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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, In September 2018, an enormous number of tiny |
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plastic pellets washed up on Mustang and North Padre Islands, |
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alerting Texans to the growing urgency of a worldwide problem; and |
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WHEREAS, Known colloquially as "nurdles," the tiny pellets |
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are a massive contributor to pollution, along with other |
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preproduction plastics, such as plastic resin flakes, fibers, |
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powders, and powdered coloring for plastics; they can accumulate by |
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the thousands, millions, and billions on beaches and waterways, |
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where wildlife such as seabirds, fish, and crustaceans can mistake |
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them for food; persistent and potentially toxic, the pellets can |
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get trapped in an animal's stomach, causing it to stop eating its |
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usual diet and starve, and industrial chemicals can enter the food |
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chain when they transfer from microplastics to the animals that |
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consume them; the pellets may also have indirect effects on |
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ecosystems, for instance, when their accumulation changes the |
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characteristics of sand, affecting animals such as sea turtles that |
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incubate their eggs on beaches; moreover, they diminish water |
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quality, damage the natural beauty that is vital to recreation and |
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tourism, and negatively impact commercial fishing; and |
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WHEREAS, According to a 2016 report, the global marine |
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environment is polluted by an estimated 230,000 tons of pellets |
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each year; nurdles can spill at any stage in the industrial process, |
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wherever they are stored, handled, or transported; because they are |
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small and light, they can be easily blown, washed, or brushed from |
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point sources, i.e., a single, confined place, into nonpoint |
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sources, such as storm runoff, and thence into drains, waterways, |
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and the ocean; and |
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WHEREAS, Pollution from preproduction plastic presents an |
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increasing threat to wildlife, the food chain, and the natural |
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environment, and it is vital that the Texas Commission on |
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Environmental Quality address this hazard; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house |
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of representatives to create a joint interim committee to study the |
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regulation by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality of |
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preproduction plastic from point and nonpoint sources; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That the committee be composed of five senators |
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appointed by the lieutenant governor and five members of the house |
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of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That the study address the need to ensure proper, |
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safe, restrictive disposal of preproduction plastic in the state |
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and address the importance of prompt cleanup of any discharged or |
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released plastic; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be |
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governed by such general rules and policies for interim committees |
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as the 87th Texas Legislature may adopt; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the committee submit a full report, including |
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findings and recommendations, to the 88th Texas Legislature in |
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January 2023. |