California Investigates Oil Companies Over Plastic Pollution

May 6, 2022
California attorney general announces first-of-its-kind investigation.

Attorney General of California Rob Bonta is going after oil companies for their role in fueling the global plastic pollution crisis, according to an article from the San Francisco Chronicle. The investigation is reportedly the first of its kind in the U.S. and includes allegations that companies deliberately misled the public regarding the recyclability of plastic products.

According to the article, Banta says that oil and chemical companies knew the vast majority of plastics were not reusable and made false claims to the contrary. Bonta says, “In California and across the globe, we are seeing the catastrophic results of the fossil fuel industry’s decades-long campaign of deception.” The investigation will look into what laws may have been broken due to companies’ claims about plastics recycling. ExxonMobil reportedly was served a subpoena demanding the company release documents related to its role in “deceiving the public.”

Read the entire article here.