Baker Institute’s Rachel Meidl appointed to national Roundtable on Plastics Committee

Rachel Meidl, fellow in energy and sustainability at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, has been appointed to the Roundtable on Plastics Committee established by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
Rachel Meidl

The Roundtable on Plastics provides a forum for examining issues around national efforts to reduce plastic pollution and will be a venue for federal agencies and interdisciplinary experts in academia, industry and nongovernmental organizations to discuss priorities for future research initiatives.

The group’s activities will cover all aspects of the plastics lifecycle and potential interventions in plastic production and waste management; material and product design; environmental and health impacts; and data collection, management and modeling. By convening various sectors and experts from each step in the plastics lifecycle, the National Academies will address the complexity and diversity of issues in reducing plastic waste.

Meidl’s research focuses on sustainability; the circular economy; environmental justice; resiliency; safety and environmental regulations of the treatment, storage, disposal and transportation of hazardous materials and wastes; and understanding the environmental, economic and social impacts across energy and material supply chains.

She has more than 27 years of experience in industry, academia, government, policy, finance and international relations. Previously, Meidl was appointed deputy associate administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration in Washington, D.C., where she led the agency’s domestic and international strategy, policy and programs.

Written by Avery Ruxer Franklin for Rice News.