The Microbead-Free Waters Act, H.R. 1321, is on the books as of Dec. 29, following its speedy passage in both chambers of Congress in December ([A#02151221009]). "It's a banner day for Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes. We now have a bipartisan law on the books to cleanse dirty microbeads from all our nation’s waters," says sponsor Fred Upton, R-Mich., who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, in a same-day release. Upton's committee amended the bipartisan bill during a November markup session to include phase-out terms that industry views as feasible and to preempt state and local laws addressing plastic microbead use in the cosmetics sector. The legislation does not leave room, however, for use of biodegradable plastic replacements, such as PHA-based microbeads, which a number of state bills would have allowed. Bioplastic suppliers including Mango Materials, Inc., which were focused on microbead legislation in California for much of the year, were caught off-guard by the federal bill's rapid movement at the end of 2015 and now say they are assessing their options Also see "2015 In Review: Tension Builds At The Regulatory Cosmetic/Drug Divide" - HBW Insight, 2 January, 2016..
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