Urge your Members of Congress to support the Break Free from Plastic Prevention Act

Please, reach out to your Members of Congress to support the Break Free from Plastic Prevention Act of 2021 (H.R. 2238, S.984) and to thank Rep. Grijalva for co-sponsoring the Act.

Below is the letter drafted by the head of  Sustainable Tucson's Zero Plastic Waste Team, Kevin Green. You can cut and paste your message on their website (addresses below.)

Rep. Kirkpatrick
https://kirkpatrick.house.gov/contact/email-me/
Phone: 520-881-3588

Rep. O'halleran
https://ohalleran.house.gov/zip-code-lookup?form=/contact/email
520-316-0839

Sen. Sinema
https://www.sinema.senate.gov/contact-kyrsten
(520) 639-7080

Sen. Kelly
https://www.kelly.senate.gov/
520-475-5177

To thank Rep. Grijalva for being a co-sponsor of the act:

Rep. Grijalva
https://grijalva.house.gov/contact-raul/
(520) 622-6788

Sample letter:

I am reaching out to urge you to support the Break Free from Plastic Prevention Act of 2021 (H.R. 2238, S.984). Introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (OR) and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (CA), this bill represents the most comprehensive set of policy solutions to the plastic pollution crisis ever introduced in the U.S. Congress.

Introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (OR) and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (CA), this bill represents the most comprehensive set of policy solutions to the plastic pollution crisis ever introduced in the U.S. Congress.

The United States generates more plastic waste than any country in the world. Plastic is made from fossil fuels by processes that cause air pollution and contribute to climate change. Up to 50% of plastics manufactured are for single-use purposes — used for just a few moments and then discarded. Most plastic is never recycled — over 90% of it ends up in landfills or our oceans.

Plastic pollution is inundating our communities, our waterways, and even our bodies. It is making its way into our food, drinking water, and even the air in the form of microplastics — plastic debris that breaks up into smaller and smaller particles.

Plastic contributes to climate change at every step of its life cycle, from extraction to refinement, manufacture, transportation, disposal, and waste.

The BFFPPA will tackle the exploding crisis of plastic pollution and transform waste and recycling management in the U.S. Key provisions of the bill include:

• Phasing out unnecessary single-use plastics,
• Establishing national recycling targets,
• Shifting responsibility for waste management and recycling to the manufacturers and producers,
• Establishing minimum recycled content standards,
• Encouraging a shift to refillable and reusable alternatives,
• Creating a moratorium on new plastic production facilities

These changes are all important to help ensure a healthy and climate resilient future.

We cannot simply recycle our way out of a crisis this massive. Corporations and plastic producers must take responsibility for the waste created by their products. We must address the problem at the source by reducing the amount of single-use plastic we use and encouraging a shift toward better and reusable materials.

Please support this national legislation that is crucial to meaningfully addressing the plastic waste problem.

TAKE ACTION: Next steps on Move Tucson transportation plan

Move Tucson is the city-wide mobility plan being developed as a way to implement Tucson's Complete Streets policy. For the past several months Department of Transportation and Mobility has been working to analyze existing conditions of our transportation network, and gain an understanding of community priorities. TDTM has identified 234 projects totaling approximately $5.7 billion dollars that will make Tucson's transportation system more complete.

Tucson's Department of Transportation and Mobility (TDTM) has compiled its Move Tucson projects list based on survey feedback, and the next steps include:
(1) Asking Tucsonans to further prioritize what work should be done when. 
(2) TDTM will host a virtual town hall on Fri 23-JUL-2021 at 12:00N to gather your comments. More info at -- https://movetucson.org

Join by computer at -- https://bit.ly/MoveTucsonTownHall2

From March until August 2020, Tucsonans shared their vision for the city’s mobility future. Over 4,500 people participated in the online survey from all areas of the city.

These responses confirmed that Tucsonans want:
Roads, streets, and paths that provide safe and connected access for all modes.
Better ways to travel across town
Safety improvements for all modes, particularly for those walking and biking

Improve connectivity by closing network gaps, providing safe crossings at major roadways for all users, and supporting cross-town mobility options

Prioritize maintenance, including repaving roadways and bikeways, removing debris, repairing sidewalks, and addressing potholes across the network
Increased options for how to get around
Transportation options that support a sustainable city

Increase shade and vegetation to improve comfort of travel along roadways and paths
Improve access for persons with disabilities, particularly for trails and bridges
Slow vehicle speeds to improve safety and comfort of travel along city roadways

Catalyst Corridor projects (see pic above) are large-scale Complete Streets projects that create space for multiple modes along an entire corridor, creating significant change to the look, feel, and operations on the street. These projects improve safety and access for most modes of travel and will involve: reconstructing pavement, adding continuous sidewalks and enhanced bike lanes, and upgrading traffic signals, among others. 
$1,828,792,775 COMBINED COST
SEE PROJECT LIST (PDF)122

Move Tucson is asking Tucsonans to look over the proposed projects and indicate their priorities on a new interactive map and to share where they would like the money budgeted to go. 

Check out their online map + share your thoughts:

(1) Project map 

https://movetucsonrecommendations.altaplanning.cloud/storage/app/media/project_lists/Move%20Tucson_%20MAP_Draft%20Prioritization%20Results_20210615.pdf

(2) Project list 
https://movetucsonrecommendations.altaplanning.cloud/storage/app/media/project_lists/MoveTucson_CombinedProjectList.pdf

(3) Step through the different categories and detailed explanations of each (requires javascript) -- https://movetucsonrecommendations.altaplanning.cloud/en#/catalyst-corridor-projects

(4) Survey form (requires javascript that is already set up in most computers) -- https://movetucsonrecommendations.altaplanning.cloud/en#/overview

More Information:

Diana Alarcon shared a presentation on proposed projects and how to navigate the Move Tucson app. 

https://youtu.be/CO4cybvj1lE?t=1185

This is a key moment to help them further prioritize which of the projects is implemented first. Make sure to take the survey and share your thoughts and priorities! Your input helps shape this very important transportation initiative that will guide Tucson's growth for generations to come.