Battle over single-use plastics erupts as 17 states move to block California law

Key Points:

• Seventeen states, led by Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, have sued California over its single-use plastic law, arguing it unfairly impacts businesses outside California and extends regulatory power beyond state borders.
• The lawsuit challenges California's Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, which requires producers to reduce single-use plastics and ensure all packaging is recyclable or compostable by 2032.
• Plaintiffs claim the law forces companies to alter packaging and compels them to fund a private producer responsibility organization, raising concerns about federalism, due process, and free speech.
• Environmental groups have also sued California, contending that the law's final regulations create loopholes allowing indefinite use of certain plastic packaging and permit environmentally harmful recycling methods like chemical recycling.
• Similar legal challenges have occurred in Oregon, where a federal judge blocked enforcement of a comparable plastic law, with a trial scheduled for July 13.