87R23823 KSM-D     By: Hunter H.C.R. No. 104       CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, In September 2018, an enormous number of tiny   plastic pellets washed up on Mustang and North Padre Islands,   alerting Texans to the growing urgency of a worldwide problem; and          WHEREAS, Known colloquially as "nurdles," the tiny pellets   are a massive contributor to pollution, along with other   preproduction plastics, such as plastic resin flakes, fibers,   powders, and powdered coloring for plastics; they can accumulate by   the thousands, millions, and billions on beaches and waterways,   where wildlife such as seabirds, fish, and crustaceans can mistake   them for food; persistent and potentially toxic, the pellets can   get trapped in an animal's stomach, causing it to stop eating its   usual diet and starve, and industrial chemicals can enter the food   chain when they transfer from microplastics to the animals that   consume them; the pellets may also have indirect effects on   ecosystems, for instance, when their accumulation changes the   characteristics of sand, affecting animals such as sea turtles that   incubate their eggs on beaches; moreover, they diminish water   quality, damage the natural beauty that is vital to recreation and   tourism, and negatively impact commercial fishing; and          WHEREAS, According to a 2016 report, the global marine   environment is polluted by an estimated 230,000 tons of pellets   each year; nurdles can spill at any stage in the industrial process,   wherever they are stored, handled, or transported; because they are   small and light, they can be easily blown, washed, or brushed from   point sources, i.e., a single, confined place, into nonpoint   sources, such as storm runoff, and thence into drains, waterways,   and the ocean; and          WHEREAS, Pollution from preproduction plastic presents an   increasing threat to wildlife, the food chain, and the natural   environment, and it is vital that the Texas Commission on   Environmental Quality address this hazard; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas   hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house   of representatives to create a joint interim committee to study the   regulation by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality of   preproduction plastic from point and nonpoint sources; and, be it   further          RESOLVED, That the committee be composed of five senators   appointed by the lieutenant governor and five members of the house   of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house; and, be it   further          RESOLVED, That the study address the need to ensure proper,   safe, restrictive disposal of preproduction plastic in the state   and address the importance of prompt cleanup of any discharged or   released plastic; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be   governed by such general rules and policies for interim committees   as the 87th Texas Legislature may adopt; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That the committee submit a full report, including   findings and recommendations, to the 88th Texas Legislature in   January 2023.