Washington, D.C. – To close out his push throughout July to tackle the plastic pollution crisis, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today reintroduced his Research for Healthy Soils Act. This legislation would unlock federal funding at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service to conduct research on microplastics in biosolids and help us better understand their potential impacts on soil health, crops, public health, and the environment.
“As microplastics leave their mark on seemingly every aspect of our lives and become more concentrated in our soil and water sources, it’s important that we invest in research to better understand just how many harmful chemicals are found in biosolids,” said Senator Merkley. “We know the widespread negative impacts of microplastics and the ways that they harm the human body. Knowing the impacts on soil health, crops, and public health is vital not only for feeding the country, but also for ensuring that our farming practices are sustainable in our fight against climate chaos.”
Biosolids are a valuable byproduct of the wastewater treatment process that can be applied as fertilizer to agricultural land, adding nutrients to the soil and improving soil structure. However, research on the presence and impacts of microplastics in biosolids on farmland remains limited. The Research for Healthy Soils Act is necessary to further our understanding of the effects of microplastics on biosolids and the overall health and safety of farming practices.
Joining Merkley in support of the Research for Healthy Soils Act are U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
Bipartisan companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) and Young Kim (CA-40).
Merkley is a long-time leader in the fight to address plastic pollution. As former Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight, he held a first-of-its-kind series of hearings investigating plastic production and pollution. His hearings examined: environmental and climate damage from plastics, impacts of plastics on environmental justice communities, reuse and refill systems, beverage container waste, and consumer challenges to recycling.
During July, Merkley led the charge to spotlight the harms of plastic pollution on our air, water, and soil. He introduced a Congressional resolution to designate July as Plastic Pollution Action Month, the bipartisan Microplastics Safety Act to better understand the threat of microplastics to human health, and the bicameral Fighting Fibers Act to tackle microfiber pollution from our laundry.
Full text of the Research for Healthy Soils Act can be found by clicking here.
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