By Clark Mindock
(Reuters) -Two chemical and plastics industry groups each filed a lawsuit against California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday, seeking to block his attempt to force them to hand over documents as part of an ongoing investigation into the plastic waste crisis.
The American Chemistry Council and the Plastics Industry Association have filed their lawsuits in a federal court in Washington, D.C., claiming that the demands of California’s top Democratic lawyer have, among other things, chilled their constitutional right to freedom of speech.
The groups said they had already provided some documents on things like public newsletters and public comments on “advanced recycling” technology, which uses a process called pyrolysis to turn hard-to-recycle plastic into fuel.
They withheld internal documents that they said contained confidential industry data and communications related to public policy and advocacy.
They said Bonta abused his authority by demanding the additional documents, and they are seeking an order banning him from taking further investigative action against them.
Bonta’s office said in an emailed response that it is reviewing the files and that the attorney general “remains fully committed to holding the fossil fuel industry accountable for its decades-long campaign of deception regarding the plastics crisis.”
American Chemistry Council attorney Allison Starmann said in a statement that Bonta “may disagree with the ACC’s political views, including our recommended policies for creating a more sustainable plastics future, but that the Constitutions of the U.S. and California protects freedom of speech and political engagement and prohibits government officials from retaliating.” against the exercise of these rights.”
Plastics Industry Association CEO Matt Seaholm said in a statement that the industry is investing billions of dollars in “innovative technologies” to increase recycling rates and remains committed to working with policymakers to keep plastics out of the environment.
California launched its investigation into the role of the oil and petrochemical industries in creating and exacerbating the global plastic waste crisis in April 2022. Bonta said last month that his office would decide whether to pursue Exxon (NYSE:), a major focus of the investigation , would sue through the summer.
California has taken similar legal action on climate change, focusing on what the fossil fuel industry has known about that problem for decades and how it has misled the public about its role.
More than 90% of plastic waste worldwide ends up in landfills or is incinerated, according to a groundbreaking study published in Science Advances. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the recycling rate in the US has never been higher than 9%.
A Reuters investigation found that advanced recycling projects worldwide suffered numerous delays and failures, even as companies touted their success.
