Press Releases
09/25/2024
Attorney General Tong to Convene National Forum on Plastics
(Hartford, CT) – Connecticut Attorney General William Tong is convening attorneys general, leading academics, advocates and industry experts for a national forum on plastics in New Haven on Thursday, September 26 and Friday, September 27.The forum seeks to advance understanding and collaboration around plastics-related environmental and health concerns and to analyze best practices and solutions. The forum will include panels on alternatives to plastics, human health and environmental impacts, and legislative and consumer initiatives to address waste management. The forum is co-hosted by the State Energy & Environmental Impact Center at NYU School of Law.
The forum will take place at the Hotel Marcel in New Haven, Connecticut. Press are encouraged to attend the second day of the forum on September 27. First day events are closed to press. Attorney General Tong will be available for media interviews during session breaks on Friday at approximately 10-10:15 a.m., 2-2:15 p.m. and 4-4:15 p.m. Click here for the agenda.
Media who wish to attend should RSVP to elizabeth.benton@ct.gov.
“Plastic pollution is a growing threat to human health and our environment. We are only beginning to understand the severity of this crisis, as well as the potential science, technology and policy solutions to mitigate harm. The forum will convene bipartisan attorneys general, as well as scientific experts, advocates and industry leaders for a series of honest, solutions-oriented discussions about what we know and what we need to do to address plastics challenges to protect ourselves and future generations,” said Attorney General Tong.
Confirmed panelists and attendees include:
1. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong
2. California Attorney General Rob Bonta
3. New York Attorney General Letitia James (participating virtually)
4. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum
5. New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella
6. Former Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh
7. Judith Enck, President, Beyond Plastics
8. Anthony Palmer, Vice President, Circular Plastics & Chemicals Sustainability, Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS, a Dow Jones Company
9. Keefe Harrison, CEO, Recycling Partnership
10. Alejandra Warren, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Plastic Free Future
11. Kate Bailey, Chief Policy Officer, The Association of Plastic Recyclers
12. State Representative Tom O’Dea (R-New Canaan)
13. Erin Simon, Vice President and Head, Plastic Waste and Business, WWF
14. Sarah Doll, National Director, Safer States
15. Katie S. Dykes, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection
16. Ron Gonen, CEO, Closed Loop Partners
17. Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue (How2Recycle)
18. Katie Drews, Co-President & CEO, Eureka Recycling
19. Dr. Neil Tangri, Science and Policy Director, GAIA Global and UC Berkeley
20. Crystal Dreisbach, CEO, Upstream (participating virtually)
21. Michael Kraus, Director of Sustainable Events and Analytics, Green Sports Alliance (participating virtually)
22. Martin Bourque, Executive Director, Ecology Center (participating virtually)
23. Bruce Becker, Owner, Hotel Marcel
24. Dr. Leslie Shor, Professor, University of Connecticut
25. Jeff Keithline, Partner, Keller and Heckman LLP
26. Dr. Tracey Woodruff, Professor, University of California, San Francisco
27. Dr. Jane Muncke, Managing Director, Food Packaging Forum Foundation
28. Dr. Leonardo Trasande, Associate Faculty, NYU Wagner; Professor, NYU School of Medicine
29. Dr. Nihan Karali, Policy Researcher, Sustainable Energy & Environmental Systems Department, Berkeley Lab
30. Heather McTeer Toney, Executive Director, Beyond Petrochemicals
31. Julia Koskella, Director, Systemiq (participating virtually)
32. Bret Biggers, Senior Economist, ReMA
33. Caroline Vanderlip, CEO, Re:Dish
34. Dr. Veena Singla, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University
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Media Contact:
Elizabeth Benton
elizabeth.benton@ct.gov
Consumer Inquiries:
860-808-5318
attorney.general@ct.gov