Support National Wipes Legislation
Last month, the bipartisan, bicameral WIPPES Act was introduced in Congress. The Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety (WIPPES) Act (S. 1350/H.R. 2964), would require wipes manufacturers to print a clear and conspicuous “Do Not Flush” label on their nonflushable wipes product packaging.

We’re asking CASA members to reach out to your congressional delegations urging them to support the WIPPES Act. To help, CASA has created support letter templates to send to your House delegations and Senator Dianne Feinstein. CASA and the other stakeholders have also created a fact sheet that can be sent along with your letters to congressional offices.

The key to advancing this meaningful legislation will be increasing broad support for the bills through additional co-sponsorships, and the most direct way to do this is by having members of Congress hear directly from their constituents! Letters should be sent to congressional offices by May 15.

The WIPPES Act is sponsored by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Representative Lisa McClain (R-MI) and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK). Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) also supports the WIPPES Act.

S.1350 and H.R. 2964 requires wipes manufacturers to print a clear and conspicuous “Do Not Flush” label on their nonflushable wipes product packaging. These labeling requirements are the same requirements CASA negotiated with the wipes industry and enacted into law under AB 818 in 2021. The House and Senate bills enjoy support from the wipes industry, national clean water stakeholders, and the National Stewardship Action Council. The legislation has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation. The WIPPES Acts must be considered and reported out of the committees to be voted on the chamber floors and passed into law.

Letters should be sent to congressional offices by May 15th. If you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to CASA’s Sarah Sapirstein (ssap@ensresources.com). Thank you in advance for your support on this issue!