California’s attorney general launched a first-of-its-kind investigation into the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries for their alleged role in causing and exacerbating a global plastics pollution crisis.
“For more than half a century, the plastics industry has engaged in an aggressive campaign to deceive the public, perpetuating a myth that recycling can solve the plastics crisis,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement Thursday announcing the investigation. “The truth is: The vast majority of plastic cannot be recycled.”
As part of the investigation, Bonta’s office has subpoenaed ExxonMobil for information on its alleged role in the crisis. Officials also plan to probe other companies in the industry.
The investigation will “focus on this half-century campaign of deception and the ongoing harm caused to the State of California, its residents, and its natural resources,” Bonta said in the statement.
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The industry has known since the 1970s that recycling plastics was “infeasible,” Bonta said Thursday. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the plastic recycling rate in the United States has never surpassed 9%. The remaining 91% is either “landfilled, incinerated, or released into the environment,” Bonta said.
Though the investigation is new, Reuters notes that it will resemble previous investigations launched by other state attorneys general that have investigated the possibility that fossil fuel companies misled the public about climate change.
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“In California and across the globe, we are seeing the catastrophic results of the fossil fuel industry’s decadeslong campaign of deception. Plastic pollution is seeping into our waterways, poisoning our environment, and blighting our landscapes,” Bonta said. “Enough is enough.”
