Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Puckett, a legal analysis by the Center for International Environmental Law spoke about how the recent Canada-U.S. arrangement on plastic waste violates our obligations under the Basel Convention. As you mentioned, because the U.S. never signed on to the Basel Convention and doesn't regulate plastic waste exports in the same way we do, this has been characterized as a backdoor agreement that allows our government to get around our international obligations on plastic waste.
I am concerned about this agreement. I'm also aware of the reality that many communities rely on sending plastic to the U.S. for recycling. How do we still allow the legitimate trade in recyclable plastic waste while also making sure that the hazardous plastic waste—the plastic waste for special consideration—from Canada doesn't end up being shipped to other countries, without environmental controls in place, by the U.S. once we ship it there?