West Virginia University Professor Hota GangaRao urged the Senate to encourage the adoption of composites in infrastructure, rail, and other applications in a Senate subcommittee hearing on March 30, 2023.
The hearing, part of the Environment and Public Works Committee examination of the role of plastics in the economy, saw bipartisan consensus that composite products play a crucial role in infrastructure and other applications and differentiated the composites industry from single-use plastics.
Committee Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) praised the role that West Virginia University has played in deploying composites-based infrastructure projects throughout the state, and subcommittee Chairman Jeff Merkley noted he supported the important role that composites play in providing durability and extending the life of infrastructure.
“We urge Congress to direct R&D agencies to focus on developing and implementing multi-functional commodity materials that are durable, recyclable, and biodegradable,” he said in testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight.
The hearing focused on the environmental impacts of polymers. On behalf of ACMA, Professor GangaRao urged the Senate panel to keep ensuring that composites manufacturers continue to have access to polymers necessary for the manufacturing of durable composite materials and to help invest in efforts to expand recycling of composites.
Contact Dan Neumann, V.P. Government Relations, to learn more.