Whitehouse leave me alone. [laughter] i am telling you, if we ever clean up plastics in the ocean, it will be because of these two folks in senator leahy and i will be willing coconspirators. I have been told about this a lot, and im astounded by the problem mankind has created for the oceans. We can be better stewards of gods creation. We are going to have a hearing today about some solutions, and we are going to find a way to create some kind of fund that people can contribute to. I know they are doing it at the world bank, but i like the global fund idea where the world comes together under American Leadership to solve a problem. Thank you colleagues, for your leadership. Thank you, mr. Chairman. With all the joking that goes back and forth, it is safe to say that the chairman and i feel very strongly about this. We do want to help. Were inwhitehouse and i vietnam last year. We met with the vietnamese officials and scientists to discuss Ocean Plastic pollution and had a great meeting. Here is a country with a 2000 mile coastline and when i say we, that means all human beings, are causing irreparable harm to the oceans marine wildlife. Keep in mind, it is the primary source of protein for billions in this world. We have acidification from carbon emissions, Plastic Wastes, rivers emptying into oceans with discarded plastic. And the coral reefs are dying. And from a personal point of avid my wife and i are scuba divers. Over the last 25 years, we have seen more and more of the damage this has caused. We have seen a dead sea turtle choked to death by a piece of shou. C it had around it it was literally hanged by the plastic. But then weve seen a whole lot of others. We have seen debris, plastics, and it is disappearing, but that in itself stops a whole ecological system and it could cover half a tennis court of debris in a dead whale. Just think about that. Seabirds are ingesting it. What i was shocked to find when one of our diving to find out that even plankton are ingesting plastics. A lot of people say recycling is the answer and i wish that was true, but less then 10 of the worlds plastic is recycled. Some plastics, like plastic bags cannot be recycled. Even plastics that are recyclable are only used a couple of times and then discarded. [indiscernible] in my state of vermont, we have a new law eliminating plastic bags and straws. A Program Since 1973 before you were born, mr. Chairman. Let the record reflect that. A whole year for i was in the senate. That was polluting, among other things. Lake champlain. I do not want to go into all the things. Senator whitehouse can talk about their coastlines. I will put my whole statement in the record, but we often talk about our the next generation. I think of our children and grandchildren. This is not a world they should be in if this continues. It is not a world anyone of us want to be in. In fact, it is a world that will not support a lot of people the world supports today. Thank you for having this hearing. Well said. Sen. Graham well said, senator leahy. I promise are two senators will get you out and look forward to your testimony, but we are going to do something about this. I know the average american thinks we have lost our mind appear, but there is a lot we agree on, and getting plastics out of the oceans should be something we should come together on with that. I will turn it over to senator sullivan. Sen. Sullivan thank you for the opportunity to talk about this important issue. I would like to say it is great to be here with my fellow friend and colleague senator whitehouse. We have spent a lot of time on this issue together, and the good news is we are making progress. I will not brag too much about alaska, but when we are talking about coastlines, we are aware of this challenge. Some of you may know the statistic that my state has more coastline than the lower 48 states combined. When we have beach cleanups, which is often a mix of plastic, pollution, fishing gear, trash, so much that it is measured in tons, not pounds, and mr. Chairman, as you know, the vast majority of this comes from overseas. We are not perfect in our country, but this is a problem that demands an International Element to address it. Senator whitehouse and i worked on the save our seas act in the last congress and it was passed. We had a very useful signing ceremony with the president , who is quite motivated on these issues. That led to the save our seas act 2. 0, which passed the senate in january and is under consideration in the house. Senator murphy, who is here, senator coons, van hollen, they were cosponsors, and mr. Chairman, you were, as all. It is not a Silver Bullet but crs did call that the most comprehensive Ocean Cleanup legislation ever to pass the United States senate. So we are proud of that bill. It does not solve everything, but, as i mentioned, mr. Chairman, that has a lot of provisions, the save our seas act 2. 0, to tackle this problem globally. I will not go through all the elements of it, but it is working internationally and prioritizes state department usaid, and i know you will hear from them today on the United States being the leader in Marine Debris efforts globally. I think you are starting to see that, mr. Chairman. You saw in the usmca, a provision on ocean debris. There is an entire chapter on Sustainable Fisheries that i had a little bit to do with. But this is, i think, it is a challenge, but at the end of the day, this is a good news story. Why is it a good news story . Because it is an environmental issue that we can target and we can solve. The estimates are some 70 of all the worlds global plastics, Marine Debris comes from 10 rivers in asia and africa. We can solve this, and here is the other good news element. You are seeing all the key stakeholders. Democrats, republicans in the congress, the trump administration, which i think really wants to play an important and constructive leadership role, and the key ocean environmental groups, industry. Senator whitehouse and i were at the launch of the alliance to end Plastic Waste, a group of nearly of the top 50 companies in our country that have pledged over 1. 5 billion to clean up the oceans, and that is the key, mr. Chairman. Key stakeholders all working together on an environmental issue we can solve. That is why this hearing is important and our Work Together , we think, has made progress, and we are very honored, mr. Chairman, senator leahy, that you are holding the hearing to continue our leadership efforts. Bipartisan, with the United States leading on an issue that people are coming together on and we can solve, so we would like to thank you for holding this hearing. Sen. Graham thank you for all you have done to bring this to my attention. Senator whitehouse . Sen. Whitehouse thank you, chairman graham, for hosting this. First of all, it is a treat to be here and see you and senator leahy who Work Together so well on so many issues. It is a good sign for the senate, the relationship that you two have, and it gives me confidence that we will make progress as a result of this hearing. And it is good to be here with my compadre dan sullivan. As he said, we do beach cleanups with trash bags. So it is aps real problem for alaska but the entire world because plastic pollution and Marine Debris befoul all our oceans and hurt Global Coastal communities. About 8 Million Metric Tons of this trash goes into the sea every year. If you stack five grocery bags full of plastic trash on every square foot of shoreline in the world and kick it into the ocean, that is the scale of what we are doing every year, and at this rate, there will be more plastic by weight in the ocean than fish by weight in the ocean by 2050. It is an Unexplained Health issue because plastic breaks down into tiny, microscopic pieces and infiltrates the marine food change, with harm we need to understand to fish wildlife and human health. We are not doing a very good job at handling this. As a country and as a world, much of what we fail to manage goes into the ocean. International efforts will help us combat this Plastic Ocean pollution and we can make positive changes here at home because our waste and Water Infrastructure needs improving, as does our recycling system. But we must reduce new Plastic Waste and create economic incentives to clean up the Plastic Waste already befouling our seas. Save our seas, mentioned by dan, and save our seas 2. 0 show bipartisan support to address Marine Debris and Ocean Plastic pollution. Save our seas is already law, and save our seas 2. 0 was passed by unanimous consent and we hope to pass it in this congress. We need to boost International Engagement and strengthen our domestic response. And so what is out there right now . Ocean trust fund, problue, at the world bank already helps to address the threat of Ocean Plastics and it raises awareness and integrates International Efforts and promotes private sector investments. The United States should step up on combating ocean pollution, as we traditionally have in fishery management and ocean management, both by contributing to this fund and perhaps by establishing our own to support it and vindicate our own policies. We should strengthen the department of state and usaids Ocean Plastic pollution work. They support International Efforts to address Marine Debris. There is no reason for the u. S. To be laggards in this space. Studies are already underway at the National Academy of science to evaluate the geographic distribution of our own Plastic Waste, where we export it, whether there is adequate management, and what conditions result. Providing a fund can help us act on these findings. Ocean plastic pollution is a global problem with bipartisan support for action in congress and strong statements, as senator sullivan said, from the president , secretary of state, and our trade representative. There is no reason not to move forward. It will take an International Response because so much of the problem is overseas. Powering up the state and launching funding for plastic reduction through problue, our own, or both, would ensure United States is an acknowledged leader in this space. There is no reason not to move forward, mr. Chairman, and there is every reason to move forward. For the sake of our coastal communities, for the sake of human health, and the sake of a healthy, beautiful, and clean ocean. I know you are an advocate for the atlantic shore of south carolina, as i am, for our beautiful sparkling shore and bay in rhode island, and i appreciate very much that you and that famous scuba diver, Ranking Member leahy, our enthusiasts, so i appreciate it. So, you know, before you leave, i know you are busy, thank you both. I am not joking. I do not realize the scope of the problem. It is just mindboggling that we have done this to the ocean. The good news is there is a way out of this mess. You have to follow your leadership and where money helps, we will put money. Thank you both. The other two witnesses are usaid assistant administrator for the bureau of Economic Growth education environment. Good to see you. Thank you. And Principal Deputy assistant secretary of state for oceans and environmental and Scientific Affairs you must have a big door jonathan moore. Mr. Moore, the floor is yours. Mr. Moore mr. Chairman, thank you very much. Thank you for the opportunity and the invitation. Ranking member leahy, and the other esteemed members of the subcommittee, it is an honor to be here with you today, together our my colleague to discuss goal in addressing the issue of Marine Debris. While working on and through the covid19 pandemic, the state department continues to address Marine Debris and other issues, collaborating with the interagency to leverage American Resources and expertise. As we have just heard from senator sullivan and whitehouse, Marine Debris is a global problem with global consequences. It results from mismanaged waste, usually starting on land and then entering the ocean. The American People see this on the coast of the atlantic, pacific, and arctic oceans and on lakes and rivers. It is estimated that the impact, including our economy is over 10 billion a year. It harms ecosystems and Fishing Industries through economic losses due to ghost gear, or abandon fishing gear. Floating debris also poses navigational hazards. It includes glass, rubber, and plastic. As senator whitehouse noted, current estimates say there currently are more than 150 million tons with another eight million tons added each year. That works out to a full garbage trucks worth of plastic entering the ocean every minute. I must note, mr. Chairman, that the peoples republic of china is the biggest offender, responsible for nearly 30 of Plastic Waste, far more than any other country. The prc must address its own Waste Management issues, landbased and sea based, and must do so with its own resources. Marine debris affects environmental and food securities, economic security, resource management, and potentially human health, where the challenges are immense. Our focus is on recycling Sustainable Materials management to prevent waste from entering the environment and waste debris removal efforts. The whited the United States has a wide array of means to help. The state department, epa, National Science foundation and the department of energy are highlighting u. S. Expertise and innovation to combat Marine Debris through new technologies, and other cuttingedge solutions. We are dedicating to supporting and highlighting the best available scientific information and Data Collection methods necessary to inform policymakers and private industry about the economic, environmental, and Health Implications and identify hotspots. The bipartisan save our seas act of 2018 directed the state department to take a comprehensive approach on Marine Debris. The department, through our bureau of oceans and international and environmental Scientific Affairs, are working with academic industry and nongovernmental stakeholders, in addition to congress, to engage multilaterally, regionally and bilaterally around the world. We also partner with epa, noaa, usaid, the National Science foundation, the coast guard, and u. S. Trade representative to work with International Stakeholders and underscore the importance of public and private cooperation. We are engaging with private sectorled initiatives, including the alliance to end Plastic Waste, mobilizing billions of dollars to help countries improve their Waste Management and recycling systems and to create a value chain for recycled plastics. In international, contrasting the balanced approaches, we face calls for bands on single use plastics, legally binding agreements on plastics, and measures that would inhibit the market for recycled goods. Barriers, bans, and trade restrictions to not consider negative tradeoffs and can reduce recycling by lowering the value of commodities, risking more waste entering the environment. Instead, we need innovation, changes in behavior, and significant improvement in Waste Management systems to reduce Marine Debris and plastic pollution. These solutions should afflict reflect regional and national contexts, as well as local practices and realities. The challenge of tackling Marine Debris presents opportunities for u. S. Business. The American Waste and recycling industry generates an estimated 100 billion in annual revenue. The global Waste Management market is expected to reach over 530 billion by the year 2025. Broadening markets would yield benefits to american companies, as well as countries with undeveloped Waste Management. Our embassies are vital in helping u. S. Business navigate everchanging national and local conditions and identifying potential opportunities. Over the past five years, the state department has managed over 5. 8 million in grants. We gave a nearly 1 million grant to the ocean conservancy to aid the implementation of vietnams action plan on Marine Debris and worked with local ngos. Thank you for mentioning our cooperation with vietnam. We promote behavior change, including through demonstration projects, workshops, and Public Awareness campaigns. We also plan to combat seabased resources. As the save our seas act recognizes, addressing Marine Debris is possible by domestic and international coordination. Congress has been an invaluable partner for this and we appreciate your support and interest. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you. Chairman graham, Ranking Member leahy, and distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify about the Important Role of the u. S. Agency for International Development plays in preventing and reducing Ocean Plastic pollution. It is an honor to be with you here today. I would like to thank congress for your strong bipartisan support and leadership on this issue. I would also like to specifically express my gratitude that you have held todays hearing to shine a spotlight on this challenge, one amplified by the current covid19 pandemic. Usaid is pleased that the save our seas act of 2018 set the stage for increased u. S. Government efforts internationally, and we have appreciated the close cooperation with members of the subcommittee and the authors of the save our seas 2. 0 act, senators whitehouse, sullivan, and menendez. I would like to note my colleague and friend, jonathan moore, joining me here today. This topic symbolizes the importance of collaboration between state and usaid in recognizing the link between diplomacy and implementation. The scope, as you have heard this afternoon, of Ocean Plastics is profound. Marine debris is estimated that 80 is plastic and 8 Million Metric Tons of plastic enter the ocean every year. Notably, 80 of that plastic comes from landbased sources. Much of the plastic comes from cities in developing countries that lack the capacity to effectively manage their waste, in low Income Countries where 90 of waste is disposed of in unregulated dumps or openly burned. As the worlds premier International Development agency, we are focused on locally Led Solutions and advanced their journey to selfreliance. Our programs reflect the fact that solving this problem requires action on the part of all stakeholders with a role in Waste Management, national and local governments, civil society, and the private sector. Usaids municipal Waste Recycling program launched in 2016 has led projects with innovative and Sustainable Solutions in indonesia, the philippines, sri lanka, and vietnam. In vietnam, which we are so pleased you had the chance to visit, our grantees have helped informed a National Plan on debris management. Launched last year, our flagship Global Program builds upon our initial set of partner countries in asia while expanding to latin america but adding india, peru, and the dominican republic. In addition to providing grants to these local organizations, clean cities blue ocean provides Technical Expertise to enable private sector engagement, investment in infrastructure, while ensuring greater Government Transparency and improved local enforcement of regulations. Usaid also recognizes that the resources and innovations of the private sector are needed to achieve greater impact. This year, usaid launched a partnership with the alliance to end Plastic Waste. This coalition of 47 Multinational Companies has committed 1. 5 billion to the mission of ending Plastic Waste in the environment. Usaid recently launched a Blended Finance Partnership with Impact Investor circulate capital. This leverage is more than 100 million from Multinational Companies like pepsico, procter gamble, and cocacola to look at their recycling value change in southeast asia. We are pleased to report that the First Investment deal was announced, and to a woman owned startup recycling company in indonesia. While the challenge of preventing Ocean Plastics is daunting and significant, we are seeing success through our programs and partnerships. To date, our efforts have diverted more than 3000 metric tons of plastic from entering the environment, and with Interested Missions all around the world eager to engage, usaid is wellplaced to support the u. S. Government in confronting Ocean Plastic pollution and achieving sustainable results. Thank you for your time and i look forward to answering your questions. Sen. Graham senator leahy, if you lead us off . Sen. Leahy it has been a while. I had to remember to hit the button. I am worried about the money that usaid allocates for programs. You probably caught that in some of my opening remarks. Usaid is trying to spend 12 million on Waste Recycling and Ocean Plastic pollution programs as 12 million for the whole world, we probably spend that much in our small state of vermont. If we gave you double or triple those resources, how would you use them . And how could you use them more effectively, especially against the Ocean Plastic pollution . Feel free to answer you are not here lobbying for the money. Just tell me what you think. Ms. Bekkering senator, thank you for the question. Sen. Leahy you can tell senator graham, too, because he writes the checks. Mr. Moore ms. Bekkering senator graham, as well, i cannot overestimate and we are thankful for their strong support we have gotten from this committee for the resources we have to date. Senator graham, you know gentleman named mark green. I know you have heard this from him in many testimonies over the last couple years. There is never going to be enough money in Public Resources to meet all of our development challenges. What i think weve been good at doing is being very strategic in targeting our investments, specifically to the four biggest offenders of contributing to Plastic Waste. Sen. Graham the question was, if you had more money ms. Bekkering absolutely. Sen. Leahy especially reducing Ocean Plastic. Ms. Bekkering what we would do is increase our footprint. That would be the biggest challenge. You heard asia is the largest contributor. Latin america and africa are close. By 2015, we will see the amount triple. We will increase our footprint working with partner countries and increase the amount of work with local stakeholders. We need to build the capacity of the local governments to make sure these results are sustainable, so these investments need to cross sectors. We need to look at more of how this affects livelihoods as well as food security, and, finally, we need to increase our engagement and partnerships with the private sector. Sen. Leahy lets talk about other countries. What kind of International Agreements on ocean pollution , and whatarty to now International Agreements are we in that allow us to advocate for stronger controls along the lines of what you just talked about . Are there any . Ms. Bekkering i would have to defer that question to my colleague at the state department. Before that, i will say that usaids unique role is working with national and subnational governments on action plans, so they are mobilizing their own resources to invest in Waste Management systems, and secondly, to make sure they are providing regular Waste Disposal and recycling, so our work is focused on more individual countries. Sen. Leahy we ship our own waste to these individual countries. A lot of our places sorted for recycling, we send it to countries who do not know how to handle it. There is a lot more we have to be doing too, but i am just curious on the basic question, what International Associations or agreements are we involved in that would give us a voice and a responsibility in reducing ocean pollution . Mr. Moore senator, thank you for the question. One International Agreement that we are tracking closely on this issue, and it relates to the important issue of trade and Recycled Materials between the United States and its immediate neighbors, including vermonts neighbor to the north, canada. Their amendments on Plastic Waste does regulate the matter of trade Plastic Waste. United states is not a party to the basel convention. One direct consequence of that is as of january 1, 2021, there will be changes that will make it more difficult for the United States to export plastic scrap, so we do have to deal with the countries who are part of the basel convention, although it dates from 30 years ago, we are not party to it. In terms of discussions and different multilateral fora and of course with a number of countries bilaterally, we are trying to deal with these issues and we have many embassies engaged in usaid. Sen. Leahy what it help if we were a party . Mr. Moore the administration doesnt have a view on that. That is something that would require a tremendous amount of domestic implementing legislation. We are prepared to be part of that discussion. Sen. Leahy i have questions, but i will submit them for the record. Thank you both for being here. Every one of us here wishes we could wave a magic wand and make it better. I know we cant, but i think we all agree there has got to be a lot of changes in how we do things in our country. A lot of changes in the other countries, too. Mr. Moore thank you, senator. Sen. Graham thank you, senator. Senator boseman . Sen. Boozman thank you for holding this important hearing. We appreciate you being here, we appreciate your hard work. Myself and senator carper are cochairs of the recycling caucus. Which is very, very active. I am on lots of caucuses. I think that is one of the most active in the senate and is doing a lot of good work. Ms. Bekkering, again, recycling is such a nobrainer. Is is a winwin situation. What a lot of people dont realize is it also creates a lot of good jobs in relation to recycling. You get the benefit of cleaning up the oceans, cleaning up, you know, so much other things, which we all want, but it also is a big economic engine. Can you talk a little bit about that . Ms. Bekkering absolutely. Again, thank you for your leadership on recycling. When i look at a municipal recycling program, we have created 1300 jobs. 50 of those jobs have been for women. It is a vital source of economic empowerment. But it is primarily an issue. When we look at countries in the developing world and where in many local communities especially rural areas there is not regulated Waste Services or management. We see the informal sector. What we have done is provide livelihood training for these informal waste pickers. We have also worked in countries like indonesia to create waste banks. So these informal waste collectors can collect plastics, deposit them at this waste bank, and then like here where in some states you get a deposit, you get paid for what they deposit in this waste bank. Then we connect that to a larger facility so there is an economy of scale. It cant be overestimated, specifically noting how much of this is done by the urban poor in many countries. This is an area where we have seen results in supporting this economic livelihoods aspect. Sen. Boozman very good. I know another key is industry. Walmart headquarters is probably about 34 miles from where i live. I know that in their case, they got very active with wanting to reduce fuel consumption, which is great for the economy. But also wanted to reduce the packaging. It turned out that, when they looked at what the trucks were hauling, it wasnt weight that was the limiting factor. It was the capacity on the truck. They basically said, we sell a lot of your products, make the packages smaller. As a result, that came about and then others followed with that. That was certainly a winwin situation. I know the every Bottle Back Initiative is a Great Initiative which has resulted in plastic bottles being 100 recyclable, including bottle caps that consumers may still be throwing in the trash, which we will give them a bit of education, we all need. Tell us to our knowledge how industry can be helpful, particularly in cases like asia. Ms. Bekkering it is what we have focused one of our three pillars on working with the private sector and industries. The Public Sector cannot solve this problem on its own. We do need to work with the private sector. To your point, using the walmart example, one of the things we see by working with the private sector is we can harness not only their resources but their innovation. Those innovations are fantastic. It is working with them as partners. In a case like that, it is reducing the amount of packaging or making sure can provide more than singleuse packets of any sort of item. We recently, as i mentioned earlier, signed an mou with the alliance on Plastic Waste. What has been a Success Story is seeing that a lot of these leading companies in the value chain, they are committed to the same outcomes we are, which is making sure this plastic does not end up in the ocean. And again, by harnessing their innovations and resources, we are really multiplying our in our impact. Sen. Boozman very good. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Sen. Graham senator coons. Sen. Coons thank you, mr. Chairman. I want to thank you for your leadership in addressing issues that are bipartisan, that are global, that have an impact on development and the human condition. And to senator boseman for working with my senior senator on recycling when he was governor. My senior senator was known for interrupting meetings to walk over and pull a bottle out of the trashcan and berate everyone. He is quite passionate. Im glad you are as well. And your focus on working with a Global Leader like walmart and helping change packaging is the example of a positive, personal engagement with the private sector it is going to take to make progress on this. To our witnesses today, thank you for what you are doing to deliver engagement and leadership on this critical issue. As im sure you both are abundantly aware, this is a global issue that knows no boundaries. It is going to require significant increase in American Leadership, engagement, and investment in order to bend the curve. I am the cosponsor of a bill called the Sustainable Chemistry Research and development act. I trained as a chemist, i worked in industry for years. Senator collins and i have been working on this for a while. Part of the goal is to coordinate more of the work between federal, academic, and privatesector research around the chemistries needed to develop plastics that degrade in the marine environment, among other changes. I also think save our seas 2. 0, which was addressed, would be a significant step forward. Let me ask two questions, if i could. Problue is a World Bank Initiative that supports the Sustainable Development of coastal resources. My impression is, they are emerging as a large player in the fight against Ocean Plastic pollution. How important do you think this initiative is or could be to the global effort and how do you think the u. S. Can best support problue . If you would, ms. Bekkering, and then ambassador moore. Ms. Bekkering thank you for your leadership and your participation in todays hearing. We know of it, we coordinate with it. It is definitely one way to increase donor coordination and pool resources. I would just mentioned that i would just mentioned that mention that usaid has gift authority, which allows us to accept and pool funding from other donors. When it comes to Something Like a global fund like this, especially in multilateral fund, i think at usaid, we are targeted at looking, what part of the challenge can be best served by the work we are doing on the ground with our partners . Also recognizing that gives us more oversight over how we are spending taxpayer dollars than if we put it in a fund managed. Working with them, but outside of Something Like problue, we are able to do this type of work and we are working and constantly in communications with our other partners like the u. K. , japan, norway to see what more can be done and how we can sen. Coons if there were an increase in taxpayer investment to create a fund, would you suggest to be housed at usaid in order to accomplish the oversight, the coordination you are referencing . Ms. Bekkering i think such a fund, we could definitely see maximum impact and a Multiplier Effect of the great work we are already doing with limited resources. Sen. Coons ambassador moore . Mr. Moore from a state department perspective, the problue fund currently supports a variety of activities, and some of them are related to the question we are discussing today. Sort of an initial thought on this, we are concerned with their advocacy to reduce upstream production and use of plastics that could undermine the growing recycling market. We look forward to working with them, though, as we work with the world bank on a variety of levels. As a possible alternative, the Global Environmental facility would be a strong alternative to problue. The gef is positioned to advance and we are a member of the gef council. We have had a history of shaping its program to enforce u. S. Interests. The bottom line is we are in discussions with the world bank about problue. We are tracking that initiative. Sen. Coons as we have worked to address things like Global Hunger or global pandemics, global funds have often been a tool used and some of them are structured in ways that ensure American Leadership. Some of them are engaged in ways that record highs there are limits and where we can go. There are certain countries where our engagement in hunger relief is not welcome. Its got to be done through a u. N. Entity. We have our own direct support. There is global partnerships. There is also a very constructive feedback loop between what philanthropy is doing, what the u. S. Government is doing, and what the World Community is doing. Let me ask about ghost gear. My father spent 25 years in the commercial fishing industry. Fishing gear that is discarded at sea that keeps having negative impacts is closely associated with other problems. Illegal and unregulated fishing. I thought it was great you signed onto the initiative, but i would be interested in hearing what more you think state and usaid can do with partners in the International Fishing community to address this key part of ocean pollution, but also to strengthen our coordination. Mr. Moore thank you for that question as well. I was very happy to sign on to the global ghost gear initiative. On behalf of the state department and the United States, we are in these early days learning what their best approaches are for dealing with this issue. It is Something Else we are learning about as well. It relates to fishing, it creates hazards for navigation, it is a very comprehensive issue. These nets are out there catching fish that are not being consumed, further damaging the environment. It is an International Coalition that we are pleased to be part of. As they develop these ideas, we are working with our colleagues in the fish and Wildlife Service and noaa to better understand the scope of the problem and impact ghost gear is having. It is something new for us to be taking on, so exactly speculating on the scope of how we can best play a role, im not in a position to do that today. I am prepared to follow up with you or your staff after today with further information and to take the question for further details. Sen. Coons i will close by saying how pleased i was to see the range of engagement from the peace corps doing communitybased activities all over the world. To what you are testifying about in terms of what investors are doing, to what some of the Largest Companies that have an american footprint are doing. Please note my passionate interest in the field and in working with both of you and with two offices to help advance it, and with the chairman. Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing and your interest in this subject. Sen. Graham thank you. You have been terrific to work with on this. Senator shaheen, i will be very quick. Is it 12 million we allocate for this . Ms. Bekkering yes. Sen. Graham thats going to end. Were going to give you a lot more money. Ms. Bekkering the answer is yes. Sen. Graham were going to give you a lot more money. The basel agreement, is that what you said . Mr. Moore yes, mr. Chairman. Sen. Graham how old is that . Mr. Moore it dates from around 1990. Sen. Graham dont you think we need a new one . Mr. Moore we would be happy to have a further discussion on that. No Administration Since that time has chosen to join the convention. Sen. Graham if we dont like that one, lets create a new one. Mr. Moore i dont want to speculate, but to find a way forward, we are certainly happy to discuss that with you. Sen. Graham what i want to do, seems to me this would be an issue the world should come together on. I know there is probably business interest in different countries, but i would like you to report back to us about why no administration has joined this convention. Give me a page or two. And what would you do to replace it . Because being left out is not a good place to be, right . Maybe theres a good reason nobodys joined it, somebody needs to join something. Were the biggest fish in the sea, no pun intended, and we need to get in the game here. The global fund idea. I really think the committee is inclined to put some money in a global fund. And we need your feedback as to how we can control it and entice other donors. It has worked in dealing with aids and malaria and i think this is a good place for this committee to put down a marker, put some new money in that would entice others. As to the problue partnership council, what is the average contribution of canada, germany, the u. K. , and france . Do you know . Mr. Moore i do not know. I can find out. Sen. Graham i would appreciate it. What i would like to find out is why we are not participating. There may be a good reason, but it seems to me we need to join something. We are not joining anything. Weve got 12 million im not blaming you. This is been going on for a long time. What i would like to have happen is for us to start joining things or create new things for others to join that we lead, have the congress more involved in terms of a global fund, something new out there that would attract investors, and i want to know why we dont participate in the problue trust fund. Can you give me a 30second answer on why we dont . Mr. Moore there has not been a decision to folly participate because there has been some speculation that the problue fund has focused on what should or shouldnt be produced rather than dealing what has been produced and constitutes the Plastic Waste. Sen. Graham it seems to me we need to do both, right . Mr. Moore yes, mr. Chairman. Sen. Graham i would encourage you to try to join this thing unless there is a really not good reason to do it. I think this committee would put some money in to pay whatever fee it is to join. My takeaways are that 12 million is not nearly enough. The problem is global in nature. A global fund would be a good start for this committee and i think the congress and the administration start leading by example. If you could get back with me as to why we are not in the problue trust fund or the basel convention, i would appreciate it. Mr. Moore i will do that, mr. Chairman. Sen. Graham i will end with this. I think all of us want to do more. If we cant join these organizations, lets find out why we cant and see if they will change or create an alternative, something that we can join. Because we need to lead the world on this. Senator shaheen . Sen. Shaheen thank you, mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this important hearing today. Thank you to our witnesses for testifying. Im sorry i missed much of the questioning. I do want to follow up on the chairmans comments, but first, i want to pick up on a comment you made, ambassador moore. You talked about the growing recycling market. It is my understanding that 9 of all Plastic Waste has been recycled and that current projections show a dramatic increase in the production of plastic and that many of the markets where we were sending our plastic in the United States have dried up. In china, a number of other Southeast Asian countries, have all reduced the markets for recycling. I was curious what you were referring to when you talked about the growing recycling market. Mr. Moore thank you for the question. I had the opportunity in my testimony to talk about this a bit. It is our understanding, including through the department of commerce, that the recycling market is expanding. That includes here. The Global Recycling market will have a value of 530 billion by the year 2025. Sen. Shaheen im sorry, can you give us a little more detail when you say the recycling markets are expanding in the United States . I know we have had, in new hampshire, several recycling operations that are no longer operating now. Can you talk about where that is happening and who is behind it and what is the capital or the companies that are doing that . Mr. Moore senator, thank you for the question. I respect your interest in having greater detail. I apologize, i dont have greater detail with me. I would be happy to take the question and provide specific information to you. This relates to crossborder trade between canada and the United States in Recycled Materials. There is more interest in recycling if it is more economically advantageous to do that. If the materials to be recycled become priced out of the market either because of transport costs or other economic limitations, the market does reduce and there is less commercial or economic motivation to recycle. Those are factors, but with regard to specific information, i recognize that you should have details and i will provide them to you and your staff. Sen. Shaheen if you can take that for the record, i would appreciate it. I do want to followup on senator grahams questions about international cooperation. This administration has pulled the United States away from a number of International Cooperative efforts and it seems to me that on an issue like how we get rid of plastics worldwide is something weve got to cooperate with other countries on. Can you talk about how we are working with other countries or with other multilateral institutions to address plastic . Mr. Moore senator, thank you for that as well. I would say there are a number of multilateral and bilateral. We are active in the u. N. Environmental program, based in nairobi. The head of that is a dual citizen of the United States and denmark and is doing a lot to lead u. N. On topics like this. This is something that has come up in u. N. Assembly. We are anticipating it will be coming up soon. That has been postponed because of the pandemic. Bilaterally, we have seen a lot of successes. We talked quite a bit about just to give one example, vietnam that is keen to partner with us in terms of being more responsible with regard to Plastic Waste, building its capacity and its approaches. This is something usaid is deeply involved in as well. In terms of any number of issues, we see countries like that that are keen to cooperate. Look at commercial ways to address this problem. There was a discussion about packaging. Are there alternatives to plastic . This is a matter which, you know, diplomats in the field are working on directly because what is a suitable package for soap or food in one country is not going to be the same in an economy with more limited means. Some people, instead of buying a couple of gallons or liters, buy a little packet. That may still constitute something that ends up in the oceans. And in key multilateral, including the u. N. Environmental program. Sen. Shaheen when you talk about vietnam being interested in cooperating, are they interested in taking plastics from the United States and then recycling it to other uses . Exactly how are they interested in working with us . Mr. Moore in my experience, recently, they have been keen to work with us on a variety of multilateral issues. If it is commercially viable, to recycle in vietnam. That is something i believe they would make the decision to do. If its not, they would look in other areas. Vietnam currently sits with us in the u. N. Security council. They also are chairing ausion. They have shown a lot of vision on international issues. We have had some discussions with their embassy here in washington about trying to partner better. I apologize, i am fairly new in the job and have not been able to see things through other than the past couple of months. I can tell you the level of interest in that country and many others is intense. I have to reiterate the point i made earlier, which is the worst source of plastic pollution , nearly 30 , comes from the peoples republic of china. For a host of reasons that you, senator, and many others, everyone in the senate, is aware of. Our relations are not such that see that inherent our mission available in their on this issue. With other countries, they understand the problem, they see the problem concretely on the shores of lakes and rivers, and, of course, the ocean. There are a lot of practical partnerships we can build both with diplomacy and assistance. Sen. Shaheen thank you. Maybe you can take that also for the record, in terms of what kind of partnerships and how are they taking our recycling . Are we working together on using those products to make new products . And how that is going to work. I would appreciate it, thank you. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Sen. Graham is it seven countries and 10 rivers . 70 of the stuff comes out of . Seems to me we ought to focus on that, too. Senator udall has joined the committee. You are welcome and i appreciate all your leadership on this topic. If you would like to ask questions, you are more than welcome to. Sen. Udall thank you, chairman graham. And you, senator leahy, for allowing me to be here today and participate. I appreciate it and have enjoyed some of the comments you have made here today in terms of the joining. I may bring those up and ask a question. I think, mr. Chairman, in terms of joining, when it happens that all of the other countries in the world join and then they make rules and we are not a part of it, then weve got problems. I think you and i have talked about that before. I think the thrust of what you are saying is very important for the administration to hear. Thank you for that comment. Although i am not a member of this subcommittee, i have devoted a great deal of attention to the issue of plastic pollution. I appreciate both of you being here today. I have introduced legislation on this topic in february. I appreciate senator leahys support. He mentioned he has on my bill as a cosponsor. I look forward to the day we can get the chairman aboard as well. Across the United States and around the world, we are seeing increasing momentum to aggressively tackle the problem of plastic pollution. Unfortunately, i have been very disappointed by the lack of u. S. Leadership. Despite what has been said here today, it is clear to me that u. S. Participation in all international processes to develop regulations on plastic production and impose limits on Plastic Waste exports have been counter to the efforts of the broader international community. In may of last year, 187 countries took a major step limit the flow of Plastic Waste to poor countries under the Basal Convention. More than 80 countries have expressed support for a new global agreement to address the full lifetime cycle of plastics. In both cases, the u. S. Has not only failed to be a leader, but instead is actually working against progress. The administrations efforts have tilted more towards development and trade agreements supporting investments in petrochemical production in various countries. This is totally at odds with a Global Policy solution to prevent plastic pollution, not to mention the Climate Change part of this. The u. S. Solution to the plastic pollution crisis cannot be, lets just create more plastic. That is what we are doing. With nearly 400 million tons of plastic produced globally each year and failed policies to reclaim and recycle that plastic, we are creating suffocating amounts of plastic that are harming our environment, our health, and our budget. We have been sold a bill of goods that recycling alone is the answer. Less than 9 of plastic has ever been recycled. And a great deal of our recycled plastic in the United States is shipped overseas to burden poor and developing countries, where there are clear struggles to effectively manage this volume of waste. Limiting the production of the products in the first place would be the simplest policy for everyone involved. Ambassador moore, i would like to ask you, is the u. S. Participating in any efforts to prevent other countries from adopting bans or regulations on single use Plastic Products . Mr. Moore senator udall, i thank you for your question, i thank you for your leadership on this question. I know that is part of a family tradition, looking after the interests of the United States. In terms of discussing this, as i said in response to senator shaheen, there are conversations at the u. N. Environmental assembly, looking at the issue of what is produced and how it is handled. In terms of a variety of steps, it is not just about recycling. We are very proud of the innovative ideas of American Business. There are other types of packaging and things that can be done. It is not just about increasing Plastic Waste. I am not aware of any fundamental approach to Block International consensus on this issue. We look after our national interests, and our economic interests, and we have great faith in what American Business can do to address the problem. That includes producers and that includes recyclers. Beyond that, i have been in the position for only a few months and in the midst of the pandemic, i have not been part of any effort like that. If i have your permission, senator, perhaps it would be better if i take the question and give you a more comprehensive response for the record. Sen. Udall thank you. I would just note for the record that india did offer a resolution with regard to singleuse plastics and the United States said they were not going to do that. As many of us know, all over the country, mr. Chairman, cities are engaging in ordinances and bans on singleuse plastics. Some people see that as a solution. We need to explore that and be part of it. I see my time is out. I really appreciate, like i said, the chairmans comments, in terms of joining. The other comment i would make, the 10 rivers, a great deal of that plastic we have shipped over there to developing countries, then it gets into those rivers. I dont know exact percentages, we will try to get that for you. But that is the crux of the problem. You cant say, oh, its 10 rivers. In fact, were shipping it over there and they are not effectively recycling it, so it gets into the rivers and the ocean. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Great to be part of your subcommittee today. Sen. Graham our witnesses, you have been very helpful. I appreciate your leadership. I have a lot of confidence in your abilities here. Is it right that no administration has joined the Basal Convention since 1989 . Is that right . Mr. Moore that is correct, mr. Chairman. Sen. Graham we got to find something we can join here. There may be good reasons, im just trying to i want a global fund to be created like we have done for aids and malaria and other things to deal with plastics that we can control. I want us to look at the World Bank Program and see if we can make some contributions there. We are going to leave the hearing open to friday at 2 00 p. M. For additional questions. I just want to thank you both. I look forward to working with you on this. We are going to provide you more resources. Tell us what you think it is best utilized. Thank you. Mr. Moore mr. Chairman, thank you very much and thank you for the attention. Ms. Bekkering thank you. Sen. Graham the meeting is the meeting is adjourned. Up next, at the white house, president rump released the names of National Institutes of Health Director [no audio] our campaign 2020 coverage continues with candidates campaigning and debating. Cspan, your unfiltered view of politics