This was supposed to be recycling's year. What happened?

Jun 13, 2023 View in browser   By Debra Kahn and Jordan Wolman THE BIG IDEA Bills to get manufacturers to fund recycling are sputtering out across the country. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images PROGRESS SLOW — 2023 was supposed to be a huge year for recycling in the U.S. (We reported as much.) But nearly a dozen state-level bills to fund increased recycling have gone nowhere in legislative sessions or been watered down to shadows of their former selves, Jordan reports. A string of setbacks in Hawaii, Washington, Connecticut, Maryland, Illinois and other blue states was capped last week in New York, where Democrats failed — for the third time in as many years — to pass a producer-responsibility program despite environmental groups finally reaching consensus around a proposal to shift the costs to those producing the waste, instead of local governments and residents. “It definitely has not been the year we expected,” said Dan Felton, executive director of the American Institute for Packaging and the Environment, which represents companies throughout the packaging supply chain, from consumer brands like McDonald's and Kellogg’s to manufacturers like 3M and ExxonMobil. Advocates were pushing one type of recycling bill in particular: Extended-producer responsibility programs, or requirements for producers (of packaging, bottles, what have you) to fund collection and recycling of their products themselves. The idea is that if they have to pay for it, they'll be likelier to formulate their products to be more easily recycled, reducing landfill waste and plastic that isn't economic to recycle. Environmentalists had reason to think this year would be big: They were building on momentum from California, Colorado, Oregon and Maine, which all saw EPR laws enacted the past two years. The bills proposed this year failed for a variety of reasons. Washington's collapsed under the weight of too many provisions, while competing measures of differing ambitions split lawmakers in New York and Hawaii. Recycling advocates are debating how best to proceed next year. Industry groups, meanwhile, see an opportunity to take a larger role. "Some want it to be absolutely everything all at once, and Democrats are getting pulled in different directions," Felton said. "Maybe there’s an opportunity here for industry to coalesce a little bit more so that we can be more productive in offering solutions as the states are considering this.”   GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGISTER HERE.     EXTREMES CHARGING AHEAD — Florida is thinking about how to adapt its electric vehicle infrastructure to extreme weather, Mike Lee reports for POLITICO's E&E News. When Florida Power & Light Co. held its hurricane drill this year, it rolled out a new piece of equipment: a trailer mounted with six charging stations for electric vehicles that's designed to be hauled to roadside stops along evacuation routes. “We think about our EV network in the same way we think about our energy grid. It’s critical infrastructure,” said Crystal Stiles, who manages FPL's EV charging. Concerns about electric vehicles failing during a crisis have become a talking point among some conservatives in Congress. “What should we do when we’re told to evacuate ahead of a hurricane, the electric grid is overloaded and we’re stuck in standstill traffic for hours?” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) asked during a hearing on Capitol Hill in May. Luna need look no further than her home state. Florida's DOT cited storms in the plans it submitted to the Biden administration seeking a piece of the bipartisan infrastructure law's $7.5 billion in funding for a high-speed EV charging network. Its plans call for elevating charging equipment, automatic shut-off systems and other storm-hardening features. “Florida’s unique circumstances … require innovative solutions, like mobile charging, to ensure Florida’s residents and visitors can safely evacuate prior to and return home after a storm,” the plan says. WHAT'S WORKING PROVING GROUNDS — The Biden administration is injecting more cash into a federal program designed to spur innovation in green technologies and fast-track the government’s transition to cleaner buildings, Andres Picon reports for POLITICO's E&E News. The General Services Administration is investing $30 million into its Green Proving Ground initiative to test 20 new “emerging and sustainable technologies,” officials announced last week — a fourfold increase over previous years’ testing capacity as the administration races to decarbonize its massive real estate portfolio. With the new round of funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, the program will focus on seven technology areas, which include electric vehicle charging equipment, greenhouse gas accounting technologies, low-carbon construction materials, energy storage systems and energy-efficient windows. It’s the latest example of how GSA, effectively the government’s landlord, is trying to leverage the Biden administration’s purchasing power to fund and evaluate up-and-coming clean tech. YOU TELL US GAME ON — Welcome to the Long Game, where we tell you about the latest on efforts to shape our future. We deliver data-driven storytelling, compelling interviews with industry and political leaders, and news Tuesday through Friday to keep you in the loop on sustainability. Team Sustainability is editor Greg Mott, deputy editor Debra Kahn and reporters Jordan Wolman and Allison Prang. Reach us all at gmott@politico.com, dkahn@politico.com, jwolman@politico.com and aprang@politico.com. Want more? Don’t we all. Sign up for the Long Game. Four days a week and still free! WHAT WE'RE CLICKING — To combat climate change, China is planning a national water network that some experts warn will be costly and environmentally disruptive. Reuters has the story. — Corporate executives are cooling their comments on diversity and inclusion alongside their newfound reticence on climate issues, the Wall Street Journal reports. — Looks like EV advocates have some persuading to do, even in deep-blue Maryland, where most residents oppose a ban on gas-powered cars, according to the Washington Post.   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today.       Follow us on Twitter Debra Kahn @debra_kahn Greg Mott @gwmott Jordan Wolman @jordanwolman Allison Prang @AllisonPrang   Follow us

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