II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5030 

To provide for negotiations for the establishment or designation of a trust 

fund administered by the international community for the prevention 

and reduction of marine debris, including marine plastic pollution, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 16, 2020 

Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. SULLIVAN, and Mr. WHITEHOUSE) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To provide for negotiations for the establishment or designation of a trust fund administered by the international 

community for the prevention and reduction of marine 

debris, including marine plastic pollution, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Unify Nations In 

5 Trash Elimination for our Oceans Act of 2020’’ or the 

6 ‘‘UNITE for our Oceans Act of 2020’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON4 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con5 gress’’ means— 

6 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

7 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

8 Transportation, and the Committee on Finance 

9 of the Senate; and 

10 (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

11 Committee on Financial Services, the Com12 mittee on Natural Resources, and the Com13 mittee on Ways and Means of the House of 

14 Representatives. 

15 (2) MARINE DEBRIS.—The term ‘‘marine de16 bris’’ means any persistent solid material that is 

17 manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, 

18 intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or aban19 doned into the marine environment or the Great 

20 Lakes. 

21 (3) MARINE PLASTIC POLLUTION.—The term 

22 ‘‘marine plastic pollution’’ means any plastic mate23 rial directly or indirectly discarded, disposed of, or 

24 abandoned in the marine or coastal environment, in25 cluding microplastics. 


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1 (4) MICROPLASTICS.—The term ‘‘microplastics’’ 

2 means small particles or fragments of plastic meas3 uring less than 5 millimeters in diameter. 

4 (5) SECRETARY.—Except as otherwise specifi5 cally provided, the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Sec6 retary of State. 

7 SEC. 3. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

8 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find9 ings: 

10 (1) A large portion of the world’s population 

11 depends on oceans and marine environments for 

12 food security and economic livelihoods. 

13 (2) Marine debris, including marine plastic pol14 lution, is a global problem that directly and indi15 rectly threatens marine habitats and species, eco16 nomic growth, and human health and safety. 

17 (3) Each year, billions of pounds of trash and 

18 other pollutants enter the ocean, a large proportion 

19 of which is plastic. 

20 (4) The increasing production, consumption, 

21 and improper disposal of plastic products, including 

22 single-use plastic products, contributes substantially 

23 to the issue of marine debris. 


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1 (5) In 2016, the United States generated the 

2 largest amount of plastic waste of any country in the 

3 world. 

4 (6) A significant portion of marine debris, in5 cluding marine plastic pollution, originates from 

6 land-based activities, and the movement of such de7 bris has significant impacts on marine environments. 

8 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con9 gress that— 

10 (1) the United States must improve domestic 

11 production, consumption, and end-of-life practices to 

12 achieve a comprehensive and sustainable life-cycle 

13 system for products; 

14 (2) it is critical to support and enhance the ca15 pacity of countries to manage their waste systems 

16 and marine and coastal ecosystems sustainably; and 

17 (3) international efforts to enhance the control 

18 of the transboundary movements of plastic waste, in19 cluding the Basel Convention on the Control of 

20 Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes 

21 and their Disposal, adopted by the United Nations 

22 March 22, 1989, and ongoing discussions on poten23 tial agreements relating to marine debris, provide 

24 meaningful frameworks to reduce marine debris, in25 cluding marine plastic pollution. 


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1 SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OR DESIGNATION OF TRUST FUND 

2 FOR MARINE DEBRIS AND PLASTIC POLLU3 TION. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall seek to enter 

5 into negotiations with foreign countries and the United 

6 Nations, the International Bank for Reconstruction and 

7 Development, the Global Environment Facility, and other 

8 relevant international organizations for the purposes of— 

9 (1) establishing a new trust fund, or desig10 nating an existing trust fund, to serve as the ‘‘Trust 

11 Fund for Marine Debris and Plastic Pollution’’ (in 

12 this Act referred to as the ‘‘Trust Fund’’); and 

13 (2) establishing an Advisory Board to the Trust 

14 Fund in accordance with section 8. 

15 (b) PURPOSE.—The Secretary shall seek, pursuant to 

16 negotiations described in subsection (a), to require that 

17 the Trust Fund use funds contributed to the Trust Fund 

18 to provide support for activities that— 

19 (1) prevent and reduce marine debris, including 

20 marine plastic pollution; and 

21 (2) promote sustainable consumption and pro22 duction of resources. 

23 (c) BOARD OF TRUSTEES.— 

24 (1) COMPOSITION.—The Secretary shall seek, 

25 pursuant to negotiations described in subsection (a), 


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1 to establish a Board of Trustees for the Trust Fund, 

2 to be composed of individuals who— 

3 (A) are representatives of the countries 

4 that contribute funds to the Trust Fund; and 

5 (B) have knowledge or experience in the 

6 fields of marine or environmental sciences, ma7 rine debris or marine plastic pollution, sustain8 able consumption and production of resources, 

9 international relations, or international funding 

10 programs. 

11 (2) UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE.—If the 

12 Board of Trustees is established pursuant to nego13 tiations described in subsection (a), there shall be a 

14 United States member of the Board, who shall be 

15 appointed by the President, by and with the advice 

16 and consent of the Senate, from among individuals 

17 who have knowledge or experience described in para18 graph (1)(B). 

19 (d) CONSULTATIONS.—The Secretary shall conduct 

20 negotiations described in subsection (a) in consultation 

21 with the Administrator of the United States Agency for 

22 International Development, the Secretary of Commerce, 

23 the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agen24 cy, the Secretary of the Interior, the Administrator of the 

25 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 


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1 United States Trade Representative, the Chief Executive 

2 Officer of the United States International Development 

3 Finance Corporation, and the heads of such other relevant 

4 United States Government agencies as the Secretary con5 siders appropriate. 

6 SEC. 5. GRANT AUTHORITIES. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall seek, pursu8 ant to negotiations described in section 4(a), to provide 

9 the Board of Trustees of the Trust Fund with authority 

10 to provide grants, including grants for technical assistance 

11 and capacity building, for eligible entities to lead and im12 plement effective activities relating to the prevention or 

13 reduction of, or education or research and development 

14 with respect to, marine debris, including marine plastic 

15 pollution, including with respect to the following: 

16 (1) Preventing debris, including plastics, from 

17 entering marine environments. 

18 (2) Reducing the amount of debris, including 

19 plastic pollution, in marine environments. 

20 (3) Reducing the use and improper disposal of 

21 single-use plastics and other materials that pollute 

22 marine environments. 

23 (4) Encouraging the reuse, recycling, and use of 

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1 tics, including single-use plastics, and other mate2 rials. 

3 (5) Supporting the infrastructure and operation 

4 of sustainable waste and recycling systems, including 

5 the harmonization of such systems across regions. 

6 (6) Encouraging sustainable standards for 

7 product design and manufacturing to maximize re8 duction, reuse, and recycling of materials. 

9 (7) Supporting the research and development of 

10 new sustainable materials and processes that pro11 mote a comprehensive life-cycle approach for prod12 ucts. 

13 (b) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall seek, pur14 suant to negotiations described in section 4(a), to require 

15 the Board of Trustees, in providing grants for activities 

16 described in subsection (a), to coordinate its activities with 

17 international organizations, such as the United Nations, 

18 the International Bank for Reconstruction and Develop19 ment, and the Global Environment Facility, national and 

20 local governments, civil society, nongovernmental organi21 zations, and the private sector. 

22 (c) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall seek, pursuant to 

23 negotiations described in section 4(a), to require the 

24 Board of Trustees, in providing grants under this section, 


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1 to prioritize awarding grants for activities that would most 

2 effectively— 

3 (1) reduce the amount of debris, including plas4 tics, that enters marine environments; 

5 (2) encourage practices to improve the sustain6 able consumption and production of resources and 

7 minimize waste generation; and 

8 (3) remove debris, including plastics, from ma9 rine environments. 

10 (d) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary shall seek, 

11 pursuant to negotiations described in section 4(a), to es12 tablish that entities eligible to receive grants under this 

13 section include national and local governments, non14 governmental organizations, and other appropriate inter15 ested entities as determined by the Board of Trustees. 

16 (e) PROHIBITION ON GRANTS FOR CERTAIN HIGH17 RISK ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary shall seek, pursuant to 

18 negotiations described in section 4(a), to prohibit the 

19 Board of Trustees from making grants for the purpose 

20 of activities that involve incineration or chemical recycling 

21 processes that produce fuel as the final product. 

22 SEC. 6. CRITERIA AND PROCESSES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL 

23 ASSESSMENTS OF GRANT ACTIVITIES. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall seek, pursu25 ant to negotiations described in section 4(a), to require 


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1 the Board of Trustees of the Trust Fund to develop cri2 teria and processes to assess the environmental impacts, 

3 and the impacts on the health and livelihoods of affected 

4 communities, of activities funded by grants provided by 

5 the Trust Fund. 

6 (b) CONSULTATION AND AVAILABILITY.—The Sec7 retary shall seek, pursuant to negotiations described in 

8 section 4(a), to ensure that the assessments described in 

9 subsection (a) involve consultation with, and are available 

10 to— 

11 (1) all affected groups and stakeholders in local 

12 communities where grant activities would occur; and 

13 (2) the general public. 

14 SEC. 7. ADMINISTRATION. 

15 (a) APPOINTMENT OF AN ADMINISTRATOR.—The 

16 Secretary shall seek, pursuant to negotiations described 

17 in section 4(a), to require the Board of Trustees of the 

18 Trust Fund, in consultation with appropriate officials, to 

19 appoint an administrator to manage the day-to-day oper20 ations of the Trust Fund. 

21 (b) AUTHORITY TO SOLICIT AND ACCEPT CONTRIBU22 TIONS.—The Secretary shall seek, pursuant to negotia23 tions described in section 4(a), to authorize the Trust 

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1 ments, the private sector, and nongovernmental entities of 

2 all kinds. 

3 (c) ACCOUNTABILITY OF FUNDS AND CRITERIA FOR

4 SUPPORT.—As part of the negotiations described in sec5 tion 4(a), the Secretary shall— 

6 (1) take such actions as are necessary and with7 in the authority of the Secretary to ensure that the 

8 Board of Trustees will have in effect adequate proce9 dures and standards to account for and monitor the 

10 use of funds contributed to the Trust Fund, includ11 ing the costs of administering the Trust Fund; and 

12 (2) seek approval from the Board of Trustees 

13 on the criteria that should be used to determine the 

14 entities and activities that should receive support 

15 from the Trust Fund. 

16 (d) SELECTION OF ENTITIES AND ACTIVITIES.—The 

17 Secretary shall seek, pursuant to negotiations described 

18 in section 4(a), to require the Board of Trustees to estab19 lish— 

20 (1) standards and criteria for the selection of 

21 entities and activities to receive grants from the 

22 Trust Fund; and 

23 (2) such rules and procedures as may be nec24 essary— 


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1 (A) for cost-effective management of the 

2 Trust Fund; and 

3 (B) to ensure transparency and account4 ability in the process of awarding grants. 

5 (e) TRANSPARENCY OF OPERATIONS.—The Secretary 

6 shall seek, pursuant to negotiations described in section 

7 4(a), to require the Board of Trustees to ensure full and 

8 prompt public disclosure of the proposed objectives, finan9 cial organization, and operations of the Trust Fund. 

10 SEC. 8. ADVISORY BOARD. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall seek, pursu12 ant to negotiations described in section 4(a), to establish 

13 an Advisory Board to the Trust Fund to provide advice 

14 and guidance to the Board of Trustees of the Trust Fund 

15 with respect to— 

16 (1) the development and implementation of ac17 tivities to receive support from the Trust Fund; and 

18 (2) leveraging contributions to the Trust Fund. 

19 (b) APPOINTMENTS.—The Secretary shall seek, pur20 suant to negotiations described in section 4(a), to require 

21 the members of the Advisory Board described in sub22 section (a) to consist of— 

23 (1) a broad range of individuals with experience 

24 and leadership in the fields of international develop25 ment, international finance, sustainable consumption 


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1 and production of resources, waste management, 

2 materials science, marine sciences, and environ3 mental policy; and 

4 (2) representatives of relevant international or5 ganizations, such as the United Nations, the Inter6 national Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 

7 and the Global Environment Facility, and non8 governmental organizations with on-the-ground expe9 rience addressing marine debris, including marine 

10 plastic pollution. 

11 (c) PROHIBITION ON PAYMENT OF COMPENSA12 TION.—The Secretary shall seek, pursuant to negotiations 

13 described in section 4(a), to prohibit any member of the 

14 Advisory Board described in subsection (a) from receiving 

15 compensation for services performed as a member of the 

16 Board, other than travel expenses (including per diem in 

17 lieu of subsistence). 

18 (d) UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE.—Notwith19 standing any other provision of law (including an inter20 national agreement), a representative of the United States 

21 on the Advisory Board described in subsection (a) may 

22 not accept compensation for services performed as a mem23 ber of the Advisory Board, except that such representative 

24 may accept travel expenses (including per diem in lieu of 

25 subsistence), while away from the representative’s home 


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1 or regular place of business in the performance of services 

2 for the Advisory Board. 

3 SEC. 9. REPORTS TO CONGRESS. 

4 (a) ANNUAL REPORTS BY SECRETARY.—Not later 

5 than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

6 and annually thereafter until the Trust Fund terminates, 

7 the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees 

8 of Congress a report on the Trust Fund that includes— 

9 (1) in the first such report— 

10 (A) a description of— 

11 (i) the goals of the Trust Fund; 

12 (ii) the activities supported by the 

13 Trust Fund during the year preceding sub14 mission of the report; and 

15 (iii) private and governmental con16 tributions to the Trust Fund during that 

17 year; 

18 (B) the criteria that have been established 

19 to determine the activities to receive support 

20 from the Trust Fund; and 

21 (C) a statement of whether the criteria de22 scribed in subparagraph (B) are acceptable to 

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1 trator of the United States Agency for Inter2 national Development; and 

3 (2) in each subsequent report, a description of 

4 each matter specified in clauses (ii) and (iii) of para5 graph (1)(A). 

6 (b) GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE RE7 PORT.—Not later than 4 years after the date of the enact8 ment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 

9 States shall submit to the appropriate committees of Con10 gress a report evaluating the effectiveness of the Trust 

11 Fund that includes— 

12 (1) an assessment of the effectiveness of the ac13 tivities supported by the Trust Fund in preventing 

14 and reducing marine debris, including marine plastic 

15 pollution; and 

16 (2) an assessment of the merits of the United 

17 States continuing to make financial contributions to 

18 the Trust Fund. 

19 SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro21 priated to the Secretary $150,000,000 for each of fiscal 

22 years 2021 and 2022 for contributions to the Trust Fund. 

23 (b) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—The amounts 

24 authorized to be appropriated by subsection (a) shall sup25 plement and not supplant any other amounts authorized 


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1 to be appropriated for bilateral or multilateral activities 

2 related to— 

3 (1) the prevention or reduction of marine de4 bris, including marine plastic pollution; or 

5 (2) economic development. 

6 (c) CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT.—Before the ini7 tial obligation or expenditure of amounts appropriated 

8 pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under sub9 section (a), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate 

10 committees of Congress— 

11 (1) a certification that adequate procedures and 

12 standards have been established to ensure account13 ability for and monitoring of the use of funds con14 tributed to the Trust Fund, including the use of 

15 such funds for the costs of administering the Trust 

16 Fund; and 

17 (2) an explanation of the basis for that certifi18 cation. 

Æ 


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