Action Alert In New York Against Extended Producer Responsibility Bill Was Successful
by Gary Jones, Vice President of Environmental, Health, and Safety Affairs Jun 19, 2023

The action alert initiated by PRINTING United Alliance in opposition to the New York State Packaging Reduction and Recycling Act, that would have established an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program, was very successful. The bill died in the legislative session due to significant pressure by impacted entities, including members of the Alliance. 

Bills were introduced in the New York State Assembly and Senate, and they became the focus of attention when the Governor’s attempt at imposing an EPR program was cut from the state’s budget bill. 

To resolve the confusion from multiple bills, identical bills were introduced with only 5 days remaining in the legislative calendar. The identical bills had provisions that would have been very problematic for those who would have to pay the EPR fees, including some printing operations and all print customers. The bills would (1) preclude advanced recycling from both recycling and PCR content definitions; (2) not use plastics as a substitute to achieve source reduction; (3) ban PVC, polycarbonate, and polystyrene in packaging; (4) exclude packaging with certain toxic substances and chemistries from being recyclable; (5) and create a recycling inspector general.

The Alliance launched an Action Alert on June 5, 2023, encouraging its members to send letters of opposition to their representatives. The membership responded quickly and were met with success. In addition to the Action Alert, the Alliance signed onto a coalition letter and submitted its own opposition letter to New York lawmakers.

Without the support of our members in New York State who sent letters to their state senators and representatives, these bills would most likely have passed as written. The letters had a huge impact that resulted in no action being taken on the legislation. The members in New York State need to give themselves a collective pat on the back for a job well done.  

In this article, Gary Jones, VP of EHS (Environmental, Health & Safety) Affairs, PRINTING United Alliance, addresses state environmental regulatory issues. More information about environmental regulations can be found at Business Excellence-Environmental, Health, and Safety or reach out to Gary should you have additional questions specific to how these issues may affect your business: gjones@printing.org.  

To become a member of the Alliance and learn more about how our subject matter experts can assist your company with services and resources such as those mentioned in this article, please contact the Alliance membership team: 888-385-3588 / membership@printing.org. 

  

Business
Gary Jones Vice President of Environmental, Health, and Safety Affairs
Hire This Expert

Gary A. Jones is the Vice President of Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Affairs at PRINTING United Alliance in Fairfax, VA. His primary responsibility is to monitor and analyze EHS regulatory activities at all domestic and some international government levels. He provides representation on behalf of the printing and specialty graphic imaging industry. Mr. Jones works closely with the federal and state-level Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA), Department of Transportation (DOT), and other agencies. He also provides membership assistance on EHS compliance and sustainability programs through a variety of approaches including responding to inquiries, presentations, writing, and consulting services.

He holds a BS in biology from LaRoche College and an MS in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh.

Speaking Topics:

  • Regulatory compliance and sustainability
  • Webinars on a wide variety of EHS related topics
  • Customized seminars and workshops, including: Compliance Today, Beyond Compliance Tomorrow, OSHA Compliance Essentials, and Hazardous Waste Boot Camp
  • Two-day workshops Environmental Compliance for Printers and OSHA Compliance for Printing

Related Content

Department of Labor Issues New Final Overtime Rule

The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued the final rule revising the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Overtime Rule (OT Rule). The new rule will become effective on July 1, 2024. The OT Rule provides the framework for companies to determine whether an employee must receive overtime compensation for working more than 40 hours each week. The OT Rule has three tests to categorize workers as either “Exempt” from overtime wages or “Non-exempt” from overtime wages, which means that the employee would receive at least the 150% of applicable wages (time and a half) mandated by the OT Rule.

Proforma Distributor Owner, Chas Shramek, Secures Seven-Figure Retail Superstore Deal for Valued Client

TAMPA, FLA. (April 30, 2024) – Proforma, the $650 million technology and business success leader, proudly acknowledges Chas Shramek, President and Owner of Proforma Connected. His recent achievement in securing a seven-figure deal has led to the successful placement of branded products within a prominent retail superstore on behalf of a valued client. Through this feat, Shramek, an esteemed member of Proforma’s Multi-Million Dollar Club with over 15 years of industry experience, exemplifies the dedication and persistence that have become synonymous with the Proforma brand.

Federal Trade Commission Bans Non-Competition Agreements

On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) banned companies from using non-competition agreements – generally referred to as “noncompetes” in employment agreements, severance agreements, and other contracts. The purpose of noncompetes is to protect employers from being competitively disadvantaged by companies that hire their employees away from them and then benefit from that former employee’s inside knowledge of the company, which theoretically provides an unfair advantage to the hiring company.
}