Congress has introduced legislation to address key areas within the national recycling infrastructure. While no bills have passed yet, the debate is likely to continue. Given the absence of a federal recycling law, state and local governments are responsible for their own requirements and have taken various actions to address recycling in their communities.
Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyls, known more commonly as PFAS, are a group of human-made chemicals not found naturally in the environment that are linked to a variety of diseases and health conditions, and are of increasing concern to state legislatures and the federal government.
Lawmakers are working to find solutions as 40% of food in the United States goes to waste and 49.1 million Americans currently face food insecurity. Policy options at the state level include enhanced liability protection, awareness, tax incentives, food labeling and composting.
Urgent infrastructure needs are straining public resources. We examine the policies, planning frameworks and new funding approaches states are using to improve infrastructure systems in four vital areas.
The Natural Resources and Infrastructure Committee is one of eight committees educating Congress and federal agencies about state concerns and serving as a forum for state legislators and legislative staff. This committee has jurisdiction over state and federal energy, environment, agriculture and transportation programs, legislation, regulations and policies.
The NCSL Environment and Natural Resources Bill Tracking Database features state legislation relating to air quality, disaster mitigation, environmental cleanup, land-forests, waste and recycling, and water conservation and efficiency.
NCSL tracks state environment and natural resources legislation in the Environmental Health Legislation Database, covering legislation from the 2009-2015 legislative sessions from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each database is searchable by keyword, year, state, topic, bill number and status.