87R23823 KSM-D
 
  By: Hunter H.C.R. No. 104
 
 
 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         WHEREAS, In September 2018, an enormous number of tiny
  plastic pellets washed up on Mustang and North Padre Islands,
  alerting Texans to the growing urgency of a worldwide problem; and
         WHEREAS, Known colloquially as "nurdles," the tiny pellets
  are a massive contributor to pollution, along with other
  preproduction plastics, such as plastic resin flakes, fibers,
  powders, and powdered coloring for plastics; they can accumulate by
  the thousands, millions, and billions on beaches and waterways,
  where wildlife such as seabirds, fish, and crustaceans can mistake
  them for food; persistent and potentially toxic, the pellets can
  get trapped in an animal's stomach, causing it to stop eating its
  usual diet and starve, and industrial chemicals can enter the food
  chain when they transfer from microplastics to the animals that
  consume them; the pellets may also have indirect effects on
  ecosystems, for instance, when their accumulation changes the
  characteristics of sand, affecting animals such as sea turtles that
  incubate their eggs on beaches; moreover, they diminish water
  quality, damage the natural beauty that is vital to recreation and
  tourism, and negatively impact commercial fishing; and
         WHEREAS, According to a 2016 report, the global marine
  environment is polluted by an estimated 230,000 tons of pellets
  each year; nurdles can spill at any stage in the industrial process,
  wherever they are stored, handled, or transported; because they are
  small and light, they can be easily blown, washed, or brushed from
  point sources, i.e., a single, confined place, into nonpoint
  sources, such as storm runoff, and thence into drains, waterways,
  and the ocean; and
         WHEREAS, Pollution from preproduction plastic presents an
  increasing threat to wildlife, the food chain, and the natural
  environment, and it is vital that the Texas Commission on
  Environmental Quality address this hazard; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas
  hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house
  of representatives to create a joint interim committee to study the
  regulation by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality of
  preproduction plastic from point and nonpoint sources; and, be it
  further
         RESOLVED, That the committee be composed of five senators
  appointed by the lieutenant governor and five members of the house
  of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house; and, be it
  further
         RESOLVED, That the study address the need to ensure proper,
  safe, restrictive disposal of preproduction plastic in the state
  and address the importance of prompt cleanup of any discharged or
  released plastic; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be
  governed by such general rules and policies for interim committees
  as the 87th Texas Legislature may adopt; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That the committee submit a full report, including
  findings and recommendations, to the 88th Texas Legislature in
  January 2023.