In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

October 1, 2020. 

Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 1982) entitled ‘‘An Act to improve efforts to combat marine debris, and 

for other purposes.’’, do pass with the following 

AMENDMENT: 

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert: 

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘Save Our Seas 2.0 Act’’. 

4 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of this 

5 Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

TITLE I—COMBATING MARINE DEBRIS 

Subtitle A—Amendments to the Marine Debris Act 

Sec. 101. Amendments to the Marine Debris Act. 

Subtitle B—Marine Debris Foundation 

Sec. 111. Establishment and purposes of Foundation. 

Sec. 112. Board of Directors of the Foundation. 

Sec. 113. Rights and obligations of the Foundation. 

Sec. 114. Administrative services and support. 

Sec. 115. Volunteer status. 

Sec. 116. Report requirements; petition of attorney general for equitable relief. 

Sec. 117. United States release from liability. 

Sec. 118. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 119. Termination of authority. 

Subtitle C—Genius Prize for Save Our Seas Innovations 

Sec. 121. Definitions. 

Sec. 122. Genius Prize for Save Our Seas Innovations. 
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Sec. 123. Agreement with the Marine Debris Foundation. 

Sec. 124. Judges. 

Sec. 125. Report to Congress. 

Sec. 126. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 127. Termination of authority. 

Subtitle D—Studies, Pilot Projects, and Reports 

Sec. 131. Report on opportunities for innovative uses of plastic waste. 

Sec. 132. Report on microfiber pollution. 

Sec. 133. Study on United States plastic pollution data. 

Sec. 134. Study on mass balance methodologies to certify circular polymers. 

Sec. 135. Report on sources and impacts of derelict fishing gear. 

Sec. 136. Expansion of derelict vessel recycling. 

Sec. 137. Incentive for fishermen to collect and dispose of plastic found at sea. 

TITLE II—ENHANCED GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT TO COMBAT MARINE 

DEBRIS 

Sec. 201. Statement of policy on international cooperation to combat marine debris. 

Sec. 202. Prioritization of efforts and assistance to combat marine debris and improve plastic waste management. 

Sec. 203. United States leadership in international fora. 

Sec. 204. Enhancing international outreach and partnership of United States 

agencies involved in marine debris activities. 

Sec. 205. Negotiation of new international agreements. 

Sec. 206. Consideration of marine debris in negotiating international agreements. 

TITLE III—IMPROVING DOMESTIC INFRASTRUCTURE TO PREVENT 

MARINE DEBRIS 

Sec. 301. Strategy for improving post-consumer materials management and water 

management. 

Sec. 302. Grant programs. 

Sec. 303. Study on repurposing plastic waste in infrastructure. 

Sec. 304. Study on effects of microplastics in food supplies and sources of drinking water. 

Sec. 305. Report on eliminating barriers to increase the collection of recyclable 

materials. 

Sec. 306. Report on economic incentives to spur development of new end-use markets for recycled plastics. 

Sec. 307. Report on minimizing the creation of new plastic waste. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) CIRCULAR ECONOMY.—The term ‘‘circular 

4 economy’’ means an economy that uses a systems-fo5 cused approach and involves industrial processes and 

6 economic activities that— 
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1 (A) are restorative or regenerative by de2 sign; 

3 (B) enable resources used in such processes 

4 and activities to maintain their highest values 

5 for as long as possible; and 

6 (C) aim for the elimination of waste 

7 through the superior design of materials, prod8 ucts, and systems (including business models). 

9 (2) EPA ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘EPA Ad10 ministrator’’ means the Administrator of the Envi11 ronmental Protection Agency. 

12 (3) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

13 has the meaning given the term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ in sec14 tion 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu15 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304), without re16 gard to capitalization. 

17 (4) INTERAGENCY MARINE DEBRIS COORDI18 NATING COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘Interagency Marine 

19 Debris Coordinating Committee’’ means the Inter20 agency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee estab21 lished under section 5 of the Marine Debris Act (33 

22 U.S.C. 1954). 

23 (5) MARINE DEBRIS.—The term ‘‘marine debris’’ 

24 has the meaning given that term in section 7 of the 

25 Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1956). 
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1 (6) MARINE DEBRIS EVENT.—The term ‘‘marine 

2 debris event’’ means an event or related events that 

3 affects or may imminently affect the United States 

4 involving— 

5 (A) marine debris caused by a natural 

6 event, including a tsunami, flood, landslide, hur7 ricane, or other natural source; 

8 (B) distinct, nonrecurring marine debris, 

9 including derelict vessel groundings and con10 tainer spills, that have immediate or long-term 

11 impacts on habitats with high ecological, eco12 nomic, or human-use values; or 

13 (C) marine debris caused by an intentional 

14 or grossly negligent act or acts that causes sub15 stantial economic or environmental harm. 

16 (7) NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.—The term ‘‘non-Fed17 eral funds’’ means funds provided by— 

18 (A) a State; 

19 (B) an Indian Tribe; 

20 (C) a territory of the United States; 

21 (D) one or more units of local governments 

22 or Tribal organizations (as defined in section 4 

23 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education 

24 Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); 

25 (E) a foreign government; 
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1 (F) a private for-profit entity; 

2 (G) a nonprofit organization; or 

3 (H) a private individual. 

4 (8) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘non5 profit organization’’ means an organization that is 

6 described in section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue 

7 Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 

8 501(a) of such Code. 

9 (9) POST-CONSUMER MATERIALS MANAGE10 MENT.—The term ‘‘post-consumer materials manage11 ment’’ means the systems, operation, supervision, and 

12 long-term management of processes and equipment 

13 used for post-use material (including packaging, 

14 goods, products, and other materials), including— 

15 (A) collection; 

16 (B) transport; 

17 (C) safe disposal of waste that cannot be re18 covered, reused, recycled, repaired, or refur19 bished; and 

20 (D) systems and processes related to post21 use materials that can be recovered, reused, recy22 cled, repaired, or refurbished. 

23 (10) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means— 

24 (A) a State; 

25 (B) an Indian Tribe; 
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1 (C) the District of Columbia; 

2 (D) a territory or possession of the United 

3 States; or 

4 (E) any political subdivision of an entity 

5 described in subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

6 (11) UNDER SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Under 

7 Secretary’’ means the Under Secretary of Commerce 

8 for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the 

9 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

10 TITLE I—COMBATING MARINE 

11 DEBRIS 

12 Subtitle A—Amendments to the 

13 Marine Debris Act 

14 SEC. 101. AMENDMENTS TO THE MARINE DEBRIS ACT. 

15 The Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1951 et seq.) is 

16 amended— 

17 (1) in section 2 by striking ‘‘marine environ18 ment,’’ and inserting ‘‘marine environment (includ19 ing waters in the jurisdiction of the United States, 

20 the high seas, and waters in the jurisdiction of other 

21 countries),’’; 

22 (2) in section 9(a)— 

23 (A) by striking ‘‘$10,000,000’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘$15,000,000’’; and 
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1 (B) by striking ‘‘5 percent’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘7 percent’’; and 

3 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘SEC. 10. PRIORITIZATION OF MARINE DEBRIS IN EXISTING 

5 INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP PRO6 GRAMS. 

7 ‘‘In carrying out any relevant innovation and entre8 preneurship programs that improve the innovation, effec9 tiveness, and efficiency of the Marine Debris Program estab10 lished under section 3 without undermining the purpose for 

11 which such program was established, the Secretary of Com12 merce, the Secretary of Energy, the Administrator of the 

13 Environmental Protection Agency, and the heads of other 

14 relevant Federal agencies, shall prioritize efforts to combat 

15 marine debris, including by— 

16 ‘‘(1) increasing innovation in methods and the 

17 effectiveness of efforts to identify, determine sources of, 

18 assess, prevent, reduce, and remove marine debris; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(2) addressing the impacts of marine debris 

21 on— 

22 ‘‘(A) the economy of the United States; 

23 ‘‘(B) the marine environment; and 

24 ‘‘(C) navigation safety.’’. 
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1 Subtitle B—Marine Debris 

2 Foundation 

3 SEC. 111. ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSES OF FOUNDA4 TION. 

5 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Marine 

6 Debris Foundation (in this title referred to as the ‘‘Founda7 tion’’). The Foundation is a charitable and nonprofit orga8 nization and is not an agency or establishment of the 

9 United States. 

10 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Foundation 

11 are— 

12 (1) to encourage, accept, and administer private 

13 gifts of property for the benefit of, or in connection 

14 with, the activities and services of the National Oce15 anic and Atmospheric Administration under the Ma16 rine Debris Program established under section 3 of 

17 the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1952), and other 

18 relevant programs and agencies; 

19 (2) to undertake and conduct such other activi20 ties as will augment efforts of the National Oceanic 

21 and Atmospheric Administration to assess, prevent, 

22 reduce, and remove marine debris and address the ad23 verse impacts of marine debris on the economy of the 

24 United States, the marine environment, and naviga25 tion safety; 
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1 (3) to participate with, and otherwise assist, 

2 State, local, and Tribal governments, foreign govern3 ments, entities, and individuals in undertaking and 

4 conducting activities to assess, prevent, reduce, and 

5 remove marine debris and address the adverse im6 pacts of marine debris and its root causes on the 

7 economy of the United States, the marine environ8 ment (including waters in the jurisdiction of the 

9 United States, the high seas, and waters in the juris10 diction of other countries), and navigation safety; 

11 (4) subject to an agreement with the Secretary of 

12 Commerce, administer the Genius Prize for Save Our 

13 Seas Innovation as described in title II; and 

14 (5) to support other Federal actions to reduce 

15 marine debris. 

16 SEC. 112. BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE FOUNDATION. 

17 (a) ESTABLISHMENT AND MEMBERSHIP.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Foundation shall have a 

19 governing Board of Directors (in this title referred to 

20 as the ‘‘Board’’), which shall consist of the Under Sec21 retary and 12 additional Directors appointed in ac22 cordance with subsection (b) from among individuals 

23 who are United States citizens. 

24 (2) REPRESENTATION OF DIVERSE POINTS OF

25 VIEW.—To the maximum extent practicable, the mem-
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1 bership of the Board shall represent diverse points of 

2 view relating to the assessment, prevention, reduction, 

3 and removal of marine debris. 

4 (3) NOT FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—Appointment as 

5 a Director of the Foundation shall not constitute em6 ployment by, or the holding of an office of, the United 

7 States for the purpose of any Federal law. 

8 (b) APPOINTMENT AND TERMS.— 

9 (1) APPOINTMENT.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

10 after consulting with the EPA Administrator, the Di11 rector of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 

12 the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of 

13 Oceans and International Environmental and Sci14 entific Affairs, and the Administrator of the United 

15 States Agency for International Development, and 

16 considering the recommendations submitted by the 

17 Board, the Under Secretary shall appoint 12 Direc18 tors who meet the criteria established by subsection 

19 (a), of whom— 

20 (A) at least 4 shall be educated or experi21 enced in the assessment, prevention, reduction, or 

22 removal of marine debris, which may include an 

23 individual with expertise in post-consumer mate24 rials management or a circular economy; 
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1 (B) at least 2 shall be educated or experi2 enced in the assessment, prevention, reduction, or 

3 removal of marine debris outside the United 

4 States; 

5 (C) at least 2 shall be educated or experi6 enced in ocean and coastal resource conservation 

7 science or policy; and 

8 (D) at least 2 shall be educated or experi9 enced in international trade or foreign policy. 

10 (2) TERMS.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—Any Director appointed 

12 after the initial appointments are made under 

13 subparagraph (B) (other than the Under Sec14 retary), shall be appointed for a term of 6 years. 

15 (B) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS TO NEW MEM16 BER POSITIONS.—Of the Directors appointed by 

17 the Under Secretary under paragraph (1), the 

18 Under Secretary shall appoint, not later than 

19 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 

20 Act— 

21 (i) 4 Directors for a term of 6 years; 

22 (ii) 4 Directors for a term of 4 years; 

23 and 

24 (iii) 4 Directors for a term of 2 years. 

25 (3) VACANCIES.— 
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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary 

2 shall fill a vacancy on the Board. 

3 (B) TERM OF APPOINTMENTS TO FILL UN4 EXPIRED TERMS.—An individual appointed to 

5 fill a vacancy that occurs before the expiration 

6 of the term of a Director shall be appointed for 

7 the remainder of the term. 

8 (4) REAPPOINTMENT.—An individual shall not 

9 serve more than 2 consecutive terms as a Director, ex10 cluding any term of less than 6 years. 

11 (5) CONSULTATION BEFORE REMOVAL.—The 

12 Under Secretary may remove a Director from the 

13 Board only after consultation with the Assistant Sec14 retary of State for the Bureau of Oceans and Inter15 national Environmental and Scientific Affairs, the 

16 Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Serv17 ice, and the EPA Administrator. 

18 (c) CHAIRMAN.—The Chairman shall be elected by the 

19 Board from its members for a 2-year term. 

20 (d) QUORUM.—A majority of the current membership 

21 of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction 

22 of business. 

23 (e) MEETINGS.—The Board shall meet at the call of 

24 the Chairman at least once a year. If a Director misses 

25 3 consecutive regularly scheduled meetings, that individual 
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1 may be removed from the Board and that vacancy filled 

2 in accordance with subsection (b). 

3 (f) REIMBURSEMENT OF EXPENSES.—Members of the 

4 Board shall serve without pay, but may be reimbursed for 

5 the actual and necessary traveling and subsistence expenses 

6 incurred by them in the performance of the duties of the 

7 Foundation. 

8 (g) GENERAL POWERS.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Board may complete the 

10 organization of the Foundation by— 

11 (A) appointing officers and employees; 

12 (B) adopting a constitution and bylaws 

13 consistent with the purposes of the Foundation 

14 and the provisions of this title; and 

15 (C) undertaking of other such acts as may 

16 be necessary to carry out the provisions of this 

17 title. 

18 (2) LIMITATIONS ON APPOINTMENT.—The fol19 lowing limitations apply with respect to the appoint20 ment of officers and employees of the Foundation: 

21 (A) Officers and employees may not be ap22 pointed until the Foundation has sufficient funds 

23 to pay them for their service. Officers and em24 ployees of the Foundation shall be appointed 

25 without regard to the provisions of title 5, 
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1 United States Code, governing appointments in 

2 the competitive service, and may be paid without 

3 regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and sub4 chapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to 

5 classification and General Schedule pay rates. 

6 (B) The first officer or employee appointed 

7 by the Board shall be the Secretary of the Board 

8 who— 

9 (i) shall serve, at the direction of the 

10 Board, as its chief operating officer; and 

11 (ii) shall be knowledgeable and experi12 enced in matters relating to the assessment, 

13 prevention, reduction, and removal of ma14 rine debris. 

15 SEC. 113. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF THE FOUNDATION. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Foundation— 

17 (1) shall have perpetual succession; 

18 (2) may conduct business throughout the several 

19 States, territories, and possessions of the United 

20 States and abroad; and 

21 (3) shall at all times maintain a designated 

22 agent authorized to accept service of process for the 

23 Foundation. 

24 (b) SERVICE OF PROCESS.—The serving of notice to, 

25 or service of process upon, the agent required under sub-
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1 section (a)(3), or mailed to the business address of such 

2 agent, shall be deemed as service upon or notice to the Foun3 dation. 

4 (c) POWERS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—To carry out its purposes 

6 under section 111, the Foundation shall have, in ad7 dition to the powers otherwise given it under this 

8 title, the usual powers of a corporation acting as a 

9 trustee in the District of Columbia, including the 

10 power— 

11 (A) to accept, receive, solicit, hold, admin12 ister, and use any gift, devise, or bequest, either 

13 absolutely or in trust, of real or personal prop14 erty or any income therefrom or other interest 

15 therein; 

16 (B) to acquire by purchase or exchange any 

17 real or personal property or interest therein; 

18 (C) to invest any funds provided to the 

19 Foundation by the Federal Government in obli20 gations of the United States or in obligations or 

21 securities that are guaranteed or insured by the 

22 United States; 

23 (D) to deposit any funds provided to the 

24 Foundation by the Federal Government into ac-
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1 counts that are insured by an agency or instru2 mentality of the United States; 

3 (E) to make use of any interest or invest4 ment income that accrues as a consequence of ac5 tions taken under subparagraph (C) or (D) to 

6 carry out the purposes of the Foundation; 

7 (F) to use Federal funds to make payments 

8 under cooperative agreements to provide substan9 tial long-term benefits for the assessment, preven10 tion, reduction, and removal of marine debris; 

11 (G) unless otherwise required by the instru12 ment of transfer, to sell, donate, lease, invest, re13 invest, retain or otherwise dispose of any prop14 erty or income therefrom; 

15 (H) to borrow money and issue bonds, de16 bentures, or other debt instruments; 

17 (I) to sue and be sued, and complain and 

18 defend itself in any court of competent jurisdic19 tion, except that the Directors of the Foundation 

20 shall not be personally liable, except for gross 

21 negligence; 

22 (J) to enter into contracts or other arrange23 ments with, or provide financial assistance to, 

24 public agencies and private organizations and 
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1 persons and to make such payments as may be 

2 necessary to carry out its functions; and 

3 (K) to do any and all acts necessary and 

4 proper to carry out the purposes of the Founda5 tion. 

6 (2) NON-FEDERAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE

7 FUND.—A gift, devise, or bequest may be accepted by 

8 the Foundation without regard to whether the gift, de9 vise, or bequest is encumbered, restricted, or subject to 

10 beneficial interests of private persons if any current 

11 or future interest in the gift, devise, or bequest is for 

12 the benefit of the Foundation. 

13 (d) NOTICE TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.—The Foun14 dation may not make a grant of Federal funds in an 

15 amount greater than $100,000 unless, by not later than 15 

16 days before the grant is made, the Foundation provides no17 tice of the grant to the Member of Congress for the congres18 sional district in which the project to be funded with the 

19 grant will be carried out. 

20 (e) COORDINATION OF INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS.— 

21 Any efforts of the Foundation carried out in a foreign coun22 try, and any grants provided to an individual or entity 

23 in a foreign country, shall be made only with the concur24 rence of the Secretary of State, in consultation, as appro-
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1 priate, with the Administrator of the United States Agency 

2 for International Development. 

3 (f) CONSULTATION WITH NOAA.—The Foundation 

4 shall consult with the Under Secretary during the planning 

5 of any restoration or remediation action using funds result6 ing from judgments or settlements relating to the damage 

7 to trust resources of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

8 Administration. 

9 SEC. 114. ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AND SUPPORT. 

10 (a) PROVISION OF SERVICES.—The Under Secretary 

11 may provide personnel, facilities, and other administrative 

12 services to the Foundation, including reimbursement of ex13 penses, not to exceed the current Federal Government per 

14 diem rates, for a period of up to 5 years beginning on the 

15 date of the enactment of this Act. 

16 (b) REIMBURSEMENT.—The Under Secretary shall re17 quire reimbursement from the Foundation for any adminis18 trative service provided under subsection (a). The Under 

19 Secretary shall deposit any reimbursement received under 

20 this subsection into the Treasury to the credit of the appro21 priations then current and chargeable for the cost of pro22 viding such services. 

23 SEC. 115. VOLUNTEER STATUS. 

24 The Secretary of Commerce may accept, without re25 gard to the civil service classification laws, rules, or regula-
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1 tions, the services of the Foundation, the Board, and the 

2 officers and employees of the Board, without compensation 

3 from the Department of Commerce, as volunteers in the per4 formance of the functions authorized in this title. 

5 SEC. 116. REPORT REQUIREMENTS; PETITION OF ATTOR6 NEY GENERAL FOR EQUITABLE RELIEF. 

7 (a) REPORT.—The Foundation shall, as soon as prac8 ticable after the end of each fiscal year, transmit to the 

9 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 

10 the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources, the 

11 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the 

12 Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Rep13 resentatives a report— 

14 (1) describing the proceedings and activities of 

15 the Foundation during that fiscal year, including a 

16 full and complete statement of its receipts, expendi17 tures, and investments; and 

18 (2) including a detailed statement of the recipi19 ent, amount, and purpose of each grant made by the 

20 Foundation in the fiscal year. 

21 (b) RELIEF WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN FOUNDATION

22 ACTS OR FAILURE TO ACT.—If the Foundation— 

23 (1) engages in, or threatens to engage in, any 

24 act, practice, or policy that is inconsistent with its 

25 purposes set forth in section 111(b); or 
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1 (2) refuses, fails, or neglects to discharge its obli2 gations under this title, or threatens to do so, 

3 the Attorney General may petition in the United States 

4 District Court for the District of Columbia for such equi5 table relief as may be necessary or appropriate. 

6 SEC. 117. UNITED STATES RELEASE FROM LIABILITY. 

7 The United States shall not be liable for any debts, 

8 defaults, acts, or omissions of the Foundation nor shall the 

9 full faith and credit of the United States extend to any obli10 gation of the Foundation. 

11 SEC. 118. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

12 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap14 propriated to the Department of Commerce to carry 

15 out this title $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 

16 through 2024. 

17 (2) USE OF APPROPRIATED FUNDS.—Subject to 

18 paragraph (3), amounts made available under para19 graph (1) shall be provided to the Foundation to 

20 match contributions (whether in currency, services, or 

21 property) made to the Foundation, or to a recipient 

22 of a grant provided by the Foundation, by private 

23 persons and State and local government agencies. 

24 (3) PROHIBITION ON USE FOR ADMINISTRATIVE

25 EXPENSES.— 
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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

2 subparagraph (B), no Federal funds made avail3 able under paragraph (1) may be used by the 

4 Foundation for administrative expenses of the 

5 Foundation, including for salaries, travel and 

6 transportation expenses, and other overhead ex7 penses. 

8 (B) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary may allow 

9 the use of Federal funds made available under 

10 paragraph (1) to pay for salaries during the 18- 

11 month period beginning on the date of the enact12 ment of this Act. 

13 (b) ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATION.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to the amounts 

15 made available under subsection (a), the Foundation 

16 may accept Federal funds from a Federal agency 

17 under any other Federal law for use by the Founda18 tion to further the assessment, prevention, reduction, 

19 and removal of marine debris in accordance with the 

20 requirements of this title. 

21 (2) USE OF FUNDS ACCEPTED FROM FEDERAL

22 AGENCIES.—Federal funds provided to the Founda23 tion under paragraph (1) shall be used by the Foun24 dation for matching, in whole or in part, contribu25 tions (whether in currency, services, or property) 
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1 made to the Foundation by private persons and State 

2 and local government agencies. 

3 (c) PROHIBITION ON USE OF GRANT AMOUNTS FOR

4 LITIGATION AND LOBBYING EXPENSES.—Amounts provided 

5 as a grant by the Foundation shall not be used for— 

6 (1) any expense related to litigation consistent 

7 with Federal-wide cost principles; or 

8 (2) any activity the purpose of which is to influ9 ence legislation pending before Congress consistent 

10 with Federal-wide cost principles. 

11 SEC. 119. TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY. 

12 The authority of the Foundation under this subtitle 

13 shall terminate on the date that is 10 years after the estab14 lishment of the Foundation, unless the Foundation is reau15 thorized by an Act of Congress. 

16 Subtitle C—Genius Prize for Save 

17 Our Seas Innovations 

18 SEC. 121. DEFINITIONS. 

19 In this subtitle: 

20 (1) PRIZE COMPETITION.—The term ‘‘prize com21 petition’’ means the competition for the award of the 

22 Genius Prize for Save Our Seas Innovations estab23 lished under section 122. 

24 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

25 the Secretary of Commerce. 
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1 SEC. 122. GENIUS PRIZE FOR SAVE OUR SEAS INNOVA2 TIONS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

5 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

6 shall establish under section 24 of the Stevenson7 Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 

8 3719) a prize competition— 

9 (A) to encourage technological innovation 

10 with the potential to reduce plastic waste, and 

11 associated and potential pollution, and thereby 

12 prevent marine debris; and 

13 (B) to award 1 or more prizes biennially 

14 for projects that advance human understanding 

15 and innovation in removing and preventing 

16 plastic waste, in one of the categories described 

17 in paragraph (2). 

18 (2) CATEGORIES FOR PROJECTS.—The categories 

19 for projects are: 

20 (A) Advancements in materials used in 

21 packaging and other products that, if such prod22 ucts enter the coastal or ocean environment, will 

23 fully degrade without harming the environment, 

24 wildlife, or human health. 

25 (B) Innovations in production and pack26 aging design that reduce the use of raw mate-
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1 rials, increase recycled content, encourage 

2 reusability and recyclability, and promote a cir3 cular economy. 

4 (C) Improvements in marine debris detec5 tion, monitoring, and cleanup technologies and 

6 processes. 

7 (D) Improvements or improved strategies to 

8 increase solid waste collection, processing, sort9 ing, recycling, or reuse. 

10 (E) New designs or strategies to reduce 

11 overall packaging needs and promote reuse. 

12 (b) DESIGNATION.—The prize competition established 

13 under subsection (a) shall be known as the ‘‘Genius Prize 

14 for Save Our Seas Innovations’’. 

15 (c) PRIORITIZATION.—In selecting awards for the 

16 prize competition, priority shall be given to projects that— 

17 (1) have a strategy, submitted with the applica18 tion or proposal, to move the new technology, process, 

19 design, material, or other product supported by the 

20 prize to market-scale deployment; 

21 (2) support the concept of a circular economy; 

22 and 

23 (3) promote development of materials that— 
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1 (A) can fully degrade in the ocean without 

2 harming the environment, wildlife, or human 

3 health; and 

4 (B) are to be used in fishing gear or other 

5 maritime products that have an increased likeli6 hood of entering the coastal or ocean environ7 ment as unintentional waste. 

8 SEC. 123. AGREEMENT WITH THE MARINE DEBRIS FOUNDA9 TION. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may offer to enter 

11 into an agreement, which may include a grant or coopera12 tive agreement, under which the Marine Debris Foundation 

13 established under title I may administer the prize competi14 tion. 

15 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—An agreement entered into 

16 under subsection (a) shall comply with the following re17 quirements: 

18 (1) DUTIES.—The Marine Debris Foundation 

19 shall— 

20 (A) advertise the prize competition; 

21 (B) solicit prize competition participants; 

22 (C) administer funds relating to the prize 

23 competition; 

24 (D) receive Federal and non-Federal 

25 funds— 
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1 (i) to administer the prize competition; 

2 and 

3 (ii) to award a cash prize; 

4 (E) carry out activities to generate con5 tributions of non-Federal funds to offset, in 

6 whole or in part— 

7 (i) the administrative costs of the prize 

8 competition; and 

9 (ii) the costs of a cash prize; 

10 (F) in the design and award of the prize, 

11 consult, as appropriate with experts from— 

12 (i) Federal agencies with jurisdiction 

13 over the prevention of marine debris or the 

14 promotion of innovative materials; 

15 (ii) State agencies with jurisdiction 

16 over the prevention of marine debris or the 

17 promotion of innovative materials; 

18 (iii) State, regional, or local conserva19 tion or post-consumer materials manage20 ment organizations, the mission of which 

21 relates to the prevention of marine debris or 

22 the promotion of innovative materials; 

23 (iv) conservation groups, technology 

24 companies, research institutions, scientists 

25 (including those with expertise in marine 
27 

•S 1982 EAH 

1 environments) institutions of higher edu2 cation, industry, or individual stakeholders 

3 with an interest in the prevention of marine 

4 debris or the promotion of innovative mate5 rials; 

6 (v) experts in the area of standards de7 velopment regarding the degradation, break8 down, or recycling of polymers; and 

9 (vi) other relevant experts of the 

10 Board’s choosing; 

11 (G) in consultation with, and subject to 

12 final approval by, the Secretary, develop criteria 

13 for the selection of prize competition winners; 

14 (H) provide advice and consultation to the 

15 Secretary on the selection of judges under section 

16 124 based on criteria developed in consultation 

17 with, and subject to the final approval of, the 

18 Secretary; 

19 (I) announce 1 or more annual winners of 

20 the prize competition; 

21 (J) subject to paragraph (2), award 1 or 

22 more cash prizes biennially of not less than 

23 $100,000; and 

24 (K) protect against unauthorized use or dis25 closure by the Marine Debris Foundation of any 
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•S 1982 EAH 

1 trade secret or confidential business information 

2 of a prize competition participant. 

3 (2) ADDITIONAL CASH PRIZES.—The Marine De4 bris Foundation may award more than 1 cash prize 

5 in a year— 

6 (A) if the initial cash prize referred to in 

7 paragraph (1)(J) and any additional cash prizes 

8 are awarded using only non-Federal funds; and 

9 (B) consisting of an amount determined by 

10 the Under Secretary after the Secretary is noti11 fied by the Marine Debris Foundation that non12 Federal funds are available for an additional 

13 cash prize. 

14 (3) SOLICITATION OF FUNDS.—The Marine De15 bris Foundation— 

16 (A) may request and accept Federal funds 

17 and non-Federal funds for a cash prize or ad18 ministration of the prize competition; 

19 (B) may accept a contribution for a cash 

20 prize in exchange for the right to name the prize; 

21 and 

22 (C) shall not give special consideration to 

23 any Federal agency or non-Federal entity in ex24 change for a donation for a cash prize awarded 

25 under this section. 
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•S 1982 EAH 

1 SEC. 124. JUDGES. 

2 (a) APPOINTMENT.—The Secretary shall appoint not 

3 fewer than 3 judges who shall, except as provided in sub4 section (b), select the 1 or more annual winners of the prize 

5 competition. 

6 (b) DETERMINATION BY THE SECRETARY.—The judges 

7 appointed under subsection (a) shall not select any annual 

8 winner of the prize competition if the Secretary makes a 

9 determination that, in any fiscal year, none of the techno10 logical advancements entered into the prize competition 

11 merits an award. 

12 SEC. 125. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

13 Not later than 60 days after the date on which a cash 

14 prize is awarded under this title, the Secretary shall post 

15 on a publicly available website a report on the prize com16 petition that includes— 

17 (1) if the Secretary has entered into an agree18 ment under section 123, a statement by the Marine 

19 Debris Foundation that describes the activities car20 ried out by the Marine Debris Foundation relating to 

21 the duties described in section 123; and 

22 (2) a statement by 1 or more of the judges ap23 pointed under section 124 that explains the basis on 

24 which the winner of the cash prize was selected. 
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•S 1982 EAH 

1 SEC. 126. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 Of the amounts authorized under section 118(a), the 

3 Secretary of Commerce shall use up to $1,000,000 to carry 

4 out this subtitle. 

5 SEC. 127. TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY. 

6 The prize program will terminate after 5 prize com7 petition cycles have been completed. 

8 Subtitle D—Studies, Pilot Projects, 

9 and Reports 

10 SEC. 131. REPORT ON OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATIVE 

11 USES OF PLASTIC WASTE. 

12 Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of 

13 this Act, the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Com14 mittee shall submit to Congress a report on innovative uses 

15 for plastic waste in consumer products. 

16 SEC. 132. REPORT ON MICROFIBER POLLUTION. 

17 Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment 

18 of this Act, the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating 

19 Committee shall submit to Congress a report on microfiber 

20 pollution that includes— 

21 (1) a definition of microfiber; 

22 (2) an assessment of the sources, prevalence, and 

23 causes of microfiber pollution; 

24 (3) a recommendation for a standardized meth25 odology to measure and estimate the prevalence of 

26 microfiber pollution; 
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•S 1982 EAH 

1 (4) recommendations for reducing microfiber pol2 lution; and 

3 (5) a plan for how Federal agencies, in partner4 ship with other stakeholders, can lead on opportuni5 ties to reduce microfiber pollution during the 5-year 

6 period beginning on such date of enactment. 

7 SEC. 133. STUDY ON UNITED STATES PLASTIC POLLUTION 

8 DATA. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary, in consulta10 tion with the EPA Administrator and the Secretary of the 

11 Interior, shall seek to enter into an arrangement with the 

12 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 

13 under which the National Academies will undertake a 

14 multifaceted study that includes the following: 

15 (1) An evaluation of United States contributions 

16 to global ocean plastic waste, including types, sources, 

17 and geographic variations. 

18 (2) An assessment of the prevalence of marine 

19 debris and mismanaged plastic waste in saltwater 

20 and freshwater United States navigable waterways 

21 and tributaries. 

22 (3) An examination of the import and export of 

23 plastic waste to and from the United States, includ24 ing the destinations of the exported plastic waste and 
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•S 1982 EAH 

1 the waste management infrastructure and environ2 mental conditions of these locations. 

3 (4) Potential means to reduce United States con4 tributions to global ocean plastic waste. 

5 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the date 

6 of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall sub7 mit to Congress a report on the study conducted under sub8 section (a) that includes— 

9 (1) the findings of the National Academies; 

10 (2) recommendations on knowledge gaps that 

11 warrant further scientific inquiry; and 

12 (3) recommendations on the potential value of a 

13 national marine debris tracking and monitoring sys14 tem and how such a system might be designed and 

15 implemented. 

16 SEC. 134. STUDY ON MASS BALANCE METHODOLOGIES TO 

17 CERTIFY CIRCULAR POLYMERS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The National Institute of Stand19 ards and Technology shall conduct a study of available 

20 mass balance methodologies that are or could be readily 

21 standardized to certify circular polymers. 

22 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

23 enactment of this Act, the Institute shall submit to Congress 

24 a report on the study conducted under subsection (a) that 

25 includes— 
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•S 1982 EAH 

1 (1) an identification and assessment of existing 

2 mass balance methodologies, standards, and certifi3 cation systems that are or may be applicable to sup4 ply chain sustainability of polymers, considering the 

5 full life cycle of the polymer, and including an exam6 ination of— 

7 (A) the International Sustainability and 

8 Carbon Certification; and 

9 (B) the Roundtable on Sustainable Bio10 materials; 

11 (2) an assessment of the environmental impacts 

12 of the full lifecycle of circular polymers, including im13 pacts on climate change; and 

14 (3) an assessment of any legal or regulatory bar15 riers to developing a standard and certification sys16 tem for circular polymers. 

17 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 (1) CIRCULAR POLYMERS.—The term ‘‘circular 

19 polymers’’ means polymers that can be reused mul20 tiple times or converted into a new, higher-quality 

21 product. 

22 (2) MASS BALANCE METHODOLOGY.—The term 

23 ‘‘mass balance methodology’’ means the method of 

24 chain of custody accounting designed to track the 

25 exact total amount of certain content in products or 
34 

•S 1982 EAH 

1 materials through the production system and to en2 sure an appropriate allocation of this content in the 

3 finished goods based on auditable bookkeeping. 

4 SEC. 135. REPORT ON SOURCES AND IMPACTS OF DERELICT 

5 FISHING GEAR. 

6 Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment 

7 of this Act, the Under Secretary shall submit to Congress 

8 a report that includes— 

9 (1) an analysis of the scale of fishing gear losses 

10 by domestic and foreign fisheries, including— 

11 (A) how the amount of gear lost varies 

12 among— 

13 (i) domestic and foreign fisheries; 

14 (ii) types of fishing gear; and 

15 (iii) methods of fishing; 

16 (B) how lost fishing gear is transported by 

17 ocean currents; and 

18 (C) common reasons fishing gear is lost; 

19 (2) an evaluation of the ecological, human 

20 health, and maritime safety impacts of derelict fish21 ing gear, and how those impacts vary across— 

22 (A) types of fishing gear; 

23 (B) materials used to construct fishing gear; 

24 and 

25 (C) geographic location; 
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•S 1982 EAH 

1 (3) recommendations on management meas2 ures— 

3 (A) to prevent fishing gear losses; and 

4 (B) to reduce the impacts of lost fishing 

5 gear; 

6 (4) an assessment of the cost of implementing 

7 such management measures; and 

8 (5) an assessment of the impact of fishing gear 

9 loss attributable to foreign countries. 

10 SEC. 136. EXPANSION OF DERELICT VESSEL RECYCLING. 

11 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 

12 of this Act, the Under Secretary and the EPA Adminis13 trator shall jointly conduct a study to determine the feasi14 bility of developing a nationwide derelict vessel recycling 

15 program— 

16 (1) using as a model the fiberglass boat recycling 

17 program from the pilot project in Rhode Island led by 

18 Rhode Island Sea Grant and its partners; and 

19 (2) including, if possible, recycling of vessels 

20 made from materials other than fiberglass. 

21 SEC. 137. INCENTIVE FOR FISHERMEN TO COLLECT AND 

22 DISPOSE OF PLASTIC FOUND AT SEA. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall establish 

24 a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability 

25 of providing incentives, such as grants, to fishermen based 
36 

•S 1982 EAH 

1 in the United States who incidentally capture marine de2 bris while at sea— 

3 (1) to track or keep the debris on board; and 

4 (2) to dispose of the debris properly on land. 

5 (b) SUPPORT FOR COLLECTION AND REMOVAL OF

6 DERELICT GEAR.—The Under Secretary shall encourage 

7 United States efforts, such as the Fishing for Energy net 

8 disposal program, that support— 

9 (1) collection and removal of derelict fishing gear 

10 and other fishing waste; 

11 (2) disposal or recycling of such gear and waste; 

12 and 

13 (3) prevention of the loss of such gear. 

14 TITLE II—ENHANCED GLOBAL 

15 ENGAGEMENT TO COMBAT 

16 MARINE DEBRIS 

17 SEC. 201. STATEMENT OF POLICY ON INTERNATIONAL CO18 OPERATION TO COMBAT MARINE DEBRIS. 

19 It is the policy of the United States to partner, consult, 

20 and coordinate with foreign governments (at the national 

21 and subnational levels), civil society, international organi22 zations, international financial institutions, subnational 

23 coastal communities, commercial and recreational fishing 

24 industry leaders, and the private sector, in a concerted ef25 fort— 
37 

•S 1982 EAH 

1 (1) to increase knowledge and raise awareness 

2 about— 

3 (A) the linkages between the sources of plas4 tic waste, mismanaged waste and post-consumer 

5 materials, and marine debris; and 

6 (B) the upstream and downstream causes 

7 and effects of plastic waste, mismanaged waste 

8 and post-consumer materials, and marine debris 

9 on marine environments, marine wildlife, 

10 human health, and economic development; 

11 (2) to support— 

12 (A) strengthening systems for reducing the 

13 generation of plastic waste and recovering, man14 aging, reusing, and recycling plastic waste, ma15 rine debris, and microfiber pollution in the 

16 world’s oceans, emphasizing upstream post-con17 sumer materials management solutions— 

18 (i) to decrease plastic waste at its 

19 source; and 

20 (ii) to prevent leakage of plastic waste 

21 into the environment; 

22 (B) advancing the utilization and avail23 ability of safe and affordable reusable alter24 natives to disposable plastic products in com25 merce, to the extent practicable, and with consid-
38 

•S 1982 EAH 

1 eration for the potential impacts of such alter2 natives, and other efforts to prevent marine de3 bris; 

4 (C) deployment of and access to advanced 

5 technologies to capture value from post-consumer 

6 materials and municipal solid waste streams 

7 through mechanical and other recycling systems; 

8 (D) access to information on best practices 

9 in post-consumer materials management, options 

10 for post-consumer materials management systems 

11 financing, and options for participating in pub12 lic-private partnerships; and 

13 (E) implementation of management meas14 ures to reduce derelict fishing gear, the loss of 

15 fishing gear, and other sources of pollution gen16 erated from marine activities and to increase 

17 proper disposal and recycling of fishing gear; 

18 and 

19 (3) to work cooperatively with international 

20 partners— 

21 (A) on establishing— 

22 (i) measurable targets for reducing ma23 rine debris, lost fishing gear, and plastic 

24 waste from all sources; and 
39 

•S 1982 EAH 

1 (ii) action plans to achieve those tar2 gets with a mechanism to provide regular 

3 reporting; 

4 (B) to promote consumer education, aware5 ness, and outreach to prevent marine debris; 

6 (C) to reduce marine debris by improving 

7 advance planning for marine debris events and 

8 responses to such events; and 

9 (D) to share best practices in post-consumer 

10 materials management systems to prevent the 

11 entry of plastic waste into the environment. 

12 SEC. 202. PRIORITIZATION OF EFFORTS AND ASSISTANCE 

13 TO COMBAT MARINE DEBRIS AND IMPROVE 

14 PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall, in co16 ordination with the Administrator of the United States 

17 Agency for International Development, as appropriate, and 

18 the officials specified in subsection (b)— 

19 (1) lead and coordinate efforts to implement the 

20 policy described in section 201; and 

21 (2) develop strategies and implement programs 

22 that prioritize engagement and cooperation with for23 eign governments, subnational and local stakeholders, 

24 and the private sector to expedite efforts and assist25 ance in foreign countries— 
40 

•S 1982 EAH 

1 (A) to partner with, encourage, advise and 

2 facilitate national and subnational governments 

3 on the development and execution, where prac4 ticable, of national projects, programs and ini5 tiatives to— 

6 (i) improve the capacity, security, and 

7 standards of operations of post-consumer 

8 materials management systems; 

9 (ii) monitor and track how well post10 consumer materials management systems 

11 are functioning nationwide, based on uni12 form and transparent standards developed 

13 in cooperation with municipal, industrial, 

14 and civil society stakeholders; 

15 (iii) identify the operational challenges 

16 of post-consumer materials management 

17 systems and develop policy and pro18 grammatic solutions; 

19 (iv) end intentional or unintentional 

20 incentives for municipalities, industries, 

21 and individuals to improperly dispose of 

22 plastic waste; and 

23 (v) conduct outreach campaigns to 

24 raise public awareness of the importance of 
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•S 1982 EAH 

1 proper waste disposal and the reduction of 

2 plastic waste; 

3 (B) to facilitate the involvement of munici4 palities and industries in improving solid waste 

5 reduction, collection, disposal, and reuse and re6 cycling projects, programs, and initiatives; 

7 (C) to partner with and provide technical 

8 assistance to investors, and national and local 

9 institutions, including private sector actors, to 

10 develop new business opportunities and solutions 

11 to specifically reduce plastic waste and expand 

12 solid waste and post-consumer materials man13 agement best practices in foreign countries by— 

14 (i) maximizing the number of people 

15 and businesses, in both rural and urban 

16 communities, receiving reliable solid waste 

17 and post-consumer materials management 

18 services; 

19 (ii) improving and expanding the ca20 pacity of foreign industries to responsibly 

21 employ post-consumer materials manage22 ment practices; 

23 (iii) improving and expanding the ca24 pacity and transparency of tracking mecha-
42 

•S 1982 EAH 

1 nisms for marine debris to reduce the im2 pacts on the marine environment; 

3 (iv) eliminating incentives that under4 mine responsible post-consumer materials 

5 management practices and lead to improper 

6 waste disposal practices and leakage; 

7 (v) building the capacity of coun8 tries— 

9 (I) to reduce, monitor, regulate, 

10 and manage waste, post-consumer ma11 terials and plastic waste, and pollution 

12 appropriately and transparently, in13 cluding imports of plastic waste from 

14 the United States and other countries; 

15 (II) to encourage private invest16 ment in post-consumer materials man17 agement and reduction; and 

18 (III) to encourage private invest19 ment, grow opportunities, and develop 

20 markets for recyclable, reusable, and 

21 repurposed plastic waste and post-con22 sumer materials, and products with 

23 high levels of recycled plastic content, 

24 at both national and local levels; and 
43 

•S 1982 EAH 

1 (vi) promoting safe and affordable re2 usable alternatives to disposable plastic 

3 products, to the extent practicable; and 

4 (D) to research, identify, and facilitate op5 portunities to promote collection and proper dis6 posal of damaged or derelict fishing gear. 

7 (b) OFFICIALS SPECIFIED.—The officials specified in 

8 this subsection are the following: 

9 (1) The United States Trade Representative. 

10 (2) The Under Secretary. 

11 (3) The EPA Administrator. 

12 (4) The Director of the Trade and Development 

13 Agency. 

14 (5) The President and the Board of Directors of 

15 the Overseas Private Investment Corporation or the 

16 Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors of 

17 the United States International Development Finance 

18 Corporation, as appropriate. 

19 (6) The Chief Executive Officer and the Board of 

20 Directors of the Millennium Challenge Corporation. 

21 (7) The Commandant of the Coast Guard, with 

22 respect to pollution from ships. 

23 (8) The heads of such other agencies as the Sec24 retary of State considers appropriate. 
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•S 1982 EAH 

1 (c) PRIORITIZATION.—In carrying out subsection (a), 

2 the officials specified in subsection (b) shall prioritize as3 sistance to countries with, and regional organizations in 

4 regions with— 

5 (1) rapidly developing economies; and 

6 (2) rivers and coastal areas that are the most se7 vere sources of marine debris, as identified by the best 

8 available science. 

9 (d) EFFECTIVENESS MEASUREMENT.—In prioritizing 

10 and expediting efforts and assistance under this section, the 

11 officials specified in subsection (b) shall use clear, account12 able, and metric-based targets to measure the effectiveness 

13 of guarantees and assistance in achieving the policy de14 scribed in section 201. 

15 (e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section 

16 may be construed to authorize the modification of or the 

17 imposition of limits on the portfolios of any agency or insti18 tution led by an official specified in subsection (b). 

19 SEC. 203. UNITED STATES LEADERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL 

20 FORA. 

21 In implementing the policy described in section 201, 

22 the President shall direct the United States representatives 

23 to appropriate international bodies and conferences (in24 cluding the United Nations Environment Programme, the 

25 Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Asia Pacific 
45 

•S 1982 EAH 

1 Economic Cooperation, the Group of 7, the Group of 20, 

2 the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Develop3 ment (OECD), and the Our Ocean Conference) to use the 

4 voice, vote, and influence of the United States, consistent 

5 with the broad foreign policy goals of the United States, 

6 to advocate that each such body— 

7 (1) commit to significantly increasing efforts to 

8 promote investment in well-designed post-consumer 

9 materials management and plastic waste elimination 

10 and mitigation projects and services that increase ac11 cess to safe post-consumer materials management and 

12 mitigation services, in partnership with the private 

13 sector and consistent with the constraints of other 

14 countries; 

15 (2) address the post-consumer materials manage16 ment needs of individuals and communities where ac17 cess to municipal post-consumer materials manage18 ment services is historically impractical or cost-pro19 hibitive; 

20 (3) enhance coordination with the private sec21 tor— 

22 (A) to increase access to solid waste and 

23 post-consumer materials management services; 
46 

•S 1982 EAH 

1 (B) to utilize safe and affordable alter2 natives to disposable plastic products, to the ex3 tent practicable; 

4 (C) to encourage and incentivize the use of 

5 recycled content; and 

6 (D) to grow economic opportunities and de7 velop markets for recyclable, compostable, reus8 able, and repurposed plastic waste materials and 

9 post-consumer materials and other efforts that 

10 support the circular economy; 

11 (4) provide technical assistance to foreign regu12 latory authorities and governments to remove unnec13 essary barriers to investment in otherwise commer14 cially-viable projects related to— 

15 (A) post-consumer materials management; 

16 (B) the use of safe and affordable alter17 natives to disposable plastic products; or 

18 (C) beneficial reuse of solid waste, plastic 

19 waste, post-consumer materials, plastic products, 

20 and refuse; 

21 (5) use clear, accountable, and metric-based tar22 gets to measure the effectiveness of such projects; and 

23 (6) engage international partners in an existing 

24 multilateral forum (or, if necessary, establish through 
47 

•S 1982 EAH 

1 an international agreement a new multilateral 

2 forum) to improve global cooperation on— 

3 (A) creating tangible metrics for evaluating 

4 efforts to reduce plastic waste and marine debris; 

5 (B) developing and implementing best prac6 tices at the national and subnational levels of 

7 foreign countries, particularly countries with lit8 tle to no solid waste or post-consumer materials 

9 management systems, facilities, or policies in 

10 place for— 

11 (i) collecting, disposing, recycling, and 

12 reusing plastic waste and post-consumer 

13 materials, including building capacity for 

14 improving post-consumer materials man15 agement; and 

16 (ii) integrating alternatives to dispos17 able plastic products, to the extent prac18 ticable; 

19 (C) encouraging the development of stand20 ards and practices, and increasing recycled con21 tent percentage requirements for disposable plas22 tic products; 

23 (D) integrating tracking and monitoring 

24 systems into post-consumer materials manage25 ment systems; 
48 

•S 1982 EAH 

1 (E) fostering research to improve scientific 

2 understanding of— 

3 (i) how microfibers and microplastics 

4 may affect marine ecosystems, human 

5 health and safety, and maritime activities; 

6 (ii) changes in the amount and re7 gional concentrations of plastic waste in the 

8 ocean, based on scientific modeling and 

9 forecasting; 

10 (iii) the role rivers, streams, and other 

11 inland waterways play in serving as con12 duits for mismanaged waste traveling from 

13 land to the ocean; 

14 (iv) effective means to eliminate 

15 present and future leakages of plastic waste 

16 into the environment; and 

17 (v) other related areas of research the 

18 United States representatives deem nec19 essary; 

20 (F) encouraging the World Bank and other 

21 international finance organizations to prioritize 

22 efforts to reduce plastic waste and combat ma23 rine debris; 
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•S 1982 EAH 

1 (G) collaborating on technological advances 

2 in post-consumer materials management and re3 cycled plastics; 

4 (H) growing economic opportunities and 

5 developing markets for recyclable, compostable, 

6 reusable, and repurposed plastic waste and post7 consumer materials and other efforts that sup8 port the circular economy; and 

9 (I) advising foreign countries, at both the 

10 national and subnational levels, on the develop11 ment and execution of regulatory policies, serv12 ices, including recycling and reuse of plastic, 

13 and laws pertaining to reducing the creation 

14 and the collection and safe management of— 

15 (i) solid waste; 

16 (ii) post-consumer materials; 

17 (iii) plastic waste; and 

18 (iv) marine debris. 

19 SEC. 204. ENHANCING INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH AND 

20 PARTNERSHIP OF UNITED STATES AGENCIES 

21 INVOLVED IN MARINE DEBRIS ACTIVITIES. 

22 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress recognizes the success of the 

23 marine debris program of the National Oceanic and Atmos24 pheric Administration and the Trash-Free Waters program 

25 of the Environmental Protection Agency. 
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1 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF EFFORTS TO BUILD FOREIGN

2 PARTNERSHIPS.—The Under Secretary and the EPA Ad3 ministrator shall work with the Secretary of State and the 

4 Administrator of the United States Agency for Inter5 national Development to build partnerships, as appro6 priate, with the governments of foreign countries and to 

7 support international efforts to combat marine debris. 

8 SEC. 205. NEGOTIATION OF NEW INTERNATIONAL AGREE9 MENTS. 

10 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 

11 of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to Congress 

12 a report— 

13 (1) assessing the potential for negotiating new 

14 international agreements or creating a new inter15 national forum to reduce land-based sources of ma16 rine debris and derelict fishing gear, consistent with 

17 section 203; 

18 (2) describing the provisions that could be in19 cluded in such agreements; and 

20 (3) assessing potential parties to such agree21 ments. 
51 

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1 SEC. 206. CONSIDERATION OF MARINE DEBRIS IN NEGOTI2 ATING INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS. 

3 In negotiating any relevant international agreement 

4 with any country or countries after the date of the enact5 ment of this Act, the President shall, as appropriate— 

6 (1) consider the impact of land-based sources of 

7 plastic waste and other solid waste from that country 

8 on the marine and aquatic environment; and 

9 (2) ensure that the agreement strengthens efforts 

10 to eliminate land-based sources of plastic waste and 

11 other solid waste from that country that impact the 

12 marine and aquatic environment. 

13 TITLE III—IMPROVING DOMES14 TIC INFRASTRUCTURE TO 

15 PREVENT MARINE DEBRIS 

16 SEC. 301. STRATEGY FOR IMPROVING POST-CONSUMER MA17 TERIALS MANAGEMENT AND WATER MANAGE18 MENT. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

20 of enactment of this Act, the EPA Administrator shall, in 

21 consultation with stakeholders, develop a strategy to im22 prove post-consumer materials management and infrastruc23 ture for the purpose of reducing plastic waste and other 

24 post-consumer materials in waterways and oceans. 

25 (b) RELEASE.—On development of the strategy under 

26 subsection (a), the EPA Administrator shall— 
52 

•S 1982 EAH 

1 (1) distribute the strategy to States; and 

2 (2) make the strategy publicly available, includ3 ing for use by— 

4 (A) for-profit private entities involved in 

5 post-consumer materials management; and 

6 (B) other nongovernmental entities. 

7 SEC. 302. GRANT PROGRAMS. 

8 (a) POST-CONSUMER MATERIALS MANAGEMENT IN9 FRASTRUCTURE GRANT PROGRAM.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator may 

11 provide grants to States to implement the strategy de12 veloped under section 301(a) and— 

13 (A) to support improvements to local post14 consumer materials management, including mu15 nicipal recycling programs; and 

16 (B) to assist local waste management au17 thorities in making improvements to local waste 

18 management systems. 

19 (2) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a 

20 grant under paragraph (1), the applicant State shall 

21 submit to the EPA Administrator an application at 

22 such time, in such manner, and containing such in23 formation as the EPA Administrator may require. 

24 (3) CONTENTS OF APPLICATIONS.—In developing 

25 application requirements, the EPA Administrator 
53 

•S 1982 EAH 

1 shall consider requesting that a State applicant pro2 vide— 

3 (A) a description of— 

4 (i) the project or projects to be carried 

5 out using grant funds; and 

6 (ii) how the project or projects would 

7 result in the generation of less plastic waste; 

8 (B) a description of how the funds will sup9 port disadvantaged communities; and 

10 (C) an explanation of any limitations, such 

11 as flow control measures, that restrict access to 

12 reusable or recyclable materials. 

13 (4) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than Jan14 uary 1, 2023, the EPA Administrator shall submit to 

15 the Committee on Environment and Public Works of 

16 the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and 

17 Infrastructure and the Committee on Energy and 

18 Commerce of the House of Representatives a report 

19 that includes— 

20 (A) a description of the activities carried 

21 out under this subsection; 

22 (B) estimates as to how much plastic waste 

23 was prevented from entering the oceans and 

24 other waterways as a result of activities funded 

25 pursuant to this subsection; and 
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1 (C) a recommendation on the utility of 

2 evolving the grant program into a new waste 

3 management State revolving fund. 

4 (b) DRINKING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator may 

6 provide competitive grants to units of local govern7 ment, Indian Tribes, and public water systems (as de8 fined in section 1401 of the Safe Drinking Water Act 

9 (42 U.S.C. 300f)) to support improvements in reduc10 ing and removing plastic waste and post-consumer 

11 materials, including microplastics and microfibers, 

12 from drinking water or sources of drinking water, in13 cluding planning, design, construction, technical as14 sistance, and planning support for operational ad15 justments. 

16 (2) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a 

17 grant under paragraph (1), an applicant shall submit 

18 to the EPA Administrator an application at such 

19 time, in such manner, and containing such informa20 tion as the EPA Administrator may require. 

21 (c) WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator may 

23 provide grants to municipalities (as defined in sec24 tion 502 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 

25 (33 U.S.C. 1362)) or Indian Tribes that own and op-
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1 erate treatment works (as such term is defined in sec2 tion 212 of such Act (33 U.S.C. 1292)) for the con3 struction of improvements to reduce and remove plas4 tic waste and post-consumer materials, including 

5 microplastics and microfibers, from wastewater. 

6 (2) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a 

7 grant under paragraph (1), an applicant shall submit 

8 to the EPA Administrator an application at such 

9 time, in such manner, and containing such informa10 tion as the EPA Administrator may require. 

11 (d) TRASH-FREE WATERS GRANTS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator may 

13 provide grants to units of local government, Indian 

14 Tribes, and nonprofit organizations— 

15 (A) to support projects to reduce the quan16 tity of solid waste in bodies of water by reducing 

17 the quantity of waste at the source, including 

18 through anti-litter initiatives; 

19 (B) to enforce local post-consumer materials 

20 management ordinances; 

21 (C) to implement State or local policies re22 lating to solid waste; 

23 (D) to capture post-consumer materials at 

24 stormwater inlets, at stormwater outfalls, or in 

25 bodies of water; 
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1 (E) to provide education and outreach 

2 about post-consumer materials movement and re3 duction; and 

4 (F) to monitor or model flows of post-con5 sumer materials, including monitoring or mod6 eling a reduction in trash as a result of the im7 plementation of best management practices for 

8 the reduction of plastic waste and other post-con9 sumer materials in sources of drinking water. 

10 (2) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a 

11 grant under paragraph (1), an applicant shall submit 

12 to the EPA Administrator an application at such 

13 time, in such manner, and containing such informa14 tion as the EPA Administrator may require. 

15 (e) APPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL LAW.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator shall 

17 ensure that all laborers and mechanics employed on 

18 projects funded directly, or assisted in whole or in 

19 part, by a grant established by this section shall be 

20 paid wages at rates not less than those prevailing on 

21 projects of a character similar in the locality as deter22 mined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with 

23 subchapter IV of chapter 31 of part A of subtitle II 

24 of title 40, United States Code. 
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1 (2) AUTHORITY.—With respect to the labor 

2 standards specified in paragraph (1), the Secretary of 

3 Labor shall have the authority and functions set forth 

4 in Reorganization Plan Numbered 14 of 1950 (64 

5 Stat. 1267; 5 U.S.C. App.) and section 3145 of title 

6 40, United States Code. 

7 (3) REQUIREMENTS.—The requirements of sec8 tion 608 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 

9 (33 U.S.C. 1388) shall apply to the construction of a 

10 project carried out, in whole or in part, with assist11 ance made available under this section in the same 

12 manner as the requirements of such section apply 

13 with respect to funds made available pursuant to title 

14 VI of such Act. 

15 (f) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.—A grant under 

16 this section may not be used (directly or indirectly) as a 

17 source of payment (in whole or in part) of, or security for, 

18 an obligation the interest on which is excluded from gross 

19 income under section 103 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

20 1986. 

21 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 

22 authorized to be appropriated— 

23 (1) for the program described subsection (a), 

24 $55,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 

25 2025; and 
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1 (2) for each of the programs described subsections 

2 (b), (c), and (d), $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

3 2021 through 2025. 

4 SEC. 303. STUDY ON REPURPOSING PLASTIC WASTE IN IN5 FRASTRUCTURE. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation 

7 (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) and the EPA 

8 Administrator shall jointly enter into an arrangement with 

9 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Med10 icine under which the National Academies will— 

11 (1) conduct a study on the uses of plastic waste 

12 in infrastructure; and 

13 (2) as part of the study under paragraph (1)— 

14 (A) identify domestic and international ex15 amples of— 

16 (i) the use of plastic waste materials 

17 described in that paragraph; 

18 (ii) infrastructure projects in which the 

19 use of plastic waste has been applied; and 

20 (iii) projects in which the use of plastic 

21 waste has been incorporated into or with 

22 other infrastructure materials; 

23 (B) assess— 
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1 (i) the effectiveness and utility of the 

2 uses of plastic waste described in that para3 graph; 

4 (ii) the extent to which plastic waste 

5 materials are consistent with recognized 

6 specifications for infrastructure construction 

7 and other recognized standards; 

8 (iii) relevant impacts of plastic waste 

9 materials compared to non-waste plastic 

10 materials; 

11 (iv) the health, safety, and environ12 mental impacts of— 

13 (I) plastic waste on humans and 

14 animals; and 

15 (II) the increased use of plastic 

16 waste for infrastructure; 

17 (v) the ability of plastic waste infra18 structure to withstand natural disasters, ex19 treme weather events, and other hazards; 

20 and 

21 (vi) plastic waste in infrastructure 

22 through an economic analysis; and 

23 (C) make recommendations with respect to 

24 what standards or matters may need to be ad25 dressed with respect to ensuring human and ani-
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1 mal health and safety from the use of plastic 

2 waste in infrastructure. 

3 (b) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 2 years after 

4 the date of enactment of this Act and subject to the avail5 ability of appropriations, the Secretary and the EPA Ad6 ministrator shall submit to Congress a report on the study 

7 conducted under subsection (a). 

8 SEC. 304. STUDY ON EFFECTS OF MICROPLASTICS IN FOOD 

9 SUPPLIES AND SOURCES OF DRINKING 

10 WATER. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator, in con12 sultation with the Under Secretary, shall seek to enter into 

13 an arrangement with the National Academies of Sciences, 

14 Engineering, and Medicine under which the National Acad15 emies will conduct a human health and environmental risk 

16 assessment on microplastics, including microfibers, in food 

17 supplies and sources of drinking water. 

18 (b) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 2 years after 

19 the date of enactment of this Act, the EPA Administrator 

20 shall submit to Congress a report on the study conducted 

21 under subsection (a) that includes— 

22 (1) a science-based definition of ‘‘microplastics’’ 

23 that can be adopted in federally supported monitoring 

24 and future assessments supported or conducted by a 

25 Federal agency; 
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1 (2) recommendations for standardized moni2 toring, testing, and other necessary protocols relating 

3 to microplastics; 

4 (3) an assessment of— 

5 (A) the extent to which microplastics are 

6 present in the food supplies and sources of drink7 ing water; and 

8 (B) the type, source, prevalence, and risk of 

9 microplastics in the food supplies and sources of 

10 drinking water, including— 

11 (i) an identification of the most sig12 nificant sources of those microplastics; and 

13 (ii) a review of the best available 

14 science to determine any potential hazards 

15 of microplastics in the food supplies and 

16 sources of drinking water; and 

17 (4) a measurement of— 

18 (A) the quantity of environmental chemicals 

19 that adsorb to microplastics; and 

20 (B) the quantity described in subparagraph 

21 (A) that would be available for human exposure 

22 through food supplies or sources of drinking 

23 water. 
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1 SEC. 305. REPORT ON ELIMINATING BARRIERS TO IN2 CREASE THE COLLECTION OF RECYCLABLE 

3 MATERIALS. 

4 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 

5 this Act, the EPA Administrator shall submit to Congress 

6 a report describing— 

7 (1) the economic, educational, technological, re8 source availability, legal, or other barriers to increas9 ing the collection, processing, and use of recyclable 

10 materials; and 

11 (2) recommendations to overcome the barriers de12 scribed under paragraph (1). 

13 SEC. 306. REPORT ON ECONOMIC INCENTIVES TO SPUR DE14 VELOPMENT OF NEW END-USE MARKETS FOR 

15 RECYCLED PLASTICS. 

16 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 

17 this Act, the EPA Administrator shall submit to Congress 

18 a report describing the most efficient and effective economic 

19 incentives to spur the development of additional new end20 use markets for recycled plastics, including plastic film, in21 cluding the use of increased recycled content by manufac22 turers in the production of plastic goods and packaging. 

23 SEC. 307. REPORT ON MINIMIZING THE CREATION OF NEW 

24 PLASTIC WASTE. 

25 (a) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator, in coordi26 nation with the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating 
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1 Committee and the National Institute of Standards and 

2 Technology, shall conduct a study on minimizing the cre3 ation of new plastic waste. 

4 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

5 of enactment of this Act, the EPA Administrator shall sub6 mit to Congress a report on the study conducted under sub7 section (a) that includes— 

8 (1) an estimate of the current and projected 

9 United States production and consumption of plas10 tics, by type of plastic, including consumer food prod11 ucts; 

12 (2) an estimate of the environmental effects and 

13 impacts of plastic production and use in relation to 

14 other materials; 

15 (3) an estimate of current and projected future 

16 recycling rates of plastics, by type of plastic; 

17 (4) an assessment of opportunities to minimize 

18 the creation of new plastic waste, including consumer 

19 food products, by reducing, recycling, reusing, refill20 ing, refurbishing, or capturing plastic that would oth21 erwise be part of a waste stream; and 

22 (5) an assessment of what post-consumer recycled 

23 content standards for plastic are technologically and 
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1 economically feasible, and the impact of the standards 

2 on recycling rates. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1982 

AMENDMENT