IC 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1982 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 13, 2020 

Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, Agriculture, 

Natural Resources, Foreign Affairs, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

AN ACT 

To improve efforts to combat marine debris, 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, 


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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 

5 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

TITLE I—COMBATING MARINE DEBRIS 

Subtitle A—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 B—Genius Prize for Save Our Seas Innovations 

Sec. 121. Definitions. 

Sec. 122. Genius prize for Save Our Seas Innovations. 

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 C—Other Measures Relating to Combating Marine Debris 

Sec. 131. Prioritization of marine debris in existing innovation and entrepreneurship programs. 

Sec. 132. Expansion of derelict vessel recycling. 

Sec. 133. Incentive for fishermen to collect and dispose of plastic found at sea. 

Sec. 134. Amendments to Marine Debris Program. 

Sec. 135. Marine debris on National Forest System land. 

Subtitle D—Studies and Reports 

Sec. 141. Report on opportunities for innovative uses of plastic waste. 

Sec. 142. Report on microfiber pollution. 

Sec. 143. Study on United States plastic pollution data. 

Sec. 144. Study on mass balance methodologies to certify circular polymers. 

Sec. 145. Report on sources and impacts of derelict fishing gear. 

TITLE II—ENHANCED GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT TO COMBAT 

MARINE DEBRIS 


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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. Sense of the Senate for issues to be included in strategy for postconsumer materials management and water management. 

Sec. 303. Grant programs. 

Sec. 304. Study on repurposing plastic waste in infrastructure. 

Sec. 305. Study on effects of microplastics in food supplies and sources of 

drinking water. 

Sec. 306. Report on eliminating barriers to increase the collection of recyclable 

materials. 

Sec. 307. Report on economic incentives to spur development of new end-use 

markets for recycled plastics. 

Sec. 308. 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— 

7 (A) are restorative or regenerative by de8 sign; 

9 (B) enable resources used in such proc10 esses and activities to maintain their highest 

11 values for as long as possible; and 


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1 (C) aim for the elimination of waste 

2 through the superior design of materials, prod3 ucts, and systems (including business models). 

4 (2) EPA ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘EPA 

5 Administrator’’ means the Administrator of the En6 vironmental Protection Agency. 

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

8 has the meaning given the term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ in 

9 section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu10 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304), without re11 gard to capitalization. 

12 (4) INTERAGENCY MARINE DEBRIS COORDI13 NATING COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘Interagency Ma14 rine Debris Coordinating Committee’’ means the 

15 Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee 

16 established under section 5 of the Marine Debris Act 

17 (33 U.S.C. 1954). 

18 (5) MARINE DEBRIS.—The term ‘‘marine de19 bris’’ has the meaning given that term in section 7 

20 of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1956). 

21 (6) MARINE DEBRIS EVENT.—The term ‘‘ma22 rine debris event’’ means an event or related events 

23 that affects or may imminently affect the United 

24 States involving— 


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1 (A) marine debris caused by a natural 

2 event, including a tsunami, flood, landslide, 

3 hurricane, or other natural source; 

4 (B) distinct, nonrecurring marine debris, 

5 including derelict vessel groundings and con6 tainer spills, that have immediate or long-term 

7 impacts on habitats with high ecological, eco8 nomic, or human-use values; or 

9 (C) marine debris caused by an intentional 

10 or grossly negligent act or acts that causes sub11 stantial economic or environmental harm. 

12 (7) NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.—The term ‘‘non13 Federal funds’’ means funds provided by— 

14 (A) a State; 

15 (B) an Indian Tribe; 

16 (C) a territory of the United States; 

17 (D) one or more units of local governments 

18 or Tribal organizations (as defined in section 4 

19 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education 

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

21 (E) a foreign government; 

22 (F) a private for-profit entity; 

23 (G) a nonprofit organization; or 

24 (H) a private individual. 


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1 (8) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

2 ‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means an organization that 

3 is described in section 501(c) of the Internal Rev4 enue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under sec5 tion 501(a) of such Code. 

6 (9) POST-CONSUMER MATERIALS MANAGE7 MENT.—The term ‘‘post-consumer materials man8 agement’’ means the systems, operation, supervision, 

9 and long-term management of processes and equip10 ment used for post-use material (including pack11 aging, goods, products, and other materials), includ12 ing— 

13 (A) collection; 

14 (B) transport; 

15 (C) safe disposal of waste that cannot be 

16 recovered, reused, recycled, repaired, or refur17 bished; and 

18 (D) systems and processes related to post19 use materials that can be recovered, reused, re20 cycled, repaired, or refurbished. 

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

22 (A) a State; 

23 (B) an Indian Tribe; 

24 (C) the District of Columbia; 


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1 (D) a territory or possession of the United 

2 States; or 

3 (E) any political subdivision of an entity 

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

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

6 Secretary’’ means the Under Secretary of Commerce 

7 for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of 

8 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra9 tion. 

10 TITLE I—COMBATING MARINE 

11 DEBRIS 

12 Subtitle A—Marine Debris 

13 Foundation 

14 SEC. 111. ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSES OF FOUNDA15 TION. 

16 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Ma17 rine Debris Foundation (in this title referred to as the 

18 ‘‘Foundation’’). The Foundation is a charitable and non19 profit organization and is not an agency or establishment 

20 of the United States. 

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

22 are— 

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

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

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1 anic and Atmospheric Administration under the Ma2 rine Debris Program established under section 3 of 

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

4 relevant programs and agencies; 

5 (2) to undertake and conduct such other activi6 ties as will further the efforts of the National Oce7 anic and Atmospheric Administration to assess, pre8 vent, reduce, and remove marine debris and address 

9 the adverse impacts of marine debris on the economy 

10 of the United States, the marine environment, and 

11 navigation safety; 

12 (3) to participate with, and otherwise assist, 

13 State, local, and Tribal governments, foreign govern14 ments, entities, and individuals in undertaking and 

15 conducting activities to assess, prevent, reduce, and 

16 remove marine debris and address the adverse im17 pacts of marine debris and its root causes on the 

18 economy of the United States, the marine environ19 ment (including waters in the jurisdiction of the 

20 United States, the high seas, and waters in the ju21 risdiction of other countries), and navigation safety; 

22 (4) to administer the Genius Prize for Save Our 

23 Seas Innovation as described in title II; and 

24 (5) to support other Federal actions to reduce 

25 marine debris. 


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

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT AND MEMBERSHIP.— 

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

4 governing Board of Directors (in this title referred 

5 to as the ‘‘Board’’), which shall consist of the Under 

6 Secretary and 12 additional Directors appointed in 

7 accordance with subsection (b) from among individ8 uals who are United States citizens. 

9 (2) REPRESENTATION OF DIVERSE POINTS OF

10 VIEW.—To the maximum extent practicable, the 

11 membership of the Board shall represent diverse 

12 points of view relating to the assessment, prevention, 

13 reduction, and removal of marine debris. 

14 (3) NOT FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—Appointment 

15 as a Director of the Foundation shall not constitute 

16 employment by, or the holding of an office of, the 

17 United States for the purpose of any Federal law. 

18 (b) APPOINTMENT AND TERMS.— 

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

20 after consulting with the EPA Administrator, the 

21 Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife 

22 Service, the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bu23 reau of Oceans and International Environmental and 

24 Scientific Affairs, and the Administrator of the 

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1 mitted by the Board, the Under Secretary shall ap2 point 12 Directors who meet the criteria established 

3 by subsection (a), of whom— 

4 (A) at least 4 shall be educated or experi5 enced in the assessment, prevention, reduction, 

6 or removal of marine debris, which may include 

7 an individual with expertise in post-consumer 

8 materials management or a circular economy; 

9 (B) at least 2 shall be educated or experi10 enced in the assessment, prevention, reduction, 

11 or removal of marine debris outside the United 

12 States; 

13 (C) at least 2 shall be educated or experi14 enced in ocean and coastal resource conserva15 tion science or policy; and 

16 (D) at least 2 shall be educated or experi17 enced in international trade or foreign policy. 

18 (2) TERMS.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara20 graph (B), each Director (other than the Under 

21 Secretary) shall be appointed for a term of 6 

22 years. 

23 (B) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS TO NEW MEM24 BER POSITIONS.—Of the Directors appointed by 

25 the Under Secretary under paragraph (1), the 


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1 Secretary shall appoint, not later than 180 days 

2 after the date of the enactment of this Act— 

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

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

5 and 

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

7 (3) VACANCIES.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary 

9 shall fill a vacancy on the Board. 

10 (B) TERM OF APPOINTMENTS TO FILL UN11 EXPIRED TERMS.—An individual appointed to 

12 fill a vacancy that occurs before the expiration 

13 of the term of a Director shall be appointed for 

14 the remainder of the term. 

15 (4) REAPPOINTMENT.—An individual (other 

16 than an individual described in paragraph (1)) shall 

17 not serve more than 2 consecutive terms as a Direc18 tor, excluding any term of less than 6 years. 

19 (5) REQUEST FOR REMOVAL.—The executive 

20 committee of the Board may submit to the Under 

21 Secretary a letter describing the nonperformance of 

22 a Director and requesting the removal of the Direc23 tor from the Board. 

24 (6) CONSULTATION BEFORE REMOVAL.—Before 

25 removing any Director from the Board, the Under 


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1 Secretary shall consult with the Assistant Secretary 

2 of State for the Bureau of Oceans and International 

3 Environmental and Scientific Affairs, the Director of 

4 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the 

5 EPA Administrator. 

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

7 the Board from its members for a 2-year term. 

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

9 of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction 

10 of business. 

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

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

13 3 consecutive regularly scheduled meetings, that individual 

14 may be removed from the Board and that vacancy filled 

15 in accordance with subsection (b). 

16 (f) REIMBURSEMENT OF EXPENSES.—Members of 

17 the Board shall serve without pay, but may be reimbursed 

18 for the actual and necessary traveling and subsistence ex19 penses incurred by them in the performance of the duties 

20 of the Foundation. 

21 (g) GENERAL POWERS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Board may complete 

23 the organization of the Foundation by— 

24 (A) appointing officers and employees; 


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1 (B) adopting a constitution and bylaws 

2 consistent with the purposes of the Foundation 

3 and the provisions of this title; and 

4 (C) undertaking of other such acts as may 

5 be necessary to carry out the provisions of this 

6 title. 

7 (2) LIMITATIONS ON APPOINTMENT.—The fol8 lowing limitations apply with respect to the appoint9 ment of officers and employees of the Foundation: 

10 (A) Officers and employees may not be ap11 pointed until the Foundation has sufficient 

12 funds to pay them for their service. Officers 

13 and employees of the Foundation shall be ap14 pointed without regard to the provisions of title 

15 5, United States Code, governing appointments 

16 in the competitive service, and may be paid 

17 without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 

18 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title 

19 relating to classification and General Schedule 

20 pay rates. 

21 (B) The first officer or employee appointed 

22 by the Board shall be the Secretary of the 

23 Board who— 

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

25 Board, as its chief operating officer; and 


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1 (ii) shall be knowledgeable and experi2 enced in matters relating to the assess3 ment, prevention, reduction, and removal 

4 of marine debris. 

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

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Foundation— 

7 (1) shall have perpetual succession; 

8 (2) may conduct business throughout the sev9 eral States, territories, and possessions of the 

10 United States and abroad; and 

11 (3) shall at all times maintain a designated 

12 agent authorized to accept service of process for the 

13 Foundation. 

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

15 or service of process upon, the agent required under sub16 section (a)(3), or mailed to the business address of such 

17 agent, shall be deemed as service upon or notice to the 

18 Foundation. 

19 (c) POWERS.— 

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

21 under section 111, the Foundation shall have, in ad22 dition to the powers otherwise given it under this 

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

24 trustee in the District of Columbia, including the 

25 power— 


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1 (A) to accept, receive, solicit, hold, admin2 ister, and use any gift, devise, or bequest, either 

3 absolutely or in trust, of real or personal prop4 erty or any income therefrom or other interest 

5 therein; 

6 (B) to acquire by purchase or exchange 

7 any real or personal property or interest there8 in; 

9 (C) to invest any funds provided to the 

10 Foundation by the Federal Government in obli11 gations of the United States or in obligations or 

12 securities that are guaranteed or insured by the 

13 United States; 

14 (D) to deposit any funds provided to the 

15 Foundation by the Federal Government into ac16 counts that are insured by an agency or instru17 mentality of the United States; 

18 (E) to make use of any interest or invest19 ment income that accrues as a consequence of 

20 actions taken under subparagraph (C) or (D) to 

21 carry out the purposes of the Foundation; 

22 (F) to use Federal funds to make pay23 ments under cooperative agreements to provide 

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1 ment, prevention, reduction, and removal of ma2 rine debris; 

3 (G) unless otherwise required by the in4 strument of transfer, to sell, donate, lease, in5 vest, reinvest, retain or otherwise dispose of any 

6 property or income therefrom; 

7 (H) to borrow money and issue bonds, de8 bentures, or other debt instruments; 

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

10 defend itself in any court of competent jurisdic11 tion, except that the Directors of the Founda12 tion shall not be personally liable, except for 

13 gross negligence; 

14 (J) to enter into contracts or other ar15 rangements with, or provide financial assistance 

16 to, public agencies and private organizations 

17 and persons and to make such payments as 

18 may be necessary to carry out its functions; and 

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

20 proper to carry out the purposes of the Founda21 tion. 

22 (2) NON-FEDERAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE

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

24 by the Foundation without regard to whether the 

25 gift, devise, or bequest is encumbered, restricted, or 


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1 subject to beneficial interests of private persons if 

2 any current or future interest in the gift, devise, or 

3 bequest is for the benefit of the Foundation. 

4 (d) NOTICE TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.—The 

5 Foundation may not make a grant of Federal funds in 

6 an amount greater than $100,000 unless, by not later 

7 than 15 days before the grant is made, the Foundation 

8 provides notice of the grant to the Member of Congress 

9 for the congressional district in which the project to be 

10 funded with the grant will be carried out. 

11 (e) COORDINATION OF INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS.— 

12 Any efforts of the Foundation carried out in a foreign 

13 country, and any grants provided to an individual or entity 

14 in a foreign country, shall be made only with the concur15 rence of the Secretary of State, in consultation, as appro16 priate, with the Administrator of the United States Agen17 cy for International Development. 

18 (f) CONSULTATION WITH NOAA.—The Foundation 

19 shall consult with the Under Secretary during the plan20 ning of any restoration or remediation action using funds 

21 resulting from judgments or settlements relating to the 

22 damage to trust resources of the National Oceanic and 

23 Atmospheric Administration. 


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1 SEC. 114. ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AND SUPPORT. 

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

3 may provide personnel, facilities, and other administrative 

4 services to the Foundation, including reimbursement of 

5 expenses, not to exceed the current Federal Government 

6 per diem rates, for a period of up to 5 years beginning 

7 on the date of the enactment of this Act. 

8 (b) REIMBURSEMENT.—The Under Secretary shall 

9 require reimbursement from the Foundation for any ad10 ministrative service provided under subsection (a). The 

11 Under Secretary shall deposit any reimbursement received 

12 under this subsection into the Treasury to the credit of 

13 the appropriations then current and chargeable for the 

14 cost of providing such services. 

15 SEC. 115. VOLUNTEER STATUS. 

16 The Secretary of Commerce may accept, without re17 gard to the civil service classification laws, rules, or regu18 lations, the services of the Foundation, the Board, and 

19 the officers and employees of the Board, without com20 pensation from the Department of Commerce, as volun21 teers in the performance of the functions authorized in 

22 this title. 

23 SEC. 116. REPORT REQUIREMENTS; PETITION OF ATTOR24 NEY GENERAL FOR EQUITABLE RELIEF. 

25 (a) REPORT.—The Foundation shall, as soon as prac26 ticable after the end of each fiscal year, transmit to the 


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1 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 

2 the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources and 

3 the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House 

4 of Representatives a report— 

5 (1) describing the proceedings and activities of 

6 the Foundation during that fiscal year, including a 

7 full and complete statement of its receipts, expendi8 tures, and investments; and 

9 (2) including a detailed statement of the recipi10 ent, amount, and purpose of each grant made by the 

11 Foundation in the fiscal year. 

12 (b) RELIEF WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN FOUNDA13 TION ACTS OR FAILURE TO ACT.—If the Foundation— 

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

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

16 purposes set forth in section 111(b), or 

17 (2) refuses, fails, or neglects to discharge its 

18 obligations under this title, or threatens to do so, 

19 the Attorney General may petition in the United States 

20 District Court for the District of Columbia for such equi21 table relief as may be necessary or appropriate. 

22 SEC. 117. UNITED STATES RELEASE FROM LIABILITY. 

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

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


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1 the full faith and credit of the United States extend to 

2 any obligation of the Foundation. 

3 SEC. 118. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

4 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Commerce 

6 shall carry out this title using existing amounts that 

7 are appropriated or otherwise made available to the 

8 Department of Commerce. 

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

10 paragraph (3), amounts made available under para11 graph (1) shall be provided to the Foundation to 

12 match contributions (whether in currency, services, 

13 or property) made to the Foundation, or to a recipi14 ent of a grant provided by the Foundation, by pri15 vate persons and State and local government agen16 cies. 

17 (3) PROHIBITION ON USE FOR ADMINISTRATIVE

18 EXPENSES.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

20 subparagraph (B), no Federal funds made 

21 available under paragraph (1) may be used by 

22 the Foundation for administrative expenses of 

23 the Foundation, including for salaries, travel 

24 and transportation expenses, and other over25 head expenses. 


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1 (B) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary may 

2 allow the use of Federal funds made available 

3 under paragraph (1) to pay for salaries during 

4 the 18-month period beginning on the date of 

5 the enactment of this Act. 

6 (b) ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATION.— 

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

8 made available under subsection (a), the Foundation 

9 may accept Federal funds from a Federal agency 

10 under any other Federal law for use by the Founda11 tion to further the assessment, prevention, reduc12 tion, and removal of marine debris in accordance 

13 with the requirements of this title. 

14 (2) USE OF FUNDS ACCEPTED FROM FEDERAL

15 AGENCIES.—Federal funds provided to the Founda16 tion under paragraph (1) shall be used by the Foun17 dation for matching, in whole or in part, contribu18 tions (whether in currency, services, or property) 

19 made to the Foundation by private persons and 

20 State and local government agencies. 

21 (c) PROHIBITION ON USE OF GRANT AMOUNTS FOR

22 LITIGATION AND LOBBYING EXPENSES.—Amounts pro23 vided as a grant by the Foundation shall not be used for— 

24 (1) any expense related to litigation consistent 

25 with Federal-wide cost principles; or 


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1 (2) any activity the purpose of which is to influ2 ence legislation pending before Congress consistent 

3 with Federal-wide cost principles. 

4 SEC. 119. TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY. 

5 The authority of the Foundation under this subtitle 

6 shall terminate on the date that is 10 years after the es7 tablishment of the Foundation, unless the Foundation is 

8 reauthorized by an Act of Congress. 

9 Subtitle B—Genius Prize for Save 

10 Our Seas Innovations 

11 SEC. 121. DEFINITIONS. 

12 In this subtitle: 

13 (1) PRIZE COMPETITION.—The term ‘‘prize 

14 competition’’ means the competition for the award of 

15 the Genius Prize for Save Our Seas Innovations es16 tablished under section 122. 

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

18 the Secretary of Commerce. 

19 SEC. 122. GENIUS PRIZE FOR SAVE OUR SEAS INNOVA20 TIONS. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

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

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

24 shall establish under section 24 of the StevensonVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1982.RFH S1982

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1 Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 

2 U.S.C. 3719) a prize competition— 

3 (A) to encourage technological innovation 

4 with the potential to reduce plastic waste, and 

5 associated and potential pollution, and thereby 

6 prevent marine debris; and 

7 (B) to award 1 or more prizes biennially 

8 for projects that advance human understanding 

9 and innovation in removing and preventing 

10 plastic waste, in one of the categories described 

11 in paragraph (2). 

12 (2) CATEGORIES FOR PROJECTS.—The cat13 egories for projects are: 

14 (A) Advancements in materials used in 

15 packaging and other products that, if such 

16 products enter the coastal or ocean environ17 ment, will fully degrade without harming the 

18 environment, wildlife, or human health. 

19 (B) Innovations in production and pack20 aging design that reduce the use of raw mate21 rials, increase recycled content, encourage 

22 reusability and recyclability, and promote a cir23 cular economy. 


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1 (C) Improvements in marine debris detec2 tion, monitoring, and cleanup technologies and 

3 processes. 

4 (D) Improvements or improved strategies 

5 to increase solid waste collection, processing, 

6 sorting, recycling, or reuse. 

7 (E) New designs or strategies to reduce 

8 overall packaging needs and promote reuse. 

9 (b) DESIGNATION.—The prize competition estab10 lished under subsection (a) shall be known as the ‘‘Genius 

11 Prize for Save Our Seas Innovations’’. 

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

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

14 (1) have a strategy, submitted with the applica15 tion or proposal, to move the new technology, proc16 ess, design, material, or other product supported by 

17 the prize to market-scale deployment; 

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

19 and 

20 (3) promote development of materials that— 

21 (A) can fully degrade in the ocean without 

22 harming the environment, wildlife, or human 

23 health; and 

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

25 maritime products that have an increased likeliVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1982.RFH S1982

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1 hood of entering the coastal or ocean environ2 ment as unintentional waste. 

3 SEC. 123. AGREEMENT WITH THE MARINE DEBRIS FOUNDA4 TION. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall offer to enter 

6 into an agreement, which may include a grant or coopera7 tive agreement, under which the Marine Debris Founda8 tion established under title I shall administer the prize 

9 competition. 

10 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—An agreement entered into 

11 under subsection (a) shall comply with the following re12 quirements: 

13 (1) DUTIES.—The Marine Debris Foundation 

14 shall— 

15 (A) advertise the prize competition; 

16 (B) solicit prize competition participants; 

17 (C) administer funds relating to the prize 

18 competition; 

19 (D) receive Federal and non-Federal 

20 funds— 

21 (i) to administer the prize competi22 tion; and 

23 (ii) to award a cash prize; 


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1 (E) carry out activities to generate con2 tributions of non-Federal funds to offset, in 

3 whole or in part— 

4 (i) the administrative costs of the 

5 prize competition; and 

6 (ii) the costs of a cash prize; 

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

8 consult, as appropriate with experts from— 

9 (i) Federal agencies with jurisdiction 

10 over the prevention of marine debris or the 

11 promotion of innovative materials; 

12 (ii) State agencies with jurisdiction 

13 over the prevention of marine debris or the 

14 promotion of innovative materials; 

15 (iii) State, regional, or local conserva16 tion or post-consumer materials manage17 ment organizations, the mission of which 

18 relates to the prevention of marine debris 

19 or the promotion of innovative materials; 

20 (iv) conservation groups, technology 

21 companies, research institutions, scientists 

22 (including those with expertise in marine 

23 environments) institutions of higher edu24 cation, industry, or individual stakeholders 

25 with an interest in the prevention of maVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1982.RFH S1982

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1 rine debris or the promotion of innovative 

2 materials; 

3 (v) experts in the area of standards 

4 development regarding the degradation, 

5 breakdown, or recycling of polymers; and 

6 (vi) other relevant experts of the 

7 Board’s choosing; 

8 (G) in consultation with, and subject to 

9 final approval by, the Secretary, develop criteria 

10 for the selection of prize competition winners; 

11 (H) provide advice and consultation to the 

12 Secretary on the selection of judges under sec13 tion 124 based on criteria developed in con14 sultation with, and subject to the final approval 

15 of, the Secretary; 

16 (I) announce 1 or more annual winners of 

17 the prize competition; 

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

19 more cash prizes biennially of not less than 

20 $100,000; and 

21 (K) protect against unauthorized use or 

22 disclosure by the Marine Debris Foundation of 

23 any trade secret or confidential business infor24 mation of a prize competition participant. 


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1 (2) ADDITIONAL CASH PRIZES.—The Marine 

2 Debris Foundation may award more than 1 cash 

3 prize in a year— 

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

5 paragraph (1)(I) and any additional cash prizes 

6 are awarded using only non-Federal funds; and 

7 (B) consisting of an amount determined by 

8 the Under Secretary after the Secretary is noti9 fied by the Marine Debris Foundation that non10 Federal funds are available for an additional 

11 cash prize. 

12 (3) SOLICITATION OF FUNDS.—The Marine De13 bris Foundation— 

14 (A) may request and accept Federal funds 

15 and non-Federal funds for a cash prize or ad16 ministration of the prize competition; 

17 (B) may accept a contribution for a cash 

18 prize in exchange for the right to name the 

19 prize; and 

20 (C) shall not give special consideration to 

21 any Federal agency or non-Federal entity in ex22 change for a donation for a cash prize awarded 

23 under this section. 


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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 

5 prize competition. 

6 (b) DETERMINATION BY THE SECRETARY.—The 

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

8 annual winner of the prize competition if the Secretary 

9 makes a determination that, in any fiscal year, none of 

10 the technological advancements entered into the prize 

11 competition 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) a statement by the Committee that de18 scribes the activities carried out by the Committee 

19 relating to the duties described in section 123; 

20 (2) if the Secretary has entered into an agree21 ment under section 123, a statement by the Marine 

22 Debris Foundation that describes the activities car23 ried out by the Marine Debris Foundation relating 

24 to the duties described in section 123; and 


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1 (3) a statement by 1 or more of the judges ap2 pointed under section 124 that explains the basis on 

3 which the winner of the cash prize was selected. 

4 SEC. 126. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

5 The Secretary of Commerce shall carry out this title 

6 using existing amounts that are appropriated or otherwise 

7 made available to the Department of Commerce. 

8 SEC. 127. TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY. 

9 The prize program will terminate after 5 prize com10 petition cycles have been completed. 

11 Subtitle C—Other Measures Relat12 ing to Combating Marine Debris 

13 SEC. 131. PRIORITIZATION OF MARINE DEBRIS IN EXISTING 

14 INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP PRO15 GRAMS. 

16 The Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, 

17 the EPA Administrator, and the heads of other relevant 

18 Federal agencies, shall prioritize efforts to combat marine 

19 debris in innovation and entrepreneurship programs estab20 lished before the date of the enactment of this Act, includ21 ing by using such programs to increase innovation in and 

22 the effectiveness of post-consumer materials management, 

23 monitoring, detection, and data-sharing related to the 

24 prevalence and location of marine debris, demand for recy25 cled content, alternative uses for plastic waste, product deVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1982.RFH S1982

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1 sign, reduction of disposable plastic consumer products 

2 and packaging, ocean biodegradable materials develop3 ment, waste prevention, and cleanup. 

4 SEC. 132. EXPANSION OF DERELICT VESSEL RECYCLING. 

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

6 of this Act, the Under Secretary and the EPA Adminis7 trator shall jointly conduct a study to determine the feasi8 bility of developing a nationwide derelict vessel recycling 

9 program— 

10 (1) using as a model the fiberglass boat recy11 cling program from the pilot project in Rhode Island 

12 led by Rhode Island Sea Grant and its partners; and 

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

14 made from materials other than fiberglass. 

15 SEC. 133. INCENTIVE FOR FISHERMEN TO COLLECT AND 

16 DISPOSE OF PLASTIC FOUND AT SEA. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall estab18 lish a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advis19 ability of providing incentives, such as grants, to fisher20 men based in the United States who incidentally capture 

21 marine debris while at sea— 

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

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

24 (b) SUPPORT FOR COLLECTION AND REMOVAL OF

25 DERELICT GEAR.—The Under Secretary shall encourage 


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

2 disposal program, that support— 

3 (1) collection and removal of derelict fishing 

4 gear and other fishing waste; 

5 (2) disposal or recycling of such gear and 

6 waste; and 

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

8 SEC. 134. AMENDMENTS TO MARINE DEBRIS PROGRAM. 

9 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

10 9(a) of the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1958(a)) is 

11 amended by— 

12 (1) striking ‘‘$10,000,000’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘$15,000,000’’; and 

14 (2) striking ‘‘5 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘7 per15 cent’’. 

16 (b) ENHANCEMENT OF PURPOSE.—Section 2 of the 

17 Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1951) is amended by strik18 ing ‘‘marine environment,’’ and inserting ‘‘marine environ19 ment (including waters in the jurisdiction of the United 

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

21 other countries),’’. 

22 (c) TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.—Section 3(d)(2) of 

23 the Marine Debris Act (33 U.S.C. 1952(d)(2)) is amend24 ed— 


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1 (1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘the 

2 matching requirement under subparagraph (A)’’ and 

3 inserting ‘‘a matching requirement under subpara4 graph (A) or (C)’’; and 

5 (2) in subparagraph (C), in the matter pre6 ceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘Notwithstanding sub7 paragraph (A)’’ and inserting ‘‘Notwithstanding sub8 paragraph (A) and except as provided in subpara9 graph (B)’’. 

10 SEC. 135. MARINE DEBRIS ON NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM 

11 LAND. 

12 (a) SPECIAL-USE AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary 

13 of Agriculture (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Sec14 retary’’) shall not require a volunteer organization to ob15 tain a special-use authorization for the removal of any ma16 rine debris being stored on National Forest System land. 

17 (b) TEMPORARY STORAGE.—Marine debris may be 

18 stored on National Forest System land in a location deter19 mined by the Secretary for a period of not more than to 

20 90 days, which may be extended in 90-day increments with 

21 approval by the relevant U.S. Forest Service District 

22 Ranger. 

23 (c) REQUIREMENTS.—Except as otherwise provided 

24 in this section, any activities related to the removal of ma25 rine debris from National Forest System land shall be conVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1982.RFH S1982

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1 ducted in a manner consistent with applicable law and reg2 ulations and subject to such reasonable terms and condi3 tions as the Secretary may require. 

4 Subtitle D—Studies and Reports 

5 SEC. 141. REPORT ON OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATIVE 

6 USES OF PLASTIC WASTE. 

7 Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 

8 of this Act, the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating 

9 Committee shall submit to Congress a report on innovative 

10 uses for plastic waste in consumer products. 

11 SEC. 142. REPORT ON MICROFIBER POLLUTION. 

12 Not later than 2 years after the date of the enact13 ment of this Act, the Interagency Marine Debris Coordi14 nating Committee shall submit to Congress a report on 

15 microfiber pollution that includes— 

16 (1) a definition for ‘‘microfiber’’; 

17 (2) an assessment of the sources, prevalence, 

18 and causes of microfiber pollution; 

19 (3) a recommendation for a standardized meth20 odology to measure and estimate the prevalence of 

21 microfiber pollution; 

22 (4) recommendations for reducing microfiber 

23 pollution; and 

24 (5) a plan for how Federal agencies, in partner25 ship with other stakeholders, can lead on opportuniVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1982.RFH S1982

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1 ties to reduce microfiber pollution during the 5-year 

2 period beginning on such date of enactment. 

3 SEC. 143. STUDY ON UNITED STATES PLASTIC POLLUTION 

4 DATA. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary, in consulta6 tion with the EPA Administrator and the Secretary of the 

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

8 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medi9 cine under which the National Academies will undertake 

10 a multifaceted study that includes the following: 

11 (1) An evaluation of United States contribu12 tions to global ocean plastic waste, including types, 

13 sources, and geographic variations. 

14 (2) An assessment of the prevalence of marine 

15 debris and mismanaged plastic waste in saltwater 

16 and freshwater United States navigable waterways 

17 and tributaries. 

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

19 plastic waste to and from the United States, includ20 ing the destinations of the exported plastic waste 

21 and the waste management infrastructure and envi22 ronmental conditions of these locations. 

23 (4) Potential means to reduce United States 

24 contributions to global ocean plastic waste. 


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

2 date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary 

3 shall submit to Congress a report on the study conducted 

4 under subsection (a) that includes— 

5 (1) the findings of the National Academies; 

6 (2) recommendations on knowledge gaps that 

7 warrant further scientific inquiry; and 

8 (3) recommendations on the potential value of 

9 a national marine debris tracking and monitoring 

10 system and how such a system might be designed 

11 and implemented. 

12 SEC. 144. STUDY ON MASS BALANCE METHODOLOGIES TO 

13 CERTIFY CIRCULAR POLYMERS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The National Institute of Stand15 ards and Technology shall conduct a study of available 

16 mass balance methodologies that are or could be readily 

17 standardized to certify circular polymers. 

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

19 of enactment of this Act, the Institute shall submit to Con20 gress a report on the study conducted under subsection 

21 (a) that includes— 

22 (1) an identification and assessment of existing 

23 mass balance methodologies, standards, and certifi24 cation systems that are or may be applicable to sup25 ply chain sustainability of polymers, considering the 


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1 full life cycle of the polymer, and including an exam2 ination of— 

3 (A) the International Sustainability and 

4 Carbon Certification; and 

5 (B) the Roundtable on Sustainable Bio6 materials; and 

7 (2) an assessment of any legal or regulatory 

8 barriers to developing a standard and certification 

9 system for circular polymers. 

10 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

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

12 polymers’’ means polymers that can be reused mul13 tiple times or converted into a new, higher-quality 

14 product. 

15 (2) MASS BALANCE METHODOLOGY.—The term 

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

17 chain of custody accounting designed to track the 

18 exact total amount of certain content in products or 

19 materials through the production system and to en20 sure an appropriate allocation of this content in the 

21 finished goods based on auditable bookkeeping. 


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1 SEC. 145. REPORT ON SOURCES AND IMPACTS OF DERE2 LICT FISHING GEAR. 

3 Not later than 2 years after the date of the enact4 ment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall submit to Con5 gress a report that includes— 

6 (1) an analysis of the scale of fishing gear 

7 losses by domestic and foreign fisheries, including— 

8 (A) how the amount of gear lost varies 

9 among— 

10 (i) domestic and foreign fisheries; 

11 (ii) types of fishing gear; and 

12 (iii) methods of fishing; 

13 (B) how lost fishing gear is transported by 

14 ocean currents; and 

15 (C) common reasons fishing gear is lost; 

16 (2) an evaluation of the ecological, human 

17 health, and maritime safety impacts of derelict fish18 ing gear, and how those impacts vary across— 

19 (A) types of fishing gear; 

20 (B) materials used to construct fishing 

21 gear; and 

22 (C) geographic location; 

23 (3) recommendations on management meas24 ures— 

25 (A) to prevent fishing gear losses; and 


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1 (B) to reduce the impacts of lost fishing 

2 gear; 

3 (4) an assessment of the cost of implementing 

4 such management measures; and 

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

6 loss attributable to foreign countries. 

7 TITLE II—ENHANCED GLOBAL 

8 ENGAGEMENT TO COMBAT 

9 MARINE DEBRIS 

10 SEC. 201. STATEMENT OF POLICY ON INTERNATIONAL CO11 OPERATION TO COMBAT MARINE DEBRIS. 

12 It is the policy of the United States to partner, con13 sult, and coordinate with foreign governments (at the na14 tional and subnational levels), civil society, international 

15 organizations, international financial institutions, sub16 national coastal communities, commercial and recreational 

17 fishing industry leaders, and the private sector, in a con18 certed effort— 

19 (1) to increase knowledge and raise awareness 

20 about— 

21 (A) the linkages between the sources of 

22 plastic waste, mismanaged waste and post-con23 sumer materials, and marine debris; and 

24 (B) the upstream and downstream causes 

25 and effects of plastic waste, mismanaged waste 


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1 and post-consumer materials, and marine debris 

2 on marine environments, marine wildlife, 

3 human health, and economic development; 

4 (2) to support— 

5 (A) strengthening systems for reducing the 

6 generation of plastic waste and recovering, 

7 managing, reusing, and recycling plastic waste, 

8 marine debris, and microfiber pollution in the 

9 world’s oceans, emphasizing upstream post-con10 sumer materials management solutions— 

11 (i) to decrease plastic waste at its 

12 source; and 

13 (ii) to prevent leakage of plastic waste 

14 into the environment; 

15 (B) advancing the utilization and avail16 ability of safe and affordable reusable alter17 natives to disposable plastic products in com18 merce, to the extent practicable, and with con19 sideration for the potential impacts of such al20 ternatives, and other efforts to prevent marine 

21 debris; 

22 (C) deployment of and access to advanced 

23 technologies to capture value from post-con24 sumer materials and municipal solid waste 


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1 streams through mechanical and other recycling 

2 systems; 

3 (D) access to information on best practices 

4 in post-consumer materials management, op5 tions for post-consumer materials management 

6 systems financing, and options for participating 

7 in public-private partnerships; and 

8 (E) implementation of management meas9 ures to reduce derelict fishing gear, the loss of 

10 fishing gear, and other sources of pollution gen11 erated from marine activities and to increase 

12 proper disposal and recycling of fishing gear; 

13 and 

14 (3) to work cooperatively with international 

15 partners— 

16 (A) on establishing— 

17 (i) measurable targets for reducing 

18 marine debris, lost fishing gear, and plastic 

19 waste from all sources; and 

20 (ii) action plans to achieve those tar21 gets with a mechanism to provide regular 

22 reporting; 

23 (B) to promote consumer education, 

24 awareness, and outreach to prevent marine de25 bris; 


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1 (C) to reduce marine debris by improving 

2 advance planning for marine debris events and 

3 responses to such events; and 

4 (D) to share best practices in post-con5 sumer materials management systems to pre6 vent the entry of plastic waste into the environ7 ment. 

8 SEC. 202. PRIORITIZATION OF EFFORTS AND ASSISTANCE 

9 TO COMBAT MARINE DEBRIS AND IMPROVE 

10 PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall, in 

12 coordination with the Administrator of the United States 

13 Agency for International Development, as appropriate, 

14 and the officials specified in subsection (b)— 

15 (1) lead and coordinate efforts to implement the 

16 policy described in section 201; and 

17 (2) develop strategies and implement programs 

18 that prioritize engagement and cooperation with for19 eign governments, subnational and local stake20 holders, and the private sector to expedite efforts 

21 and assistance in foreign countries— 

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

23 facilitate national and subnational governments 

24 on the development and execution, where pracVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00042 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1982.RFH S1982

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1 ticable, of national projects, programs and ini2 tiatives to— 

3 (i) improve the capacity, security, and 

4 standards of operations of post-consumer 

5 materials management systems; 

6 (ii) monitor and track how well post7 consumer materials management systems 

8 are functioning nationwide, based on uni9 form and transparent standards developed 

10 in cooperation with municipal, industrial, 

11 and civil society stakeholders; 

12 (iii) identify the operational challenges 

13 of post-consumer materials management 

14 systems and develop policy and pro15 grammatic solutions; 

16 (iv) end intentional or unintentional 

17 incentives for municipalities, industries, 

18 and individuals to improperly dispose of 

19 plastic waste; and 

20 (v) conduct outreach campaigns to 

21 raise public awareness of the importance of 

22 proper waste disposal and the reduction of 

23 plastic waste; 

24 (B) to facilitate the involvement of munici25 palities and industries in improving solid waste 


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1 reduction, collection, disposal, and reuse and re2 cycling projects, programs, and initiatives; 

3 (C) to partner with and provide technical 

4 assistance to investors, and national and local 

5 institutions, including private sector actors, to 

6 develop new business opportunities and solu7 tions to specifically reduce plastic waste and ex8 pand solid waste and post-consumer materials 

9 management best practices in foreign countries 

10 by— 

11 (i) maximizing the number of people 

12 and businesses, in both rural and urban 

13 communities, receiving reliable solid waste 

14 and post-consumer materials management 

15 services; 

16 (ii) improving and expanding the ca17 pacity of foreign industries to responsibly 

18 employ post-consumer materials manage19 ment practices; 

20 (iii) improving and expanding the ca21 pacity and transparency of tracking mech22 anisms for marine debris to reduce the im23 pacts on the marine environment; 

24 (iv) eliminating incentives that under25 mine responsible post-consumer materials 


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1 management practices and lead to im2 proper waste disposal practices and leak3 age; 

4 (v) building the capacity of coun5 tries— 

6 (I) to reduce, monitor, regulate, 

7 and manage waste, post-consumer 

8 materials and plastic waste, and pollu9 tion appropriately and transparently, 

10 including imports of plastic waste 

11 from the United States and other 

12 countries; 

13 (II) to encourage private invest14 ment in post-consumer materials man15 agement and reduction; and 

16 (III) to encourage private invest17 ment, grow opportunities, and develop 

18 markets for recyclable, reusable, and 

19 repurposed plastic waste and post-con20 sumer materials, and products with 

21 high levels of recycled plastic content, 

22 at both national and local levels; and 

23 (vi) promoting safe and affordable re24 usable alternatives to disposable plastic 

25 products, to the extent practicable; and 


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1 (D) to research, identify, and facilitate op2 portunities to promote collection and proper 

3 disposal of damaged or derelict fishing gear. 

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

5 this subsection are the following: 

6 (1) The United States Trade Representative. 

7 (2) The Under Secretary. 

8 (3) The EPA Administrator. 

9 (4) The Director of the Trade and Development 

10 Agency. 

11 (5) The President and the Board of Directors 

12 of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation or 

13 the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Direc14 tors of the United States International Development 

15 Finance Corporation, as appropriate. 

16 (6) The Chief Executive Officer and the Board 

17 of Directors of the Millennium Challenge Corpora18 tion. 

19 (7) The heads of such other agencies as the 

20 Secretary of State considers appropriate. 

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

22 the officials specified in subsection (b) shall prioritize as23 sistance to countries with, and regional organizations in 

24 regions with— 

25 (1) rapidly developing economies; and 


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1 (2) rivers and coastal areas that are the most 

2 severe sources of marine debris, as identified by the 

3 best available science. 

4 (d) EFFECTIVENESS MEASUREMENT.—In 

5 prioritizing and expediting efforts and assistance under 

6 this section, the officials specified in subsection (b) shall 

7 use clear, accountable, and metric-based targets to meas8 ure the effectiveness of guarantees and assistance in 

9 achieving the policy described in section 201. 

10 (e) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec11 tion may be construed to authorize the modification of or 

12 the imposition of limits on the portfolios of any agency 

13 or institution led by an official specified in subsection (b). 

14 SEC. 203. UNITED STATES LEADERSHIP IN INTERNATIONAL 

15 FORA. 

16 In implementing the policy described in section 201, 

17 the President shall direct the United States representa18 tives to appropriate international bodies and conferences 

19 (including the United Nations Environment Programme, 

20 the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Asia Pa21 cific Economic Cooperation, the Group of 7, the Group 

22 of 20, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and 

23 Development (OECD), and the Our Ocean Conference) to 

24 use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States, 


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1 consistent with the broad foreign policy goals of the 

2 United States, to advocate that each such body— 

3 (1) commit to significantly increasing efforts to 

4 promote investment in well-designed post-consumer 

5 materials management and plastic waste elimination 

6 and mitigation projects and services that increase 

7 access to safe post-consumer materials management 

8 and mitigation services, in partnership with the pri9 vate sector and consistent with the constraints of 

10 other countries; 

11 (2) address the post-consumer materials man12 agement needs of individuals and communities where 

13 access to municipal post-consumer materials man14 agement services is historically impractical or cost15 prohibitive; 

16 (3) enhance coordination with the private sec17 tor— 

18 (A) to increase access to solid waste and 

19 post-consumer materials management services; 

20 (B) to utilize safe and affordable reusable 

21 alternatives to disposable plastic products, to 

22 the extent practicable; 

23 (C) to encourage and incentivize the use of 

24 recycled content; and 


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1 (D) to grow economic opportunities and 

2 develop markets for recyclable, reusable, and 

3 repurposed plastic waste materials and other ef4 forts that support the circular economy; 

5 (4) provide technical assistance to foreign regu6 latory authorities and governments to remove unnec7 essary barriers to investment in otherwise commer8 cially-viable projects related to— 

9 (A) post-consumer materials management; 

10 (B) the use of safe and affordable reusable 

11 alternatives to disposable plastic products; or 

12 (C) beneficial reuse of solid waste, plastic 

13 waste, post-consumer materials, plastic prod14 ucts, and refuse; 

15 (5) use clear, accountable, and metric-based 

16 targets to measure the effectiveness of such projects; 

17 and 

18 (6) engage international partners in an existing 

19 multilateral forum (or, if necessary, establish 

20 through an international agreement a new multilat21 eral forum) to improve global cooperation on— 

22 (A) creating tangible metrics for evaluating 

23 efforts to reduce plastic waste and marine de24 bris; 


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1 (B) developing and implementing best 

2 practices at the national and subnational levels 

3 of foreign countries, particularly countries with 

4 little to no solid waste or post-consumer mate5 rials management systems, facilities, or policies 

6 in place for— 

7 (i) collecting, disposing, recycling, and 

8 reusing plastic waste and post-consumer 

9 materials, including building capacity for 

10 improving post-consumer materials man11 agement; and 

12 (ii) integrating alternatives to dispos13 able plastic products, to the extent prac14 ticable; 

15 (C) encouraging the development of stand16 ards and practices, and increasing recycled con17 tent percentage requirements for disposable 

18 plastic products; 

19 (D) integrating tracking and monitoring 

20 systems into post-consumer materials manage21 ment systems; 

22 (E) fostering research to improve scientific 

23 understanding of— 


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1 (i) how microfibers and microplastics 

2 may affect marine ecosystems, human 

3 health and safety, and maritime activities; 

4 (ii) changes in the amount and re5 gional concentrations of plastic waste in 

6 the ocean, based on scientific modeling and 

7 forecasting; 

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

9 inland waterways play in serving as con10 duits for mismanaged waste traveling from 

11 land to the ocean; 

12 (iv) effective means to eliminate 

13 present and future leakages of plastic 

14 waste into the environment; and 

15 (v) other related areas of research the 

16 United States representatives deem nec17 essary; 

18 (F) encouraging the World Bank and other 

19 international finance organizations to prioritize 

20 efforts to reduce plastic waste and combat ma21 rine debris; 

22 (G) collaborating on technological advances 

23 in post-consumer materials management and 

24 recycled plastics; 


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1 (H) growing economic opportunities and 

2 developing markets for recyclable, reusable, and 

3 repurposed plastic waste and post-consumer 

4 materials and other efforts that support the cir5 cular economy; and 

6 (I) advising foreign countries, at both the 

7 national and subnational levels, on the develop8 ment and execution of regulatory policies, serv9 ices, including recycling and reuse of plastic, 

10 and laws pertaining to reducing the creation 

11 and the collection and safe management of— 

12 (i) solid waste; 

13 (ii) post-consumer materials; 

14 (iii) plastic waste; and 

15 (iv) marine debris. 

16 SEC. 204. ENHANCING INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH AND 

17 PARTNERSHIP OF UNITED STATES AGENCIES 

18 INVOLVED IN MARINE DEBRIS ACTIVITIES. 

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

20 the marine debris program of the National Oceanic and 

21 Atmospheric Administration and the Trash-Free Waters 

22 program of the Environmental Protection Agency. 

23 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF EFFORTS TO BUILD FOR24 EIGN PARTNERSHIPS.—The Under Secretary and the 

25 EPA Administrator shall work with the Secretary of State 


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1 and the Administrator of the United States Agency for 

2 International Development to build partnerships, as ap3 propriate, with the governments of foreign countries and 

4 to support international efforts to combat marine debris. 

5 SEC. 205. NEGOTIATION OF NEW INTERNATIONAL AGREE6 MENTS. 

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

8 of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to Con9 gress a report— 

10 (1) assessing the potential for negotiating new 

11 international agreements or creating a new inter12 national forum to reduce land-based sources of ma13 rine debris and derelict fishing gear, consistent with 

14 section 203; 

15 (2) describing the provisions that could be in16 cluded in such agreements; and 

17 (3) assessing potential parties to such agree18 ments. 

19 SEC. 206. CONSIDERATION OF MARINE DEBRIS IN NEGOTI20 ATING INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS. 

21 In negotiating any relevant international agreement 

22 with any country or countries after the date of the enact23 ment of this Act, the President shall, as appropriate— 


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

2 plastic waste and other solid waste from that coun3 try on the marine and aquatic environment; and 

4 (2) ensure that the agreement strengthens ef5 forts to eliminate land-based sources of plastic waste 

6 and other solid waste from that country that impact 

7 the marine and aquatic environment. 

8 TITLE III—IMPROVING DOMES9 TIC INFRASTRUCTURE TO 

10 PREVENT MARINE DEBRIS 

11 SEC. 301. STRATEGY FOR IMPROVING POST-CONSUMER MA12 TERIALS MANAGEMENT AND WATER MAN13 AGEMENT. 

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

15 date of enactment of this Act, the EPA Administrator 

16 shall, in consultation with stakeholders, develop a strategy 

17 to improve post-consumer materials management and in18 frastructure for the purpose of reducing plastic waste and 

19 other post-consumer materials in waterways and oceans. 

20 (b) RELEASE.—On development of the strategy 

21 under subsection (a), the EPA Administrator shall— 

22 (1) distribute the strategy to States; and 

23 (2) make the strategy publicly available for use 

24 by— 


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1 (A) for-profit private entities involved in 

2 post-consumer materials management; and 

3 (B) other nongovernmental entities. 

4 SEC. 302. SENSE OF THE SENATE FOR ISSUES TO BE IN5 CLUDED IN STRATEGY FOR POST-CONSUMER 

6 MATERIALS MANAGEMENT AND WATER MAN7 AGEMENT. 

8 It is the sense of the Senate that the strategy under 

9 section 301 should address, for the purpose of reducing 

10 plastic waste and other post-consumer materials in water11 ways and oceans— 

12 (1) the harmonization of post-consumer mate13 rials management protocols, including— 

14 (A) an evaluation of waste streams to de15 termine which waste streams are most likely to 

16 become marine debris; and 

17 (B) a determination of how to reduce the 

18 generation of products that contribute to those 

19 waste streams; 

20 (2) best practices for the collection of post-con21 sumer recyclables; 

22 (3) improved quality and sorting of post-con23 sumer recyclable materials through opportunities 

24 such as— 

25 (A) education and awareness programs; 


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1 (B) improved infrastructure, including new 

2 equipment and innovative technologies for proc3 essing of recyclable materials; 

4 (C) enhanced markets for recycled mate5 rial; and 

6 (D) standardized measurements; 

7 (4) increasing capacity, where practicable, for 

8 more types of plastic (including plastic films) and 

9 other materials to be reduced, collected, processed, 

10 and recycled or repurposed into usable materials or 

11 products; 

12 (5) the development of new strategies and pro13 grams that prioritize engagement and cooperation 

14 with States and the private sector to expedite efforts 

15 and assistance for States to partner with, encourage, 

16 advise, and facilitate the development and execution, 

17 where practicable, of projects, programs, and initia18 tives— 

19 (A) to improve operations for post-con20 sumer materials management and reduce the 

21 generation of plastic waste; 

22 (B) to monitor how well post-consumer 

23 materials management entities are functioning; 

24 (C)(i) to identify the operational challenges 

25 of post-consumer materials management; and 


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1 (ii) to develop policy and programmatic so2 lutions to those challenges; and 

3 (D) to end intentional and unintentional 

4 incentives to improperly dispose of post-con5 sumer materials; 

6 (6) strengthening markets for products with 

7 high levels of recycled plastic content; and 

8 (7) the consideration of complementary activi9 ties, such as— 

10 (A) reducing waste upstream and at the 

11 source of the waste, including anti-litter initia12 tives; 

13 (B) developing effective post-consumer ma14 terials management provisions in stormwater 

15 management plans; 

16 (C) capturing post-consumer materials at 

17 stormwater inlets, at stormwater outfalls, or in 

18 bodies of water; 

19 (D) providing education and outreach re20 lating to post-consumer materials movement 

21 and reduction; 

22 (E) monitoring or modeling post-consumer 

23 material flows and the reduction of post-con24 sumer materials resulting from the implementa25 tion of best management practices; and 


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1 (F) incentives for manufacturers to design 

2 packaging and consumer goods that can more 

3 easily be reused, recycled, repurposed, or other4 wise removed from the waste stream after their 

5 initial use. 

6 SEC. 303. GRANT PROGRAMS. 

7 (a) POST-CONSUMER MATERIALS MANAGEMENT IN8 FRASTRUCTURE GRANT PROGRAM.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator 

10 may provide grants to States, as defined in section 

11 2, to implement the strategy developed under section 

12 301(a) and— 

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

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

18 management systems; 

19 (C) to deploy waste interceptor tech20 nologies, such as ‘‘trash wheels’’ and litter 

21 traps, to manage the collection and cleanup of 

22 aggregated waste from waterways; and 

23 (D) for such other purposes as the EPA 

24 Administrator determines to be appropriate. 


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

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

3 submit to the EPA Administrator an application at 

4 such time, in such manner, and containing such in5 formation as the EPA Administrator may require. 

6 (3) CONTENTS OF APPLICATIONS.—In devel7 oping application requirements, the EPA Adminis8 trator shall consider requesting that a State appli9 cant provide— 

10 (A) a description of— 

11 (i) the project or projects to be car12 ried out by entities receiving the grant; 

13 and 

14 (ii) how the project or projects would 

15 result in the generation of less plastic 

16 waste; 

17 (B) a description of how the funds will 

18 support disadvantaged communities; and 

19 (C) an explanation of any limitations, such 

20 as flow control measures, that restrict access to 

21 reusable or recyclable materials. 

22 (4) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 

23 January 1, 2023, the EPA Administrator shall sub24 mit to the Committee on Environment and Public 

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1 portation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep2 resentatives a report that includes— 

3 (A) a description of the activities carried 

4 out under this subsection; 

5 (B) estimates as to how much plastic 

6 waste was prevented from entering the oceans 

7 and other waterways as a result of activities 

8 funded by the grant; and 

9 (C) a recommendation on the utility of 

10 evolving the grant program into a new waste 

11 management State revolving fund. 

12 (b) DRINKING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator 

14 may provide competitive grants to units of local gov15 ernment, including units of local government that 

16 own treatment works (as defined in section 212 of 

17 the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 

18 1292)), Indian Tribes, and public water systems (as 

19 defined in section 1401 of the Safe Drinking Water 

20 Act (42 U.S.C. 300f)), as applicable, to support im21 provements in reducing and removing plastic waste 

22 and post-consumer materials, including microplastics 

23 and microfibers, from drinking water, including 

24 planning, design, construction, technical assistance, 

25 and planning support for operational adjustments. 


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

2 grant under paragraph (1), an applicant shall sub3 mit to the EPA Administrator an application at 

4 such time, in such manner, and containing such in5 formation as the EPA Administrator may require. 

6 (c) WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator 

8 may provide grants to units of local government, in9 cluding units of local government that own treat10 ment works (as defined in section 212 of the Federal 

11 Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1292)), In12 dian Tribes, and public water systems (as defined in 

13 section 1401 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 

14 U.S.C. 300f)), as applicable, to support improve15 ments in reducing and removing plastic waste and 

16 post-consumer materials, including microplastics and 

17 microfibers, from wastewater. 

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

19 grant under paragraph (1), an applicant shall sub20 mit to the EPA Administrator an application at 

21 such time, in such manner, and containing such in22 formation as the EPA Administrator may require. 

23 (d) TRASH-FREE WATERS GRANTS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator 

2 may provide grants to units of local government, In3 dian Tribes, and nonprofit organizations— 

4 (A) to support projects to reduce the quan5 tity of solid waste in bodies of water by reduc6 ing the quantity of waste at the source, includ7 ing through anti-litter initiatives; 

8 (B) to enforce local post-consumer mate9 rials management ordinances; 

10 (C) to implement State or local policies re11 lating to solid waste; 

12 (D) to capture post-consumer materials at 

13 stormwater inlets, at stormwater outfalls, or in 

14 bodies of water; 

15 (E) to provide education and outreach 

16 about post-consumer materials movement and 

17 reduction; and 

18 (F) to monitor or model flows of post-con19 sumer materials, including monitoring or mod20 eling a reduction in trash as a result of the im21 plementation of best management practices for 

22 the reduction of plastic waste and other post23 consumer materials in sources of drinking 

24 water. 


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

2 grant under paragraph (1), an applicant shall sub3 mit to the EPA Administrator an application at 

4 such time, in such manner, and containing such in5 formation as the EPA Administrator may require. 

6 (e) APPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL LAW.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator 

8 shall ensure that all laborers and mechanics em9 ployed on projects funded directly, or assisted in 

10 whole or in part, by a grant established by this sec11 tion shall be paid wages at rates not less than those 

12 prevailing on projects of a character similar in the 

13 locality as determined by the Secretary of Labor in 

14 accordance with subchapter IV of chapter 31 of part 

15 A of subtitle II of title 40, United States Code. 

16 (2) AUTHORITY.—With respect to the labor 

17 standards specified in paragraph (1), the Secretary 

18 of Labor shall have the authority and functions set 

19 forth in Reorganization Plan Numbered 14 of 1950 

20 (64 Stat. 1267; 5 U.S.C. App.) and section 3145 of 

21 title 40, United States Code. 

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

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

24 source of payment (in whole or in part) of, or security 

25 for, an obligation the interest on which is excluded from 


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1 gross income under section 103 of the Internal Revenue 

2 Code of 1986. 

3 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

5 there are authorized to be appropriated— 

6 (A) for the program described subsection 

7 (a), $55,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 

8 through 2025; and 

9 (B) for each of the programs described 

10 subsections (b), (c), and (d), $10,000,000 for 

11 each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025. 

12 (2) NO IMPACT ON OTHER FEDERAL FUNDS.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—No funds shall be made 

14 available under paragraph (1) to carry out sub15 sections (b) and (c) in a fiscal year if the total 

16 amount made available to carry out the pro17 grams described in subparagraph (B) for that 

18 fiscal year is less than the total amount made 

19 available to carry out the programs described in 

20 subparagraph (B) for fiscal year 2019. 

21 (B) PROGRAMS DESCRIBED.—The pro22 grams referred to in subparagraph (A) are— 

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1 tion 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act 

2 (42 U.S.C. 300j–12); 

3 (ii) programs for assistance for small 

4 and disadvantaged communities under sub5 sections (a) through (j) of section 1459A 

6 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 

7 300j–19a); and 

8 (iii) State water pollution control re9 volving funds established under title VI of 

10 the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 

11 (33 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.). 

12 SEC. 304. STUDY ON REPURPOSING PLASTIC WASTE IN IN13 FRASTRUCTURE. 

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

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

16 EPA Administrator shall jointly enter into an arrange17 ment with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineer18 ing, and Medicine under which the National Academies 

19 will— 

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

21 in infrastructure; and 

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

23 (A) identify domestic and international ex24 amples of— 


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1 (i) the use of plastic waste materials 

2 described in that paragraph; 

3 (ii) infrastructure projects in which 

4 the use of plastic waste has been applied; 

5 and 

6 (iii) projects in which the use of plas7 tic waste has been incorporated into or 

8 with other infrastructure materials; 

9 (B) assess— 

10 (i) the effectiveness and utility of the 

11 uses of plastic waste described in that 

12 paragraph; 

13 (ii) the extent to which plastic waste 

14 materials are consistent with recognized 

15 specifications for infrastructure construc16 tion and other recognized standards; 

17 (iii) relevant impacts of plastic waste 

18 materials compared to non-waste plastic 

19 materials; 

20 (iv) the health, safety, and environ21 mental impacts of— 

22 (I) plastic waste on humans and 

23 animals; and 

24 (II) the increased use of plastic 

25 waste for infrastructure; 


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1 (v) the ability of plastic waste infra2 structure to withstand natural disasters, 

3 extreme weather events, and other hazards; 

4 and 

5 (vi) plastic waste in infrastructure 

6 through an economic analysis; and 

7 (C) make recommendations with respect to 

8 what standards or matters may need to be ad9 dressed with respect to ensuring human and 

10 animal health and safety from the use of plastic 

11 waste in infrastructure. 

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

13 after the date of enactment of this Act and subject to the 

14 availability of appropriations, the Secretary and the EPA 

15 Administrator shall submit to Congress a report on the 

16 study conducted under subsection (a). 

17 SEC. 305. STUDY ON EFFECTS OF MICROPLASTICS IN FOOD 

18 SUPPLIES AND SOURCES OF DRINKING 

19 WATER. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator, in con21 sultation with the Under Secretary, shall seek to enter into 

22 an arrangement with the National Academies of Sciences, 

23 Engineering, and Medicine under which the National 

24 Academies will conduct a human health and environmental 


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1 risk assessment on microplastics, including microfibers, in 

2 food supplies and sources of drinking water. 

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

4 after the date of enactment of this Act, the EPA Adminis5 trator shall submit to Congress a report on the study con6 ducted under subsection (a) that includes— 

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

8 that can be adopted in federally supported moni9 toring and future assessments supported or con10 ducted by a Federal agency; 

11 (2) recommendations for standardized moni12 toring, testing, and other necessary protocols relat13 ing to microplastics; 

14 (3)(A) an assessment of whether microplastics 

15 are currently present in the food supplies and 

16 sources of drinking water of United States con17 sumers; and 

18 (B) if the assessment under subparagraph (A) 

19 is positive— 

20 (i) the extent to which microplastics are 

21 present in the food supplies and sources of 

22 drinking water; and 

23 (ii) an assessment of the type, source, 

24 prevalence, and risk of microplastics in the food 

25 supplies and sources of drinking water; 


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1 (4) an assessment of the risk posed, if any, by 

2 the presence of microplastics in the food supplies 

3 and sources of drinking water of United States con4 sumers that includes— 

5 (A) an identification of the most signifi6 cant sources of those microplastics; and 

7 (B) a review of the best available science 

8 to determine any potential hazards of micro9 plastics in the food supplies and sources of 

10 drinking water of United States consumers; and 

11 (5) a measurement of— 

12 (A) the quantity of environmental chemi13 cals that absorb to microplastics; and 

14 (B) the quantity described in subpara15 graph (A) that would be available for human 

16 exposure through food supplies or sources of 

17 drinking water. 

18 SEC. 306. REPORT ON ELIMINATING BARRIERS TO IN19 CREASE THE COLLECTION OF RECYCLABLE 

20 MATERIALS. 

21 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

22 of this Act, the EPA Administrator shall submit to Con23 gress a report describing— 

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1 ing the collection, processing, and use of recyclable 

2 materials; and 

3 (2) recommendations to overcome the barriers 

4 described under paragraph (1). 

5 SEC. 307. REPORT ON ECONOMIC INCENTIVES TO SPUR DE6 VELOPMENT OF NEW END-USE MARKETS FOR 

7 RECYCLED PLASTICS. 

8 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

9 of this Act, the EPA Administrator shall submit to Con10 gress a report describing the most efficient and effective 

11 economic incentives to spur the development of additional 

12 new end-use markets for recyclable plastics (including 

13 plastic film), including the use of increased recycled con14 tent by manufacturers in the production of plastic goods 

15 and packaging. 

16 SEC. 308. REPORT ON MINIMIZING THE CREATION OF NEW 

17 PLASTIC WASTE. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator, in co19 ordination with the Interagency Marine Debris Coordi20 nating Committee and the National Institute of Standards 

21 and Technology, shall conduct a study on minimizing the 

22 creation of new plastic waste. 

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

24 of enactment of this Act, the EPA Administrator shall 


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1 submit to Congress a report on the study conducted under 

2 subsection (a) that includes— 

3 (1) an estimate of the current and projected 

4 United States consumption of plastics, by type of 

5 plastic, including consumer food products; 

6 (2) an estimate of the environmental effects 

7 and impacts of plastic use in relation to other mate8 rials; 

9 (3) an estimate of current and projected future 

10 recycling rates of plastics, by type of plastic; 

11 (4) an assessment of opportunities to minimize 

12 the creation of new plastic waste, including con13 sumer food products, by reducing, recycling, reusing, 

14 refilling, refurbishing, or capturing plastic that 

15 would otherwise be part of a waste stream; and 

16 (5) an assessment of what recycled content 

17 standards for plastic are technologically and eco18 nomically feasible, and the impact of the standards 

19 on recycling rates. 

Passed the Senate January 9, 2020. 

Attest: JULIE E. ADAMS, 

Secretary. 


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