House Amendment to S. 756, Save Our Seas Act of 2018

Floor Situation

On Wednesday, July 25, 2018, the House will consider the House Amendment to S. 756, the Save Our Seas Act of 2018, under suspension of the rules. This bill was introduced on March 29, 2017 by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and was referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which ordered the bill reported, as amended, by voice vote, on June 27, 2018.

Summary              

The House Amendment reauthorizes and amends the Marine Debris Act to revise the Marine Debris Program to require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to work with: (1) other agencies to address both land- and sea-based sources of marine debris, and (2) the Department of State and other agencies to promote international action to reduce the incidence of marine debris.

The bill urges the President to:

• support funding for research and development of bio-based and other alternatives or environmentally feasible improvements to materials that reduce municipal solid waste;
• work with foreign countries that contribute the most to the global marine debris problem in order to find a solution to the problem;
• study issues related to marine debris, including the economic impacts of marine debris; and
• encourage the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to consider the impact of marine debris in relevant future trade agreements.

The Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee must expand to include a senior official from the State Department and from the Department of the Interior.

This bill reauthorizes for FY2018-FY2022: (1) the Marine Debris Program, (2) an information clearinghouse on marine debris, and (3) enforcement of laws about discarded marine debris from ships.

In addition, the House Amendment includes provisions to implement the Commandant of the Coast Guard’s Final Action Memo regarding the recommendations of the marine causality investigation into the sinking of the El Faro.  The amendment also allows the Coast Guard to have a Blue Technology Center of Expertise, in order to encourage the Service to use new more effective and less expensive Maritime Domain Awareness Technologies to better target the use of their manned response assets to carry out their many at sea missions.

Background

“Marine debris'' refers to any persistent, solid material that ends up in the marine environment or the Great Lakes. Small pieces of marine debris, like litter, that originate on land can be flushed into the ocean via storm drains, rivers, and streams often as a result of heavy rainfall or high tide. More extreme events like a hurricane, tsunami, or flood might deposit larger pieces of refuse into the ocean. Marine debris also can come from fishing vessels (including lost fishing gear), cargo ships, or oil and gas platforms. Abandoned vessels themselves can become marine debris. In addition to being an eyesore when it washes up on a beach, marine debris can do the following: pose a hazard to navigation if it becomes entangled in propulsion systems or intakes or is a collision hazard; endanger human health, especially in the case of medical waste; be ingested by, or entangle, marine animals; and in the case of derelict fishing gear, continue to net, hook, or trap animals, sometimes called “ghostfishing.''[1]

The Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act (MDRPRA) was enacted in December 2006. The MDRPRA established within NOAA a Marine Debris Program to reduce and prevent the occurrence and adverse impacts of marine debris on the marine environment and navigation safety. The MDRPRA provides guidelines for the Administrator to enter into cooperative agreements and contracts, and provide financial assistance in the form of grants through the Marine Debris Program for such projects. The MDRPRA amended the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987 to establish an Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee (Interagency Committee) to coordinate a comprehensive program of marine debris research and activities among Federal agencies, in cooperation with nongovernmental organizations, industry, universities, States, Indian tribes, and other nations. The MDRPRA also directs the Commandant of the Coast Guard, in consultation with the Interagency Committee, to increase compliance with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex V and the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships with respect to the discard of trash from vessels, improvement of waste management onboard vessels, and the improvement of international cooperation. The MDRPRA directs the Administrator, in coordination with the Interagency Committee, to maintain a Federal information clearinghouse on marine debris. The MDRPRA authorized appropriations from fiscal years (FYs) 2006 through 2010 at $10,000,000 for the Marine Debris Program, and $2,000,000 to the Commandant of the Coast Guard to improve implementation of MARPOL.[2]

NOAA's Marine Debris Program is part of the Office of Response and Restoration within the National Ocean Service. The Marine Debris Program seeks to coordinate, strengthen, and increase the visibility of marine debris issues and efforts within NOAA, other agencies and partners, and among the public. The Marine Debris Program is undertaking a national and international effort focusing on identifying, reducing, and preventing debris in the marine environment. In order to achieve its goals, the Marine Debris Program works closely with various partners across the United States. The Marine Debris Program has funded and helped support numerous projects, including aerial surveys of marine debris in Alaska, removal of derelict fishing gear from Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary off the Texas coast, high seas marine debris monitoring, and online outreach and education programs. The Marine Debris Program also sponsors the International Coastal Cleanup coordinated by the Ocean Conservancy. That event is the largest marine debris and litter cleanup event in the world. More than 790,000 people participated in the 2015 cleanup, with events held in 37 States and in more than 90 countries and locations around the globe; more than 18,000,000 pounds of trash were collected over 25,000 miles.[3]

Cost

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that implementing S. 756 would cost $44 million over the 2019-2023 period, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts.

Staff Contact

For questions or further information please contact Ryan Hofmann with the House Republican Policy Committee by email or at 2-6674.