Marine Debris Act Amendments of 2016

Summary: Marine Debris Act Amendments of 2016 (Sec. 2) This bill amends the Marine Debris Act to revise the Marine Debris Program by requiring 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. (Sec. 3) The bill also revises the program by allowing NOAA to make sums available for assisting in the cleanup and response required by severe marine debris events. (Sec. 4) The bill urges the President to: (1) work with foreign countries that produce the largest amounts of unmanaged municipal solid waste that reaches the ocean in order to find solution to the marine debris; and (2) study issues related to marine debris, including the economic impacts of marine debris. (Sec. 5) The Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee must expand to include a senior official from the Department of State. (Sec. 6) This bill reauthorizes through FY2021: (1) the Marine Debris Program, (2) an information clearinghouse on marine debris, and (3) enforcement of laws about discarded marine debris from ships. 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Marine Debris Act Amendments of 
2016''.

SEC. 2. NOAA MARINE DEBRIS PROGRAM.

    Subsection (b) of section 3 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 
1952(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (5)(C), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(6) work with other Federal agencies to develop outreach 
        and education strategies to address both land- and sea-based 
        sources of marine debris; and
            ``(7) work with the Department of State and other Federal 
        agencies to promote international action to reduce the 
        incidence of marine debris.''.

SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE FOR SEVERE MARINE DEBRIS EVENTS.

    Section 3 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1952) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Assistance for Severe Marine Debris Events.--
            ``(1) In general.--At the discretion of the Administrator 
        or at the request of the Governor of an affected State, the 
        Administrator shall determine whether there is a severe marine 
        debris event.
            ``(2) Assistance.--If the Administrator makes a 
        determination under paragraph (1) that there is a severe marine 
        debris event, the Administrator is authorized to make sums 
        available to be used by the affected State or by the 
        Administrator in cooperation with the affected State--
                    ``(A) to assist in the cleanup and response 
                required by the severe marine debris event; or
                    ``(B) such other activity as the Administrator 
                determines is appropriate in response to the severe 
                marine debris event.
            ``(3) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of any 
        activity carried out under the authority of this subsection 
        shall not exceed 75 percent of the cost of that activity.''.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT TO RESPOND TO 
              MARINE DEBRIS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the President should--
            (1) work with representatives of foreign countries that 
        produce the largest amounts of unmanaged municipal solid waste 
        that reaches the ocean to learn about, and find solutions to, 
        the contributions of such countries to marine debris in the 
        world's oceans;
            (2) carry out studies to determine--
                    (A) the primary means by which solid waste enters 
                the oceans;
                    (B) the manner in which waste management 
                infrastructure can be most effective in preventing 
                debris from reaching the oceans;
                    (C) the long-term economic impacts of marine debris 
                on the national economies of each country set out in 
                paragraph (1) and on the global economy; and
                    (D) the economic benefits of decreasing the amount 
                of marine debris in the oceans;
            (3) work with representatives of foreign countries that 
        produce the largest amounts of unmanaged municipal solid waste 
        that reaches the ocean to conclude one or more new 
        international agreements--
                    (A) to mitigate the risk of land-based marine 
                debris contributed by such countries reaching an ocean; 
                and
                    (B) to increase technical assistance and investment 
                in waste management infrastructure, if the President 
                determines appropriate; and
            (4) consider the benefits and appropriateness of having a 
        senior official of the Department of State serve as a permanent 
        member of the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee 
        established under section 5 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 
        1954).

SEC. 5. INCLUSION OF DEPARTMENT OF STATE ON THE INTERAGENCY MARINE 
              DEBRIS COORDINATING COMMITTEE.

    Section 5(b) of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1954(b)) is 
amended--
            (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
        semicolon;
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (6); and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
            ``(5) the Department of State; and''.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 9 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1958) is amended to 
read as follows:

``SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated for each fiscal year 2017 
through 2021--
            ``(1) to the Administrator for carrying out sections 3, 5, 
        and 6, $10,000,000, of which no more than 10 percent may be for 
        administrative costs; and
            ``(2) to the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast 
        Guard is operating, for the use of the Commandant of the Coast 
        Guard in carrying out section 4, $2,000,000, of which no more 
        than 10 percent may be used for administrative costs.''.

            Passed the Senate December 10 (legislative day, December 
      9), 2016.

            Attest:

                                                             Secretary.
114th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 3086

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

To reauthorize and amend the Marine Debris Act to promote international 
         action to reduce marine debris and for other purposes.