Archives: News

Congress Returns With High-Stakes Agenda on Spending and Defense   Congress returned from its August recess this week, facing a packed agenda, with lawmakers needing to distinguish between essential “must-do” measures and optional “want-to-do” items. The most pressing tasks are the FY26 spending bills and the...

TL;DR (Summary for Readers): Vinyl manufacturing has significantly evolved. Over the years, it has embraced sustainable practices that reduce waste, improve recyclability, and support circular economy initiatives. Through innovations and advanced recycling technologies, vinyl manufacturers are minimizing environmental impact. Organizations like the Vinyl Institute are...

Global Rift Deepens After Plastic Pollution Talks Collapses Again Global negotiations for a United Nations treaty on plastic pollution collapsed once again in Geneva, with deep divisions persisting over production limits, chemical restrictions, and financing mechanisms. The UN’s Environment Programme confirmed that talks would resume...

Senate Appropriations Backs $38.6B for Environment and Public Lands The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its FY2026 Interior-Environment spending bill by a 26-2 vote, allocating $38.6 billion in base discretionary funding, which is roughly equal to the prior year’s level. It exceeds the House’s proposed $38...

The Vinyl Institute (VI) is taking a delegation to the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5.2) meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. The VI has had a presence representing the vinyl industry at previous INC meetings in Paris, Nairobi, Ottawa, and Busan to educate delegates on the...

House Republicans Support Bid to Ease Pyrolysis Regulations As Lawmakers Explore Bipartisan Paths on National Recycling Standards and the UN Plastics Treaty On July 17, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment held a hearing to examine recycling standards in a hearing entitled,...

Trump Signs Sweeping Tax and Policy Bill on July Fourth President Donald Trump signed into law a sweeping 940-page domestic policy and tax package (H.R. 1) on July 4, marking a major legislative victory timed with the national holiday. Dubbed the “one big beautiful bill,”...

GOP Leaders Push for Pass Reconciliation Bill Before July 4  The President and Republican congressional leaders are intensifying efforts to pass President Donald Trump’s sweeping budget reconciliation bill, aiming to meet the self-imposed July 4 deadline he set.  While the deadline does not carry legislative...