I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4236 

To encourage recycling and reduction of disposable plastic bottles in units 

of the National Park System, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019 

Mr. QUIGLEY (for himself, Mr. COHEN, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Ms. HAALAND, Mr. 

TONKO, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. BLUMENAUER, 

Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. CONNOLLY, and Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To encourage recycling and reduction of disposable plastic 

bottles in units of the National Park System, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reducing Waste in 

5 National Parks Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DISPOSABLE PLASTIC BOTTLE RECYCLING AND RE2 DUCTION IN UNITS OF THE NATIONAL PARK 

3 SYSTEM. 

4 (a) PROGRAM FOR RECYCLING AND REDUCTION OF

5 DISPOSABLE PLASTIC BOTTLES IN UNITS OF THE

6 NPS.—Each regional director concerned shall establish in 

7 such unit of the National Park System a program for recy8 cling and reduction of disposable plastic bottles, including, 

9 if applicable, elimination of the sale of water in disposable 

10 plastic bottles under subsection (b). 

11 (b) ELIMINATION OF SALE OF WATER IN DISPOS12 ABLE PLASTIC BOTTLES.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each regional director con14 cerned may eliminate the sale of water in disposable 

15 plastic bottles in such unit of the National Park Sys16 tem after consideration of the following factors with 

17 respect to such unit: 

18 (A) The costs and benefits to the overall 

19 operations. 

20 (B) The amount of waste that would be 

21 eliminated. 

22 (C) The infrastructure costs and funding 

23 sources for bottle refill stations. 

24 (D) Any contractual implications with re25 spect to concessioners, including considerations 


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1 of new leaseholder surrender interest or posses2 sory interest. 

3 (E) The operational costs of bottle refill 

4 stations, including utilities and regular public 

5 health testing. 

6 (F) The cost and availability of BPA-free 

7 reusable containers. 

8 (G) The effect on concessioner and co9 operation association sales revenue. 

10 (H) The availability of water within con11 cession food service operations. 

12 (I) The ability to provide visitor education 

13 in the unit and online so that visitors may come 

14 prepared with their own water bottles. 

15 (J) Any input from the National Park 

16 Service Office of Public Health. 

17 (K) The feasibility of posting signs so that 

18 visitors can easily find bottle refill stations. 

19 (L) Safety considerations for visitors who 

20 may resort to not carrying enough water or 

21 drinking from surface water sources with poten22 tial exposure to disease. 

23 (M) Any input from concessioners and co24 operating associations within the unit. 


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1 (2) UNITS OF NPS PREVIOUSLY ELIMINATED

2 SALE OF WATER IN DISPOSABLE PLASTIC BOT3 TLES.—With respect to a unit of the National Park 

4 System that does not offer for sale water in dispos5 able plastic bottles on the date prior to the date of 

6 the enactment of this Act, the superintendent of 

7 such unit may continue to not offer for sale water 

8 in disposable plastic bottles if such superintendent, 

9 not later than 180 days after the date of the enact10 ment of this Act, submits to the regional director of 

11 such unit an evaluation that analyzes and addresses 

12 the factors listed in subparagraphs (A) through (M) 

13 of paragraph (1). 

14 (c) PROACTIVE VISITOR EDUCATION STRATEGY.— 

15 Each regional director concerned shall develop for such 

16 unit of the National Park System a proactive visitor edu17 cation strategy that addresses visitor expectations of water 

18 availability and explains the rationale for the program for 

19 recycling and reduction of disposable plastic bottles estab20 lished under subsection (a) and implemented in such unit. 

21 (d) CONTINUITY WITHIN UNIT OF THE NPS.—Each 

22 regional director concerned shall, to the extent possible, 

23 implement the program for recycling and reduction of dis24 posable plastic bottles established under subsection (a) in 

25 a manner that is consistent throughout such unit of the 


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1 National Park System, including incorporation of such 

2 program into any agreement with an organization oper3 ating within the unit, including a concessioner operating 

4 plan and cooperating association scope of sales. 

5 (e) BIENNIAL EVALUATION.—Each regional director 

6 concerned shall, not less than once every 2 years— 

7 (1) conduct an evaluation of the program for 

8 recycling and reduction of disposable plastic bottles 

9 established under subsection (a) for such unit of the 

10 National Park System, including— 

11 (A) public response to the program; 

12 (B) visitor satisfaction with the availability 

13 of water; 

14 (C) buying behavior with respect to prod15 ucts sold in disposable plastic bottles; 

16 (D) public safety including information on 

17 cases of dehydration or exposure to disease 

18 from drinking from surface water; and 

19 (E) disposable plastic bottle collection 

20 rates; and 

21 (2) submit such evaluation to the Director of 

22 the National Park Service and the Secretary of the 

23 Interior. 

24 (f) DEFINITION OF REGIONAL DIRECTOR CON25 CERNED.—For the purposes of this section, the term ‘‘reVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:06 Sep 06, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4236.IH H4236

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1 gional director concerned’’ means, with respect to a unit 

2 of the National Park System, the regional director of the 

3 region of the National Park System in which such unit 

4 is located, working in coordination with the superintendent 

5 of such unit. 

Æ 


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