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Murphy, a cosponsor of the bill, called on the Senate to act after the House passed similar legislation earlier this month. The bill is on its way to President Obama’s desk to be signed into law.
“I’m thrilled the Senate finally passed this bill. Each day, an estimated eight trillion tiny plastic microbeads enter the country’s waterways, threaten the quality of the water, aquatic life, and even our food chain and public health. For much of Connecticut, that means they end up in the Long Island Sound, which is critical to Connecticut’s economy and our way of life,” said Murphy.
“As I said before, this is a national problem that Connecticut can’t solve alone. I cannot help but feel deep regret that Terry Backer, a close friend and mentor, isn’t around to celebrate this victory. I wouldn’t have fought for this issue so hard without his fierce advocacy in Connecticut, and he deserves credit for the state ban and for raising awareness of this across the country. Today is a day to be proud of,” continued Murphy.
Backer, who championed efforts for cleaner water in Long Island Sound in his decades of work as the Soundkeeper, died last week after a long battle with cancer.
In response to a Southern Connecticut State University study that revealed that plastic microbeads are polluting the Long Island Sound, Murphy called on retailers earlier this year to discontinue the sale of products containing the harmful plastic microbeads. This year, the Connecticut General Assembly passed a law banning the sale of microbeads by 2017.
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