Amanda Reilly
A federal court has rejected another attempt by the Trump administration to scuttle an upcoming trial in a lawsuit brought by kids over climate change.
Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon on Friday denied the administration's motion to halt the discovery process leading up to the Oct. 29 trial.
In a three-page order, he wrote that the administration's motion was an attempt at "recasting" prior unsuccessful bids to dismiss the litigation.
Aided by Our Children's Trust, 21 youth plaintiffs initially brought the suit against the Obama administration over the government's alleged role in causing and enhancing the danger of climate change.
The plaintiffs argue that the government violated its duty to protect the public trust by ensuring that the atmosphere, water, seas, seashore and wildlife are safe for future generations.
Coffin and Judge Ann Aiken of the Oregon district court denied requests by the Obama administration and by industry groups — which have since left the case — to dismiss the complaint.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has also ruled that the case could go forward. In March, the circuit court rejected the Trump administration's petition for writ of mandamus, an extraordinary request for a higher court to circumvent a lower court's decision.
In its latest legal maneuver, the Trump administration argued to the district court that the children's claims must proceed under the Administrative Procedure Act. Under the APA, plaintiffs aren't entitled to discovery; courts instead review claims solely based on the administrative record.
But Coffin flatly rejected the administration's argument. He wrote that the kids had clearly brought constitutional claims, not APA claims.
"No such claim is pleaded, and the defendants have no ability to edit the complaint to cobble the claim into one [of] their choosing to derail discovery," Coffin wrote.
Coffin also denied the administration's request to stay all discovery on the grounds that the process may implicate matters of privilege.
"Under such rationale," Coffin wrote, "the government could avoid all discovery in any litigation in which it is named as a defendant."
Julia Olson, executive director at Our Children's Trust, applauded the decision, saying in a statement that the trial is on track for Oct. 29.
"While the federal defendants file motions to stop these youth from securing their constitutional rights, our team has been preparing for trial and we will be ready," she said.
https://www.eenews.net/greenwire/2018/05/29/stories/1060082867
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Slowly But Steadily, the Travel Industry Cuts Its Ties to Disposable Plastics
May 29, 2018 | The Washington Post
By Andrea Sachs
When Dianna Cohen travels, she packs as if she were headed into battle. And in a way, she is. Her enemy is single-use plastics.
To combat her foe, which appears in such disguises as water bottles, straws and bags, Cohen always carries a stainless-steel cup by Hydro Flask and a S’well bottle that she fills up at hydration stations and taps. For purchases, she thwarts plastic sacks with a reusable Micro ChicoBag. She also throws in To-Go Ware bamboo utensils, a folding spork, titanium plates and two metal straws.
“I found out that it wasn’t very polite of me to pull out a straw without one for a friend,” said the chief executive of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, an alliance working to cleanse the planet of plastics.
Unfortunately, her arsenal can’t always protect her from the omnipresent material. In these situations, she will switch to a defensive position.
“Please don’t put any plastic in my drink,” Cohen will inform the server or bartender when placing her order.
The world is drowning in plastic, and the travel industry is enabling our habit. The disposable items turn up on planes (cups, stirrers, water bottles), hotels (toiletries, breakfast utensils, laundry bags) and cruise ships (straws, straws, straws). For instance, Hurtigruten uses 390,000 plastic cups and 960,000 straws on its cruises each year. A typical limited-service Marriott hotel in North America blows through 23,000 toiletry bottles annually. Last year, Alaska Airlines handed out 22 million plastic stirrers and citrus picks.
“There are huge amounts of plastic in the travel industry,” said Erik Solheim, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program. “It’s basically everywhere.”
[What is ‘green travel,’ anyway? A beginner’s guide to eco-friendly vacation planning.]
To address the perils of plastics — for a reality shock, watch the YouTube video of a Costa Rican sea turtle with a straw up his nasal cavity — several organizations have launched global programs to raise awareness and reduce consumption. U.N. Environment unveiled the CleanSeas campaign last year, and more than 40 countries have signed on, including dozens of nations that have banned plastic bags. The Plastic Pollution Coalition offers free guides on how to live — and travel — without plastics. And OneLessStraw rewards participants who promise to renounce straws with a reusable glass version.
If you missed International Straw Free Day on Feb. 3 — perhaps you were too busy celebrating Ice Cream for Breakfast Day or Elmo’s birthday — you’ll have more chances to nix plastic this summer. International Plastic Bag Free Day falls on July 3, or take the whole month off with Plastic Free July, a movement that originated in Perth, Australia, in 2011.
You might also consider de-plasticizing your vacation. Many destinations, airlines, hotels and cruise lines are phasing out single-use plastics and introducing more environmentally friendly alternatives, including edible styles. Now, you can toast your plastic-free summer with a festive cocktail accessorized with a straw that could end up in your gullet but never the landfill or ocean.Plastics aren't welcome here
Rwanda was a pioneer, banning nonbiodegradable polyethylene bags a decade ago. The effort has worked. “Kigali has to be one of the cleanest cities in Africa,” Michael Sheldrick, vice president of global policy and government affairs at Global Citizen, said of Rwanda’s capital. “You don’t see bags floating in the streets or hanging from trees.” Since then, more than 40 countries have enacted laws on plastics. The restrictions vary from mild (a nominal bag tax in Denmark) to serious (up to $40,000 in fines or four years in jail in Kenya). Here is a sampling of measures around the world.
United States: California banned select retailers from providing plastic bags to customers two years ago and recently introduced a bill reigning in straws at restaurants. In New York, lawmakers have floated several proposals, including a statewide bag ban and, in New York City, an embargo on the sale of water bottles in public parks and beaches and the distribution of straws in drinking and dining establishments. One law under consideration in Hawaii would punish violators caught selling or offering straws with a three-figure fine and hours of community service, such as removing litter.
On the local level, environmental organizations estimate that 150 to 250 cities have banned plastic bags, including Boston (effective in November) and Malibu, Calif. (2008), which will add straws, stirrers and cutlery to its forbidden list on June 1. After its successful Strawless in Seattle campaign last year, the Emerald City will outlaw straws and utensils after July 1. For other actions around the country, consult the State Plastic and Paper Bag Legislation list assembled by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Canada: Starting on July 1, the country will no longer sell beauty and oral-care products seeded with plastic microbeads. Cities are also baring their anti-plastic fangs. Montreal will ban bags starting on June 5; Victoria will follow suit in July. The Vancouver Aquarium has not permitted straws for a decade, and its host city has finally caught the eco-wave with its Single-Use Item Reduction Strategy. “First in Canada!” the mayor’s office tweeted May 16. “Vancouver adopts new policy to prohibit polystyrene foam cups and takeout containers, and single-use plastic straws, as part of the Zero Waste 2040 strategy.”
Central America: Belize will celebrate Earth Day 2019 by ridding itself of straws, bags and utensils. Costa Rica has equally grand ambitions: The eco-friendly country intends to eliminate all single-use plastics by 2021, the same year it plans to become carbon neutral. Last year, Chile’ s president addressed the marine crisis by prohibiting bags in more than 100 coastal villages and towns. In May, he strengthened the message by proposing a nationwide ban.
In Greece, plastics abound in a landfill on the outskirts of Athens. The European Union announced a plan that addresses the issue. Some nations, such as France and Britain, have already banned straws and plastic bottles. (Thanassis Stavrakis/AP)Europe: The European Union released its three Rs platform in January: The 28 member states must shift to recyclable plastic packaging by 2030, reduce consumption of single-use plastics and restrict microplastics. However, many European countries have already shown plastics the door.
In Britain, the prime minister recently announced a ban on all single-use plastics, including stirrers and cotton swabs, starting as early as next year. Even Queen Elizabeth II is on-message: Her Royal Highness ousted straws and plastic bottles from the royal estates, including the gift shops and cafes. On the continent, Hamburg has given the boot to non-recyclable coffee pods and France will end its fraternité with plastics by forbidding cups, plates and cutlery beginning in 2020.
Africa: Several African countries have banned or taxed plastic items, including Botswana, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Morocco and Tanzania. However, U.N. Environment said enforcement is “somewhat patchy” in many places. In August, Kenya passed one of the world’s strictest laws. “You will stand out for sure,” Solheim said of individuals spotted with plastic bags. “They will tell you to get rid of it.”
Asia: In February, Taiwan announced a multiphase plan to wean itself off plastic products by 2030. The island nation will kick off the uncoupling with no straws in chain restaurants in 2019 and end with a complete ban on bags, food containers and utensils.Sailing and flying without straws
If you want a straw for your margarita and ocean views, you’ll have to ask for it.
In April, Carnival announced a by-request-only policy for its 26 ships. One exemption: frozen drinks. In addition, the company’s P&O Cruises and Cunard will eliminate all plastics by 2022.
[World-Class Heritage, Here in the U.S.]
Each year, Hurtigruten uses 390,000 plastic cups and 960,000 straws on its cruises, but starting July 2, the cruise line will strip its ships of the offending accessory — in addition to stirrers, cutlery and coffee-cup lids. (Darren Staples/Reuters)Passengers aboard Royal Caribbean’s newest vessel, Symphony of the Seas, won’t find straws, stirrers or picks on the world’s largest cruise ship. The company will extend its policy to Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and other RCI ships “as soon as possible,” according to a statement.
Starting July 2, Hurtigruten will scrub its 17 ships of plastics, including straws, stirrers, plastic-wrapped plastic glasses, cutlery, bags, coffee cup lids, toothpicks, aprons and single-use packaged butter.
On July 16, Alaska Airlines will substitute plastic stirrers and citrus picks with a white birch version on all domestic and international flights and in airport lounges. The carrier will accommodate passengers who request a straw with a marine-friendly variety.
Ryanair peered into the crystal ball and saw no plastics by 2023: “For customers on board, this will mean initiatives such as a switch to wooden cutlery, biodegradable coffee cups, and the removal of plastics from our range of in-flight products,” the low-fare European airline announced earlier this year.Meet the newest guests: bamboo and paper
After attending the Burning Man festival in Nevada four years ago, Ben Pundole returned to his life as vice president of brand experience at Edition Hotels with a new purpose: to purify the boutique hotel chain of plastics. The Miami Beach, London and Manhattan properties reached the 80 to 90 percent purge mark on Earth Day. To achieve his goal, Pundole switched over to bamboo for the food containers, combs and toothbrushes and to cans for the gym and turndown service. Edition plans to open seven hotels in the next 18 months and all will adhere to Pundole’s Burning Man revelation.
Bruno Correa, who founded Bee + Hive, an association of eco-minded hotels, parks and restaurants, started with “the low-hanging fruit.” The seven properties in Brazil, Sweden, Zimbabwe, Australia and Georgia will offer paper — not plastic — straws. “When people ask for a straw,” he said, “we can use this as an opportunity to educate them about the issue.”
Larger chains with thousands of rooms are also casting out straws. Among them: Anantara and Avani Hotels & Resorts in Asia, Australasia, Europe and the Middle East; Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts; India-based Taj Hotels; AccorHotels in North and Central America; and Marriott, which has removed straws at 60 British properties and replaced toiletry bottles with shower dispensers at 1,500 North American hotels. The company expects to triple the number of hotels with the refillable containers by the end of the year.
Some Hilton hotels are testing edible straws made of sugar and cornstarch and everything eco-nice. Its China properties are pulling water bottles from meeting rooms, events, gyms and spas, saving more than 13 million bottles a year. In Australia, nearly 20 hotels tout no plastics, down to the pens and laundry bags. During Earth Week, Hilton Los Cabos became the first hotel in Mexico to eighty-six straws.
Iberostar Group is on a mission to clear all plastic from its 36 Spain hotels by this summer and its 110 properties around the world by 2019. The decision translates to 2.5 million fewer plastic items besmirching the environment.BYO reusable bottle and other tips
When packing, follow the BYO principle. At the very minimum, carry a refillable bottle that can handle hot and cold liquids and a metal spork, because ice cream is mandatory at every destination. If you subsist on food truck and takeout fare, toss in camping-style plates, cups and utensils, including chopsticks, which can double as a coffee stirrer. Fancy a reusable straw? Pick your flavor: stainless-steel, paper, glass, bamboo and even pasta. For shopping excursions, bring collapsible bags that can accommodate purchases of various sizes and heft. Don’t forget a mesh or cloth sack for laundry and muddy shoes.
To avoid a pyramid of plastic waste, travel with a refillable bottle or cup and a reusable or biodegradable straw made of stainless steel, paper or bamboo. (Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)On planes, Cohen suggests you forgo the plastic cup on the beverage cart and instead hold out your reusable chalice and smile. Contamination is a concern; the flight attendant will pour high so that the lip of the serving bottle doesn’t kiss your container.
Countries with unsafe tap water is one of the biggest challenges for the plastic-averse. (Even travelers who embrace plastic should be careful in developing countries, which may use a cheap material that can leach into the liquid.) If you are staying at a hotel with treated water, fill up your flask each day. If your room has a kettle, boil water then let it cool and pour it into your vessel. Also, hydrate creatively. In India, Cohen drank hot chai and carbonated water sold in glass bottles. When Nunez visits Belize and Mexico, she prepares her own potable water with a SteriPEN, a UV-powered water purifier. She also recommends Sawyer Mini for rural areas with turbid water and LifeStraw for everywhere else. The filtration system doesn’t just remove bacteria and chemicals; it also keeps up 8,000 water bottles off the streets and out of our oceans.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/slowly-but-steadily-the-travel-industry-cuts-its-ties-to-disposable-plastics/2018/05/26/56ca595a-52fd-11e8-abd8-265bd07a9859_story.html?utm_term=.8f4863b5ba34
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