II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2260 

To provide for the improvement of domestic infrastructure in order to prevent 

marine debris, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 24, 2019 

Mr. SULLIVAN (for himself, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, and Mr. MENENDEZ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To provide for the improvement of domestic infrastructure 

in order to prevent 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; DEFINITIONS. 

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

5 ‘‘Save Our Seas 2.0: Improving Domestic Infrastructure 

6 to Prevent Marine Debris Act’’. 

7 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 

8 (1) EPA ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘EPA 

9 Administrator’’ means the Administrator of the En10 vironmental Protection Agency. 


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1 (2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

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

3 section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu4 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304), without re5 gard to capitalization. 

6 (3) INTENDED USE PLAN.—The term ‘‘intended 

7 use plan’’ means a plan developed by a State under 

8 section 3(c)(1). 

9 (4) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

10 ‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means an organization that 

11 is described in section 501(c) of the Internal Rev12 enue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under sec13 tion 501(a) of such Code. 

14 (5) POST-CONSUMER MATERIALS MANAGE15 MENT.—The term ‘‘post-consumer materials man16 agement’’ means the systems, operation, supervision, 

17 and aftercare of processes and equipment used for 

18 post-use material (including packaging, goods, prod19 ucts, and other materials), including— 

20 (A) collection; 

21 (B) transport; 

22 (C) safe disposal of waste that cannot be 

23 recovered, reused, recycled, repaired, or refur24 bished; and 


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1 (D) systems and processes related to post2 use materials that can be recovered, reused, re3 cycled, repaired, or refurbished. 

4 (6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means— 

5 (A) a State; 

6 (B) an Indian Tribe; 

7 (C) the District of Columbia; and 

8 (D) a territory or possession of the United 

9 States. 

10 (7) STATE LOAN FUND.—The term ‘‘State loan 

11 fund’’ means a post-consumer materials manage12 ment revolving State loan fund established by a 

13 State under section 3(a)(2)(B). 

14 (8) UNDER SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Under 

15 Secretary’’ means the Under Secretary of Commerce 

16 for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of 

17 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra18 tion. 

19 SEC. 2. STRATEGY FOR IMPROVING POST-CONSUMER MA20 TERIALS MANAGEMENT AND WATER MAN21 AGEMENT. 

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

23 date of enactment of this Act, the EPA Administrator 

24 shall, in consultation with stakeholders, develop a strategy 

25 to improve post-consumer materials management and resiVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:34 Jul 29, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2260.IS S2260

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1 dential recycling infrastructure, particularly for post-con2 sumer materials management that is (at the time of enact3 ment of this Act) not meeting existing national standards, 

4 for the purpose of reducing potential leakage of plastic 

5 waste and other post-consumer materials into waterways 

6 and oceans. 

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

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

9 (1) distribute the strategy to States and units 

10 of local government; and 

11 (2) make the strategy publicly available for use 

12 by— 

13 (A) for-profit private entities involved in 

14 post-consumer materials management; and 

15 (B) other nongovernmental entities. 

16 (c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con17 gress that the strategy under subsection (a) should include 

18 guidance, for the purpose of reducing potential leakage of 

19 plastic waste and other post-consumer materials into wa20 terways and oceans, relating to— 

21 (1) the harmonization of post-consumer mate22 rials management protocols, such as waste collection 

23 and municipal recycling, including— 

24 (A) best practices for the collection of resi25 dential recyclables; 


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1 (B) improved quality and sorting of resi2 dential recyclable materials through opportuni3 ties such as— 

4 (i) education and awareness pro5 grams; 

6 (ii) improved infrastructure, including 

7 new equipment and innovative technologies 

8 for processing of recyclable materials; 

9 (iii) enhanced markets for recycled 

10 material; and 

11 (iv) standardized measurements; and 

12 (C) increasing capacity for more types of 

13 plastic (including plastic films) and other mate14 rials to be collected, processed, and recycled or 

15 repurposed into usable materials or products; 

16 (2) the development of new strategies and pro17 grams that prioritize engagement and cooperation 

18 with States and the private sector to expedite efforts 

19 and assistance in States to partner with, encourage, 

20 advise, and facilitate the development and execution, 

21 where practicable, of projects, programs, and initia22 tives— 

23 (A) to improve the capacity, security, and 

24 standards of operations for post-consumer ma25 terials management; 


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1 (B) to monitor and track how well post2 consumer materials management entities are 

3 functioning, based on uniform and transparent 

4 standards developed in cooperation with munic5 ipal, industrial, Federal, and civil society stake6 holders; 

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

8 of post-consumer materials management; and 

9 (ii) to develop policy and programmatic so10 lutions to those challenges; and 

11 (D) to end intentional and unintentional 

12 incentives for municipalities, industries, and in13 dividuals to improperly dispose of municipal 

14 post-consumer materials; and 

15 (3) strengthening markets for products with 

16 high levels of recycled plastic content. 

17 (d) COMPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES.—It is the sense of 

18 Congress that the strategy developed under subsection (a) 

19 should include guidance on activities that are complemen20 tary to the activities described in subsection (c), such as— 

21 (1) reducing waste at the source of the waste, 

22 including anti-litter initiatives; 

23 (2) developing effective post-consumer materials 

24 management provisions for— 


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1 (A) national pollutant discharge elimi2 nation system permits issued to municipal sepa3 rate storm sewer systems under section 402 of 

4 the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 

5 U.S.C. 1342); and 

6 (B) stormwater management plans; 

7 (3) capturing post-consumer materials at 

8 stormwater inlets, at stormwater outfalls, or in bod9 ies of water; 

10 (4) providing education and outreach relating to 

11 post-consumer materials movement and reduction; 

12 and 

13 (5) monitoring or modeling post-consumer ma14 terial flows and the reduction of post-consumer ma15 terials resulting from the implementation of best 

16 management practices. 

17 SEC. 3. POST-CONSUMER MATERIALS MANAGEMENT STATE 

18 REVOLVING FUNDS. 

19 (a) BLOCK GRANTS TO STATES TO ESTABLISH LOAN

20 FUNDS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator 

22 shall offer to enter into agreements with eligible 

23 States to make capitalization block grants, including 

24 letters of credit, to the States under this sub25 section— 


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1 (A) to support improvements to local post2 consumer materials management, including mu3 nicipal recycling programs; 

4 (B) to assist local waste management au5 thorities in making improvements to local waste 

6 management systems— 

7 (i) to meet waste management stand8 ards, particularly with respect to systems 

9 falling significantly below national stand10 ards, as determined by the EPA Adminis11 trator; and 

12 (ii) to implement the strategy devel13 oped under section 2(a); 

14 (C) to deploy waste interceptor tech15 nologies, such as ‘‘trash wheels’’ and litter 

16 traps, to manage the collection and cleanup of 

17 aggregated waste from waterways; and 

18 (D) for such other purposes as the EPA 

19 Administrator determines to be appropriate. 

20 (2) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a 

21 capitalization block grant under this subsection, a 

22 State shall— 

23 (A) enter into a capitalization agreement 

24 with the EPA Administrator under paragraph 

25 (1); and 


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1 (B) establish a post-consumer materials 

2 management revolving State loan fund. 

3 (3) DEPOSIT.—Funds from a capitalization 

4 block grant to a State under this subsection shall be 

5 deposited in the State loan fund established by the 

6 State. 

7 (4) PERIOD.—Funds from a capitalization block 

8 grant to a State under this subsection shall be avail9 able to the State for obligation— 

10 (A) during the fiscal year for which the 

11 funds are authorized; and 

12 (B) during the following fiscal year. 

13 (5) ALLOTMENT.—Funds made available to 

14 carry out this section shall be allotted to States at 

15 the discretion of the EPA Administrator. 

16 (6) REALLOTMENT.—Any funds not obligated 

17 by a State by the last day of the period for which 

18 the block grants are available shall be reallotted in 

19 accordance with paragraph (5). 

20 (b) USE OF FUNDS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Amounts deposited in a 

22 State loan fund, including loan repayments and in23 terest earned on the amounts, shall be used only— 

24 (A) for providing loans or loan guarantees; 


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1 (B) for outcomes-based or performance 

2 payments; or 

3 (C) as a source of reserve and security for 

4 leveraged loans. 

5 (2) LIMITATIONS.—Loans or loan guarantees 

6 made by a State under paragraph (1)(A)— 

7 (A) may be used only for expenditures of 

8 a type or category that the EPA Administrator 

9 has determined, through guidance, will— 

10 (i) facilitate compliance with an in11 tended use plan; or 

12 (ii) otherwise significantly further the 

13 purposes described in subparagraphs (A) 

14 through (C) of subsection (a)(1); and 

15 (B) may not be used for the acquisition of 

16 real property or an interest in real property, 

17 unless the acquisition is— 

18 (i) integral to an intended use plan; 

19 and 

20 (ii) from a willing seller. 

21 (c) INTENDED USE PLANS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—After providing for public 

23 review and comment, each State that has entered 

24 into a capitalization agreement under subsection 

25 (a)(1) annually shall prepare a plan that identifies 


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1 the intended uses of the amounts available from the 

2 State loan fund of the State. 

3 (2) CONTENTS.—An intended use plan shall in4 clude— 

5 (A) a list of the projects to be carried out 

6 by entities receiving the loans in the first fiscal 

7 year that begins after the date of the intended 

8 use plan, including a description of the project; 

9 (B) a description of how the funds will 

10 support disadvantaged communities; 

11 (C) an explanation of any local restrictions, 

12 such as flow control measures, that restrict ac13 cess to recyclable materials; 

14 (D) the criteria and methods established 

15 for the use of the funds; and 

16 (E) a description of the financial status of 

17 the State loan fund and the short- and long18 term goals of the State loan fund. 

19 (3) LIST OF PROJECTS.—Each State, after no20 tice and opportunity for public comment, shall pub21 lish, and periodically update, a list of projects in the 

22 State that are eligible for assistance under this sec23 tion, including— 

24 (A) the priority assigned to each project; 

25 and 


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1 (B) to the maximum extent practicable, 

2 the expected funding schedule for each project. 

3 (d) FUND MANAGEMENT.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each State loan fund shall 

5 be established, maintained, and credited with repay6 ments and interest, and the fund corpus shall be 

7 available in perpetuity in accordance with this sec8 tion. 

9 (2) INVESTMENT AUTHORIZED.—To the extent 

10 amounts in the State loan fund of a State are not 

11 required for current obligation or expenditure, the 

12 amounts shall be invested in interest bearing obliga13 tions. 

14 (e) STATE CONTRIBUTIONS.—Each capitalization 

15 agreement entered into under subsection (a)(1) shall re16 quire that the State deposit in the State loan fund from 

17 State funds an amount equal to not less than 20 percent 

18 of the total amount of the block grant to be made to the 

19 State on or before the date on which the block grant pay20 ment is made to the State. 

21 (f) ADMINISTRATION OF STATE LOAN FUND.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each State annually may 

23 use not greater than 4 percent of the funds allotted 

24 to the State under this section to cover the reason25 able costs of administration of the programs under 


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1 this section, including the recovery of reasonable 

2 costs expended to establish a State loan fund that 

3 are incurred after the date of enactment of this Act. 

4 (2) GUIDANCE AND REGULATIONS.—The EPA 

5 Administrator shall issue guidance and promulgate 

6 regulations as are necessary to carry out this sec7 tion, including guidance and regulations— 

8 (A) to ensure that each State commits and 

9 expends funds allotted to the State under this 

10 section as efficiently as practicable in accord11 ance with this section and applicable State law; 

12 (B) to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse; 

13 and 

14 (C) to ensure that the States receiving 

15 block grants under this section use accounting, 

16 audit, and fiscal procedures that conform to 

17 generally accepted accounting standards. 

18 (3) STATE REPORT.—Not less frequently than 

19 every 2 years, each State administering a State loan 

20 fund under this section shall submit to the EPA Ad21 ministrator a report describing the activities carried 

22 out under this section, including the findings of the 

23 most recent audit of the State loan fund and the en24 tire State allotment. 


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1 (4) AUDITS.—The EPA Administrator shall pe2 riodically audit all State loan funds established by, 

3 and all other amounts allotted to, the States in ac4 cordance with procedures established by the Comp5 troller General of the United States. 

6 (g) 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 State loan fund established 

11 by this section shall be paid wages at rates not less 

12 than those prevailing on projects of a character simi13 lar in the locality as determined by the Secretary of 

14 Labor in accordance with subchapter IV of chapter 

15 31 of part A of subtitle II of title 40, United States 

16 Code. 

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

18 standards specified in paragraph (1), the Secretary 

19 of Labor shall have the authority and functions set 

20 forth in Reorganization Plan Numbered 14 of 1950 

21 (64 Stat. 1267; 5 U.S.C. App.) and section 3145 of 

22 title 40, United States Code. 

23 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

24 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

25 $300,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2025. 


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1 SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAMS. 

2 (a) POST-CONSUMER MATERIALS MANAGEMENT IN3 FRASTRUCTURE GRANT PROGRAM.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator 

5 may provide grants to units of local government, In6 dian Tribes, and local post-consumer materials man7 agement entities— 

8 (A) to assist those entities in making im9 provements to post-consumer materials manage10 ment— 

11 (i) to meet waste management stand12 ards; and 

13 (ii) to implement the strategy devel14 oped under section 2(a); and 

15 (B) to support improvements to local post16 consumer materials management, including tra17 ditional and innovative recycling and reuse 

18 technologies and processes for transforming re19 cyclable plastics into commodity-grade materials 

20 for use. 

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

22 grant under paragraph (1), an applicant shall sub23 mit to the EPA Administrator an application at 

24 such time, in such manner, and containing such in25 formation as the EPA Administrator may require. 

26 (b) DRINKING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator 

2 may provide competitive grants to units of local gov3 ernment (including units of local government that 

4 own treatment works (as defined in section 212 of 

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

6 1292))), Indian Tribes, and public water systems (as 

7 defined in section 1401 of the Safe Drinking Water 

8 Act (42 U.S.C. 300f)), as applicable, to support im9 provements in removing plastic waste from drinking 

10 water, including planning, design, construction, tech11 nical assistance, and planning support for oper12 ational adjustments. 

13 (2) PREFERENCE.—In making grants under 

14 paragraph (1), the EPA Administrator shall give 

15 preference to applicants that— 

16 (A) seek to improve the removal of micro17 plastics, including microfibers, from drinking 

18 water; and 

19 (B) have demonstrated prior commitment 

20 and success in reducing other pollution sources 

21 in drinking water, such as lead and other con22 taminants. 

23 (3) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a 

24 grant under paragraph (1), an applicant shall sub25 mit to the EPA Administrator an application at 


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1 such time, in such manner, and containing such in2 formation as the EPA Administrator may require. 

3 (c) WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator 

5 may provide grants to units of local government (in6 cluding units of local government that own treat7 ment works (as defined in section 212 of the Federal 

8 Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1292))) and 

9 public water systems (as defined in section 1401 of 

10 the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f)), as 

11 applicable, to support improvements in removing 

12 plastic waste from wastewater. 

13 (2) PREFERENCE.—In making grants under 

14 paragraph (1), the EPA Administrator shall give 

15 preference to applicants that— 

16 (A) seek to improve the removal of micro17 plastics, including microfibers, from wastewater; 

18 and 

19 (B) have demonstrated prior commitment 

20 and success in reducing other pollution sources 

21 in wastewater, such as nutrient pollution and 

22 other contaminants. 

23 (3) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a 

24 grant under paragraph (1), an applicant shall sub25 mit to the EPA Administrator an application at 


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1 such time, in such manner, and containing such in2 formation as the EPA Administrator may require. 

3 (d) TRASH-FREE WATERS GRANTS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator 

5 may provide grants to political subdivisions of States 

6 and units of local government, Indian Tribes, and 

7 nonprofit organizations— 

8 (A) to support projects to reduce the quan9 tity of solid waste in bodies of water by reduc10 ing the quantity of waste at the source, includ11 ing through anti-litter initiatives; 

12 (B) to enforce local post-consumer mate13 rials management ordinances; 

14 (C) to implement the solid waste provisions 

15 of a national pollutant discharge elimination 

16 system permit issued to a municipal separate 

17 storm sewer system under section 402 of the 

18 Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 

19 1342); 

20 (D) to capture post-consumer materials at 

21 stormwater inlets, at stormwater outfalls, or in 

22 bodies of water; 

23 (E) to provide education and outreach 

24 about post-consumer materials movement and 

25 reduction; and 


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1 (F) to monitor or model flows of post-con2 sumer materials, including monitoring or mod3 eling a reduction in trash as a result of the im4 plementation of best management practices for 

5 the reduction of plastic waste and other post6 consumer materials in sources of drinking 

7 water. 

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

9 grant under paragraph (1), an applicant shall sub10 mit to the EPA Administrator an application at 

11 such time, in such manner, and containing such in12 formation as the EPA Administrator may require. 

13 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

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

15 there are authorized to be appropriated, for each of 

16 the programs described in this section, $50,000,000 

17 per year for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2025. 

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

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

20 available under paragraph (1) to carry out sub21 sections (b) and (c) in a fiscal year if the total 

22 amount made available to carry out the pro23 grams described in subparagraph (B) for that 

24 fiscal year is less than the total amount made 


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1 available to carry out the programs described in 

2 subparagraph (B) for fiscal year 2019. 

3 (B) PROGRAMS DESCRIBED.—The pro4 grams referred to in subparagraph (A) are— 

5 (i) State drinking water treatment re6 volving loan funds established under sec7 tion 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act 

8 (42 U.S.C. 300j–12); 

9 (ii) programs for assistance for small 

10 and disadvantaged communities under sub11 sections (a) through (j) of section 1459A 

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

13 300j–19a); and 

14 (iii) State water pollution control re15 volving funds established under title VI of 

16 the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 

17 (33 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.). 

18 SEC. 5. STUDY ON REPURPOSING PLASTIC WASTE IN IN19 FRASTRUCTURE. 

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

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

22 EPA Administrator shall seek to jointly enter into an ar23 rangement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engi24 neering, and Medicine under which the National Acad25 emies will— 


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1 (1) conduct a study of the feasibility and advis2 ability of innovative uses of plastic waste in road3 ways, bridges, and other infrastructure; and 

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

5 (A) identify international examples of— 

6 (i) the use of materials described in 

7 that paragraph; and 

8 (ii) projects in which the use of plastic 

9 waste has been applied; 

10 (B) assess the economic benefits, if any, 

11 including employment opportunities, to munici12 palities and States in investing in innovative 

13 reuse of plastic waste in infrastructure; and 

14 (C) if the National Academies consider 

15 uses described in that paragraph to be advis16 able, make recommendations with respect to 

17 what Federal testing standards and other bar18 riers may need to be addressed to enable those 

19 uses, including with respect to ensuring human 

20 health and safety. 

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

22 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

23 submit to Congress a report on the study conducted under 

24 subsection (a). 

25 (c) GRANT PROGRAM.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—If the National Academies 

2 consider the innovative uses of plastic waste de3 scribed in subsection (a)(1) to be advisable, and the 

4 Secretary agrees, the Secretary shall establish a 

5 grant program to encourage those uses. 

6 (2) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.—If the Sec7 retary establishes a grant program under paragraph 

8 (1), the Secretary shall carry out the grant program 

9 by selecting, through a competitive process, not more 

10 than 5 projects to demonstrate the uses described in 

11 subsection (a)(1), each of which shall be located in 

12 a different region of the United States. 

13 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

14 the date on which the last demonstration project, if 

15 any, is completed under paragraph (2), the Sec16 retary shall submit to Congress a report summa17 rizing the results of the demonstration projects, in18 cluding— 

19 (A) the total quantity of plastic waste redi20 rected from the waste stream into infrastruc21 ture; 

22 (B) the durability of the infrastructure 

23 constructed with plastic waste; and 


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1 (C) any cost savings achieved through the 

2 use of plastic waste in the demonstration 

3 projects. 

4 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

5 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec6 essary to carry out this section. 

7 SEC. 6. STUDY ON OPTIONS TO ADVANCE TECHNOLOGIES 

8 FOR CONVERTING PLASTIC WASTE TO 

9 CHEMICALS, FEEDSTOCKS, AND OTHER 

10 PRODUCTS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator shall 

12 seek to enter into an arrangement with the National Acad13 emies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine under which 

14 the National Academies will conduct a study on options 

15 to advance technologies (including pyrolysis, 

16 hydropyrolysis, methanolysis, gasification, and enzymatic 

17 breakdown) for converting plastic waste to useful prod18 ucts, such as chemicals, feedstocks, fuels, and energy. 

19 (b) INCLUSIONS.—As part of the study under sub20 section (a), the National Academies shall conduct an eval21 uation of— 

22 (1) the air emissions associated with tech23 nologies described in that subsection; and 

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1 tions for obtaining source materials or producing en2 ergy. 

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

4 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the EPA Ad5 ministrator shall submit to Congress a report on the study 

6 conducted under subsection (a). 

7 SEC. 7. STUDY ON EFFECTS OF MICROPLASTICS IN FOOD 

8 SUPPLIES AND SOURCES OF DRINKING 

9 WATER. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The EPA Administrator, in con11 sultation with the Under Secretary, shall seek to enter into 

12 an arrangement with the National Academies of Sciences, 

13 Engineering, and Medicine under which the National 

14 Academies will conduct a human health and environmental 

15 risk assessment on microplastics, including microfibers, in 

16 food supplies and sources of drinking water. 

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

18 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the EPA Ad19 ministrator shall submit to Congress a report on the study 

20 conducted under subsection (a) that includes— 

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

22 that can be adopted in federally supported moni23 toring and future assessments supported or con24 ducted by a Federal agency; 


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1 (2) recommendations for standardized moni2 toring, testing, and other necessary protocols relat3 ing to microplastics; 

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

5 are currently present in the food supplies and 

6 sources of drinking water of United States con7 sumers; and 

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

9 is positive— 

10 (i) the extent to which microplastics are 

11 present in the food supplies and sources of 

12 drinking water; and 

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

14 prevalence, and risk of microplastics in the food 

15 supplies and sources of drinking water; 

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

17 the presence of microplastics in the food supplies 

18 and sources of drinking water of United States con19 sumers that includes— 

20 (A) an identification of the most signifi21 cant sources of those microplastics; and 

22 (B) a review of the best available science 

23 to determine any potential hazards of micro24 plastics in the food supplies and sources of 

25 drinking water of United States consumers; and 


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1 (5) a measurement of— 

2 (A) the quantity of environmental chemi3 cals that absorb to microplastics; and 

4 (B) the quantity described in subpara5 graph (A) that would be available for human 

6 exposure through food supplies or sources of 

7 drinking water. 

8 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

9 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec10 essary to carry out this section. 

11 SEC. 8. REPORT ON ELIMINATING BARRIERS TO INCREASE 

12 THE COLLECTION OF RECYCLABLE MATE13 RIALS. 

14 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

15 of this Act, the EPA Administrator shall submit to Con16 gress a report describing— 

17 (1) the economic, technological, resource avail18 ability, or other barriers to increasing the collection 

19 of recyclable materials; and 

20 (2) recommendations to overcome the barriers 

21 described under paragraph (1). 


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27 

•S 2260 IS

1 SEC. 9. REPORT ON ECONOMIC INCENTIVES TO SPUR DE2 VELOPMENT OF NEW END-USE MARKETS FOR 

3 RECYCLED PLASTICS. 

4 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

5 of this Act, the EPA Administrator shall submit to Con6 gress a report describing the most efficient and effective 

7 economic incentives to spur the development of additional 

8 new end-use markets for recyclable plastics (including 

9 plastic film), including the use of increased recycled con10 tent by manufacturers in the production of plastic goods 

11 and packaging. 

Æ 


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