Reply from Senator Markey

 

EDWARD J. MARKEY MASSACHUSETTS		255 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON, DC 20510 (202) 224-2742
	United States Senate   January 10, 2022

 

Thank you for contacting me about the Rewarding Efforts to Decrease Unrecycled Contaminants in Ecosystems (REDUCE) Act of 2021 (S. 2645). It was good to hear from you.

The REDUCE Act of 2021 (S. 2645) was introduced by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse on August 8, 2021 and referred to the Committee on Finance. This legislation would establish a 20-cent per pound fee on the sale of new plastic used for single-use products. I will continue to monitor the status of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process. In the Senate, I have long supported critical efforts to fight the continued pollution of our oceans by plastics and other marine debris. I am a cosponsor of the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act (S. 984), which seeks to combat the plastic crisis by reducing and banning certain single-use plastic products, reforming our recycling collection system, and protecting environmental justice communities from the burden of toxic emissions from plastic waste.

Additionally, on August 10, 2021, I voted to pass the $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) out of the Senate, and in November 2021, President Biden signed this bill into law. This legislation included the Recycling Enhancements to Collection and Yield through Consumer Learning and Education (RECYCLE) Act of 2021 (S. 923), which will provide $75 million to support public education about recycling. The IIJA also provided $275 million to fund the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act (S. 1982), which was passed by Congress—with my support—and signed into law in 2020 by then-President Trump. Save Our Seas 2.0 seeks to help cut down on the production of plastic waste, improve our domestic ability to reuse and recycle plastic waste, and help other countries take steps to limit their plastic use.

The rapid increase of plastic production poses a serious threat by polluting our environment with litter, contributing to climate change through the plastic manufacturing process, and negatively impacting our health. Environmental justice communities are disproportionately impacted by this crisis, as they suffer most from the harms associated with plastic production and disposal.

While recycling reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators, most plastic waste in the United States is not successfully recycled. To truly address the plastic crisis, it is imperative that we work to not only improve recycling efforts, but also address excessive production and use of plastic.

I will continue to support and lead on efforts to address the escalating plastic pollution crisis, and thank you for your shared concern on this critical issue.

Thank you again for contacting me about this issue. If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. To sign up for my newsletter, visit http://www.markey.senate.gov/newsletter.  You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

 

Sincerely, 

Edward J. Markey
United States Senator

This is a long email about climate action, Build Back Better, and the path forward from here

 

I’m about to ask you to read a long email on the current state of the Build Back Better package, climate action, and our ongoing negotiations in the Senate to pass meaningful legislation for our planet. Then, I’m going to ask you to contribute $10 or anything you can to help our movement make it all happen.

I’ll explain more in just a minute, but if that’s all you need to hear to add your support, please use this link:

https://go.edmarkey.com/a/Build-Back-Better

Here’s the situation:

I support President Biden in his efforts to pass a Build Back Better package that can get 50 votes in the Senate, even if this means passing individual provisions as soon as possible.

This is especially true on climate and clean energy. The climate provisions in Build Back Better have largely been agreed upon and financed — that means drastically reducing emissions, promoting environmental justice in our communities, and creating millions of good-paying, union jobs all across our country.

The bottom line is that our planet cannot wait for gridlocked negotiations to continue. We are running out of time to take meaningful action, and we have to move quickly.

That is why we must pass a budget reconciliation bill with climate action, jobs and environmental justice at its core by President Biden’s State of the Union address. That should be our deadline.

What we do not pass in this deal becomes our movement’s agenda going forward, and what we run on here in 2022 and beyond. That includes voting rights, the Child Tax Credit, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, immigration reform, and so much more.

These policies will always be at the core of our agenda and our fight for justice. If we can find an agreement with Senator Manchin on these issues in the weeks and months ahead, then we absolutely should. But right now, we have a broad agreement on climate and clean energy, and we must act on that immediately.

And let us not forget this simple truth: Democrats are having to do all of this on our own because the Republican Party refuses to find any common ground with us whatsoever.

Their singular goal right now is to block the entire Biden agenda, and shut down any progress we could possibly make on these important issues that would help working families across the country.

That’s why we need to pass as many provisions in this bill as we can, when we can. And the time to act on climate is right now.

Now, all of this is just the starting point in our larger fight for a Green New Deal and bold climate action that will transform our society and deliver a just, livable future for our planet. But the truth is that that fight takes tremendous resources, and it means I have to ask:

Will you contribute $10 or anything you can afford to stand with me in our fight for climate justice? Every dollar you give will go straight toward growing our grassroots movement and building progressive power in Washington to make meaningful change a reality.

What we have with the climate provisions in Build Back Better will go a long way toward protecting our environment, revitalizing our economy, and converting our energy system away from fossil fuels once and for all.

Passing them would be a historic victory for our movement, and for people all over the world.

It’s time we deliver, and it’s time we get it done. Thank you for being a part of our fight.

In solidarity,

Ed Markey

 

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Paid for by The Markey Committee

The Markey Committee PO Box 120029 Boston, MA 02112 United States

SENATOR EDWARD MARKEY: ABOLITION AMENDMENT

EDWARD J. MARKEY MASSACHUSETTS		255 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON, DC 20510 (202) 224-2742
	United States Senate   January 21, 2022

 

Thank you for contacting me regarding the joint resolution known as the "Abolition Amendment" (S.J.Res. 21). It was good to hear from you on this important matter.

On December 6, 1865, the U.S. Constitution's Thirteenth Amendment formally ended chattel slavery within the United States. But it did not end all forms of slavery, as the amendment allows slavery and involuntary servitude to exist as punishments for crimes for convicted persons. From post-Reconstruction criminal codes to the Jim Crow era to the war on drugs, this "except as punishment" clause drove the over-incarceration and subsequent forced prison labor of Black Americans, particularly Black men.

I am a proud original cosponsor of the Abolition Amendment, which would right this wrong. This resolution would amend the U.S. Constitution by adding a new Article prohibiting the use of slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime. The Article would take effect upon ratification by three-fourths of the states.

I believe the Abolition Amendment is an important step towards a long overdue transformation of our federal criminal justice system.

The Senate version is pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which I am not a member. I will be sure to keep your comments in mind should it or related legislation come to the Senate floor for consideration.

Thank you again for contacting me about this issue. If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.  To sign up for my newsletter, visit http://www.markey.senate.gov/newsletter. You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

 

Sincerely,

Edward J. Markey
United States Senator