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Rep. Adriana Gutiérrez Colón of the Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) is urging the Consumer Affairs (DACO by its acronym in Spanish) and Natural & Environmental Resources (DNER) departments to enforce Law 51, which prohibits the sale and use of single-use plastics.
Gutiérrez Colón raised concerns on Wednesday about the agencies’ neglect of their ministerial duties and questioned their decision to not oversee the ban on single-use plastics.
“Government agencies must fulfill their functions and responsibilities, especially when they are legally mandated,” she said. “DACO and DRNA cannot abdicate their duty to ensure and oversee compliance with this law.”
In response to the argument by the current administration’s nominees to lead DACO and DRNA that they lack the resources to supervise the ban on the sale and use of single-use plastics, Gutiérrez Colón argued that “[a]bandoning their functions should not be the first option.”
“Both nominees have an obligation to advocate for additional resources, if necessary, to enable their respective agencies to operate effectively,” she said.
On Jan. 27, the secretaries nominated to lead DACO and the DNER signed an order nullifying the clarification of supervision and oversight procedures related to the ban on single-use plastics. Gutiérrez Colón, a freshman lawmaker who is also a lawyer, stated that the order is invalid because it circumvents the due process of law.
She said any moratorium on inspections or the imposition of fines must be done through amendments to Law 51, which has not occurred.
“This action also promotes non-compliance with the law, as publicly announcing that inspections will not be carried out implies that no one will be held accountable, and that is unacceptable,” Gutiérrez Colón said.
