Sullivan, Whitehouse, Menendez, Peters, Bonamici & Gonzalez-Colón Seek to Enhance Effectiveness of Marine Debris Program
Legislation Amends 2020 Save Our Seas 2.0 Act and 2006 Marine Debris Act
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) and Jenniffer González-Colón (R-Puerto Rico), today reintroduced legislation amending the 2020 Save Our Seas (SOS) 2.0 Act and the 2006 Marine Debris Act to provide the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with greater flexibility to deliver federal resources and enter into cooperative agreements to conduct marine debris prevention and clean-up. The legislation also clarifies the function and responsibilities of the congressionally-charteredMarine Debris Foundation. The legislation passed the Senate by unanimous consent in the previous Congress.
The SOS 2.0 Act—championed by Sullivan, Whitehouse, Menendez, Bonamici and the late Congressman Don Young (R-Alaska)—is the most comprehensive legislation ever passed by Congress to address the plastic debris crisis threatening coastal ecosystems and communities, and harming marine life.
“NOAA has already reached several important milestones in implementing the historic SOS 2.0 Act, assembling a distinguished Marine Debris Foundation Board of Directors—including several Alaskans—and conducting a landmark study that deepens our understanding of the global marine debris crisis,” said Senator Sullivan. “In furthering the SOS mission, my colleagues and I are introducing modifications to SOS 2.0 and the Marine Debris Act that will enhance NOAA and the Foundation’s ability to deploy federal resources and enter into effective public and private partnerships. I hope my colleagues will join our bipartisan effort to help address this entirely solvable global environmental challenge, and better protect our marine ecosystems, fisheries, and coastal economies.”
“Our oceans are in real trouble. This legislation will help maximize our previous Save Our Seas efforts to reduce marine pollution,” said Senator Whitehouse. “Keeping the oceans healthy must continue to be a strongly bipartisan priority.”
“By making significant improvements to the Marine Debris Foundation and Marine Debris Program at NOAA, today’s introduction signals strong and continued bipartisan support for confronting the marine debris crisis, a global problem with drastic implications for our livelihoods and well-being,” Senator Menendezsaid. “To address effects at home, the Marine Debris Program has already begun important work in New Jersey, including through the removal of derelict vessels in the Hudson River corridor and its support for the launch of the Clean Water Fund’s ReThink Disposable program, which provides critical training for community members to reduce plastic waste and the removal of derelict vessels in the Hudson River corridor. I look forward to continuing to support this and the Foundation’s other initiatives to make our shorelines cleaner and safer by working to secure the SOS 2.0 Amendments Act’s passage early on in the 118th Congress.”
“The Great Lakes provide drinking water for 40 million people, drive our state’s economy, and are simply in our DNA as Michiganders,” said Senator Peters. “This bipartisan legislation would help preserve the unique Great Lakes ecosystem and protect this critical natural resource for future generations by supporting marine debris prevention and clean-up efforts.”
“Marine debris threatens ocean health,” said Congresswoman Bonamici. “The bipartisan Save Our Seas 2.0 Act took a significant step toward addressing this pollution, and now we have the opportunity to build on that success by making it easier to use the resources the law provides. I am grateful to continue this important work with my colleagues on the House Oceans Caucus and the Senate Oceans Caucus, and I will also focus on legislation that prevents marine debris by reducing the production of plastics and eliminating waste.”
“Marine debris threatens the health of our ocean and coastal communities. That’s why I was a proud supporter and cosponsor of the Save Our Seas (SOS) 2.0 Act, which strengthened federal programs and initiatives to tackle this issue,” said Congresswoman González-Colón. “As Co-Chair of the House Oceans Caucus, I am committed to ensuring we have the necessary resources and authorities in place to fully implement this law and comprehensively combat marine debris, both at home and abroad. The SOS 2.0 Amendments Act will help achieve that by providing NOAA’s Marine Debris Program needed flexibilities and clarifying the responsibilities of the Marine Debris Foundation. I look forward to working with my House Oceans Caucus Co-Chair, Representative Bonamici, and Senators Sullivan, Whitehouse, Menendez, and Peters to get this important bill across the finish line.”
Click here for the section-by-section of the SOS 2.0 Amendments Act.
The Save Our Seas (SOS) 2.0 Act was composed of three primary pillars:
- Strengthening the United States’ domestic marine debris response capability with a Marine Debris Foundation, a genius prize for innovation, and new research to tackle the issue.
- Enhancing global engagement to combat marine debris, including formalizing U.S. policy on international cooperation, enhancing federal agency outreach to other countries, and exploring the potential for a new international agreement on the challenge.
- Improving domestic infrastructure to prevent marine debris through new grants for and studies of recycling and waste management and mitigation.
SOS 2.0 builds on the success of the Save Our Seas Act, legislation introduced by Sens. Sullivan and Whitehouse in the Senate, and Representatives Bonamici and Young in the House, and signed into law in October 2018.
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