Montgomery, AL – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has joined a coalition of 15 state attorneys general in a lawsuit challenging California’s Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, arguing the law places burdensome requirements on businesses across the country.
The lawsuit, led by Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, contends that California’s law exceeds the state’s authority by imposing packaging and recycling requirements on manufacturers, distributors, and companies that sell products in plastic packaging, regardless of where those businesses are located.
According to the lawsuit, the law requires companies seeking to sell products in California to comply with packaging design, production, and waste management standards established under the Act. The coalition argues these requirements could increase costs for manufacturers and distributors nationwide, with those costs ultimately being passed on to consumers.
“California continues to impose radical policies that have expansive and expensive implications for businesses in Alabama. We will not allow this liberal policy intrusion on our sovereign state,” Marshall said in a statement.
The lawsuit also challenges the role of the Circular Action Alliance, a private organization designated to oversee implementation of the law. The attorneys general argue that the organization has been granted broad regulatory and enforcement authority with limited government oversight, including the ability to collect fees from businesses participating in California’s marketplace.
The coalition is seeking a declaratory judgment that the law violates both the U.S. Constitution and the California Constitution and is asking the court to prevent enforcement of the Act.
In addition to Alabama and Nebraska, attorneys general from Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia have joined the lawsuit.
