Statement on Wheeler Confirmation as Administrator of the EPA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) today issued the following statement from Leslie Bellas, AFPM vice present of regulatory affairs, commending the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to grant Louisiana primary enforcement responsibility (primacy) for the permitting and regulation of Class VI injection wells in the state. EPA’s decision makes Louisiana the third state, after North Dakota and Wyoming, where carbon capture projects have a streamlined permit approval process that allows for safe and efficient implementation.

As AFPM participates in the United Nations negotiations of a global agreement on plastic pollution in Kenya, the association released the following statement addressing criticisms of recycling and calls for production restrictions on polymers.

AFPM welcomes the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) efforts in developing a Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution, but consistent with comments submitted to the Agency, we urge a revision of their strategy. To prevent plastic pollution, we encourage EPA to embrace policies that enable, not hinder, a circular economy for plastics where we use a range of technologies and strategies to recover post-consumer plastic and transform it back into usable materials.