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Nonprofit says Park Service plan to reduce plastic doesn't move fast enough

A new report by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility is critical of a Park Service plan to reduce single-use plastics.

The nonprofit says other public lands agencies are acting faster on similar projects.

The Grand Canyon was once one of a handful of parks leading the way in reducing single-use plastics, until the Trump administration reversed the policy.

President Joe Biden has called for a renewed effort to restrict plastic pollution, and public lands agencies have made their own proposals.

The Bureau of Land Management, for example, wants to put a reduction in place by fiscal year 2027.

Colleen Teubner of PEER said the Park Service plan isn’t fast enough.

"Their plan is to phase single-use plastics out by 2032, which is a far longer time frame than we think is necessary," Teubner said.

She said one concern is that the policy could be reversed by a new administration before it even takes effect.

The National Park Service declined to comment.

Ron Dungan was a senior field correspondent at KJZZ from 2020 to 2024.