This morning, advocates from Vermont’s environmental protection, business, and scientific community gathered alongside Lawmakers at the State House’s Cedar Creek room, in support of House Bill 4, Vermont’s bill to ban microbeads.
Click Here to read the official VPIRG press release.
House Fish and Wildlife Chairman Representative David Deen, cosponsor of H.4, commented on the microbeads bill as a definitive first step towards what he hopes with be a concerted, historical effort on the part of the legislature to support policy that leads to improved water quality in Vermont.
“This is the first step in what’s going to be the year of water,” said Deen.
The group of speakers had come together to effectively advocate for the microbeads ban to the House Fish and Wildlife committee. The Committee voted unanimously in support, creating strong momentum for a bill that has been a highlight of environmental policy work in the early legislative session.
Advocates from VPIRG, the Lake Champlain Committee, the Rosalia Project, and Seventh Generation gathered to voice their strong support for the bill, which as currently written stands as the nation’s strongest ban on minuscule plastic pollutants found in personal care products.
After the event, the bill headed for a second reading on the House Floor, where it was passed with a unanimous voice vote.
On the House Floor, Representative Jim McCullough of Williston gave an impassioned speech on the challenges ahead for elected officials on the way to bettering water quality in Vermont- challenges he feels confident he and his fellow legislators can face, beginning with strong tri-partisan support of a microbeads ban.
UPDATE: Today the House of Representatives passed H.4 140-0! We are so grateful for this unanimous vote, thank you Representatives!