National Parks to phase out single-use plastic bottles under new federal mandate

What it does

This bill requires the National Park Service to establish a program within 180 days to reduce and eliminate the sale of disposable plastic products—especially single-use water bottles—across all national park units. Regional directors must implement the program by considering costs, visitor safety, infrastructure needs, and impacts on park concessionaires (vendors), with biennial evaluations to track progress, public response, and visitor satisfaction.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a mandate to reduce and eliminate disposable plastic products in national parks through infrastructure investment and visitor education. This is straightforward environmental policy aimed at reducing waste and pollution in public lands.

What the text implies

• Concessionaire revenue may decline if visitors bring their own water bottles instead of purchasing bottled water; the bill requires consideration of this impact but does not prohibit implementation despite revenue loss.
• Parks with limited water infrastructure or in arid regions may face significant capital costs to install refill stations; the bill requires feasibility assessment but does not guarantee federal funding.
• Visitor behavior may shift toward purchasing other beverages (soda, juice) in non-plastic containers or plastic containers not covered by the definition, potentially offsetting environmental gains.
• The bill's definition of 'disposable plastic products' excludes some single-use plastics (e.g., plastic straws, utensils) not explicitly listed, creating potential gaps in the reduction program.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Ordinary park visitors and the general public benefit from reduced plastic pollution in national parks, cleaner environments, and access to refillable water infrastructure. The bill explicitly protects visitor safety and operational feasibility by requiring consideration of costs, visitor education, and concessionaire impacts before implementation, avoiding a mandate that could harm park operations or visitor experience.

Who stands to gain

• Manufacturers of reusable water bottles and containers
• Companies supplying water refill station infrastructure and maintenance services
• Environmental organizations and waste-reduction consultants

Named in the bill

National Park Service (NPS), Director of the National Park Service, Regional directors (NPS), Park superintendents, Concessioners (park vendors), Cooperating associations, Secretary of the Interior

Where it stands

11 cosponsors: 10 Democrats, 1 Independents.

• Jun 2, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Jun 2, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources”
• Dec 9, 2025 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

4 lobbying clients named this bill on 6 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $783,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 24 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 72% of bills with at least one filing.

Jeff Merkley, the sponsor, reported $514,925 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Ocean Conservancy — $403,000 on 2 filings
• Oceana Inc — $280,000 on 1 filing
• Flexible Packaging Association — $80,000 on 2 filings
• Coalition to Protect Americas National Parks — $20,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 17, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.