White House Panel Takes Lead on Plastic Pollution Prevention

A new White House team to coordinate efforts to reduce plastic pollution will address the needs of overburdened communities, the Biden administration’s point person on the issue said Tuesday.

Jonathan Black, senior director for chemical safety and plastic pollution prevention at the Council on Environmental Quality, said the interagency policy committee would include the Agriculture, Energy, and State departments and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Plastic pollution disproportionately affects communities with environmental justice concerns, such as people of color and Indigenous groups, Black said at a panel hosted by the Environmental Law Institute.

“The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes this connection and is committed to ensuring that federal actions to address plastic pollution prioritize public health, economic development, and equity,” he said.

Black said he is the first White House official to specifically have plastic pollution in his title.