Marine Debris: Interagency Committee Members Are Taking Action, but Additional Steps Could Enhance the Federal Response
Released: 2019-09-25T00:00:00

Letter

Background

Marine debris originates from multiple sources and types of materials, entering the marine environment in a variety of ways, as shown in figure 1.

Most plastics do not biodegrade, that is, decay naturally and become absorbed by the environment. Instead, plastics slowly break down into smaller and smaller fragments, eventually becoming what are known as microplastics. Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic that are generally less than 5 millimeters in size (about the size of a sesame seed). The formation of microplastics occurs when plastic debris is exposed to sunlight and the plastic begins to weather and fragment. Microplastics have been found in the stomachs of numerous aquatic organisms including insects, worms, fish, and clams, according to a 2018 study. A study from 2011 showed that once animals ingest microplastics, they can be stored in tissues and cells, providing a possible pathway for the accumulation of contaminants and potentially harming the animals. pots, and other recreational or commercial fishing equipment that has been lost, neglected, or discarded in the marine environment. According to the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, at least 640,000 tons of derelict fishing gear enters the ocean each year, a weight equivalent to two Empire State Buildings. Derelict fishing gear may entrap sea life, adversely affect marine habitats, present hazards to navigation, and cause other harmful effects (see fig. 2). For example, according to a 2015 NOAA report, derelict fishing gear threatens a variety of fish, turtles, seabirds, whales, and seals, and may be especially problematic for endangered and protected marine species.

Abandoned and derelict vessels. Abandoned and derelict vessels are vessels without identified ownership, in significant disrepair, or both. There are thousands of such vessels in ports, waterways, and estuaries around the United States that have been left to deteriorate by the owner or operator or are the result of a catastrophic weather event, according to NOAA documents. Abandoned and derelict vessels can impede marine transportation by blocking navigable waterways, and, if not visible or well-marked, could pose collision risks to vessel operators. These vessels may also become sources of pollution since they may contain fuel oil or other hazardous materials that can leak into the water as the vessels deteriorate, impacting the local community, marine life, and nearby habitat.

Marine debris has garnered increasing interest from the international community. In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted an agenda with a set of global sustainable development goals through 2030. One of the goals (goal 14) calls for conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas, and marine resources, and includes a target for prevention and significant reduction of marine pollution of all kinds, including marine debris, by 2025. In June 2018, five members of the Group of Seven and the European Union endorsed the Group’s Ocean Plastics Charter, which committed them to accelerating implementation of the Group of Seven Leaders’ Action Plan to Combat Marine Litter, previously agreed to in 2015. The United States and Japan were the two members of the Group of Seven that did not endorse the charter. Also, in May 2019, the parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Waste and Their Disposal adopted a decision that would, beginning January 1, 2021, require parties to take appropriate measures to ensure that certain plastic waste is reduced to a minimum, taking into account social, technological and economic aspects, among other things.

Marine Debris Act

The Marine Debris Act governs the activities of the interagency committee. For example, it required the interagency committee to issue a report to Congress that included recommendations to reduce marine debris domestically and internationally. In 2008, the committee submitted an interagency recommendation report that contained 25 recommendations intended to guide the federal government’s strategies for addressing marine debris (see appendix II for a list of the 25 recommendations). The recommendations were categorized by an overarching topic, such as education and outreach or cleanup. Within each category, the committee then identified specific recommendations. For example, within the education and outreach category, the committee specified three recommendations:

Demonstrate leadership by distributing educational materials to personnel on the sources and impacts of marine debris as well as methods for prevention with the goal of reducing the federal contribution to marine debris.

Support public awareness campaigns by providing technical expertise and educational materials and by encouraging private sector participation, when appropriate.

Engage and partner with state, local, tribal and nongovernmental entities to support coordinated events, such as Earth Day, the International Coastal Cleanup, and other activities that have relevance to marine debris.

The act also requires the interagency committee to submit biennial reports to Congress that evaluate progress in meeting the purposes of the Marine Debris Act. Specifically, these biennial reports are to include: the status of implementation of any recommendations and strategies of the committee and analysis of their effectiveness, and estimated federal and nonfederal funding provided for marine debris and recommendations for priority funding needs.

Starting in 2010, the interagency committee has issued five biennial reports to Congress, issuing its most recent report in March 2019.

The Marine Debris Act designates six federal agencies as interagency committee members. The six agencies are NOAA, EPA, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, Department of State, and Department of the Interior.

The act also specifies that the committee shall include senior officials from other federal agencies that have an interest in ocean issues or water pollution prevention and control as the Secretary of Commerce determines appropriate. The act designates the senior official from NOAA to serve as the chair.

Interagency Committee Coordinates through Meetings, but NOAA Does Not Have a Process for Determining Committee Membership and Agency Representation

The interagency committee coordinates primarily through quarterly meetings where agencies share information about their individual activities related to addressing marine debris. Such activities range from education and outreach to research and technology development and are generally driven by the missions and authorities of the agencies. However, we found that NOAA has not established a process to determine the committee’s membership. In addition, the Marine Debris Act requires the interagency committee to include a “senior official” from member agencies, but NOAA has not determined the level of official it would consider senior.

Interagency Committee Holds Quarterly Meetings to Share Information about Individual Agency Activities Such as Education and Outreach

The interagency committee coordinates primarily through quarterly meetings where federal agencies share information about their individual marine debris-related activities. According to its charter, which was last revised in 2014, the committee is responsible for sharing information, assessing and implementing best management practices, and coordinating interagency responses to marine debris. The charter states that the interagency committee will ensure the coordination of federal agency marine debris activities nationally and internationally as well as recommend research priorities, monitoring techniques, educational programs, and regulatory action. The charter also states that the interagency committee will work to consider the interests of nongovernmental organizations, industry, state governments, Indian tribes, and other nations, as appropriate.

NOAA officials said the main focus of the interagency committee has been to serve as an information-sharing body. The officials said they also seek opportunities to collaborate on individual projects, but the committee does not otherwise collaborate on activities, beyond compiling statutorily required biennial reports. NOAA officials explained that individual agencies each have a unique set of authorities and missions that largely determine their role and involvement in marine debris-related issues. For example, under its Marine Debris Program, NOAA conducts a variety of education, outreach, research, and other activities to identify sources of and address marine debris. In recent years, congressional committee reports accompanying NOAA’s annual appropriations have directed the agency to spend a certain amount of its appropriations on its marine debris program. Specifically, these reports directed NOAA to spend $7 million in fiscal year 2018 and $7.5 million in fiscal year 2019 for its Marine Debris Program. The program is also authorized to award grants to, and enter into cooperative agreements and contracts with, eligible entities to identify the sources of, prevent, reduce, and remove marine debris.

In contrast, officials from other agencies on the interagency committee said their agencies have not received such direction or specific appropriations to address marine debris. Rather, the activities these agencies have conducted generally tie to their authority or agency mission. For example, EPA officials said they have relied on voluntary partnerships with states, industry, and other sources and leveraged existing funds from related programs, such as the agency’s stormwater and water quality programs, to support its Trash Free Waters Program. This is a program that encourages collaborative actions by public and private stakeholders to prevent trash from entering water. EPA officials said they also support a number of other activities related to education, outreach, and research, and these activities are a high priority for the agency, but EPA does not have a line item in its budget dedicated to marine debris activities.

The interagency committee’s biennial reports describe general types of activities individual agencies reported conducting—often in coordination with nonfederal partners such as nongovernmental organizations, industry, states, Indian tribes, and other nations—to address marine debris, which include activities in the following categories: (1) education and outreach; (2) legislation, regulation, and policy; (3) cleanup; (4) research and technology development; and (5) coordination (see table 1 for descriptions of types of activities in each category; see app. III for specific examples of activities carried out by agencies).

To help agencies share information, NOAA chairs quarterly meetings where agencies are invited to discuss their individual activities. In reviewing meeting minutes, we found that the meetings were generally well-attended by representatives from multiple agencies. During the meetings, officials discussed marine debris issues and some provided updates on their agencies’ activities. For example, at the April 2019 meeting, officials discussed ways in which different agencies may be meeting the sense of Congress on international engagement in the Save our Seas Act of 2018.

At the May 2018 meeting, officials from NOAA and U.S. Coast Guard gave presentations on their agencies’ emergency response authorities and efforts. NOAA officials described their actions in response to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017, which included coordinating debris removal activities across federal and state agencies, such as EPA and Florida State’s Department of Environmental Protection. U.S. Coast Guard officials also presented information on their marine debris removal activities in response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria. These activities included coordinating with multiple federal, state, and local agencies and contractors to remove or mitigate potential environmental impacts from 2,366 damaged or derelict vessels in Florida and the Florida Keys after Hurricane Irma and 377 vessels in Puerto Rico and the Island of Vieques after Hurricane Maria, according to U.S. Coast Guard officials.

The interagency committee has also used its quarterly meetings to identify opportunities for collaboration among federal agencies and with nonfederal partners, according to NOAA officials. For example, during committee meetings in early 2018, NOAA, the National Park Service, and the Department of State identified an opportunity to collaborate with the German government to bring the Ocean Plastics Lab to the United States. This Lab is an international traveling exhibition that explains the role of science in helping to understand and address plastic pollution in the ocean. NOAA officials said that to collaborate on this effort, officials from three federal agencies served on a steering committee, leveraged volunteers, promoted the Ocean Plastics Lab through outreach efforts to the public and helped staff the exhibits while they were on display in Washington, D.C., during the summer of 2018.

NOAA Has Not Established a Process for Determining Interagency Committee Membership and Agency Representation

We found that NOAA has not established a process to determine interagency committee membership. The Marine Debris Act designates six federal agencies as members of the committee, and also specifies that committee members shall include senior officials from other federal agencies that have interests in ocean issues or water pollution prevention as the Secretary of Commerce determines appropriate. The committee’s 2014 charter lists five agencies as members in addition to the six identified in the act, for a total of 11 member agencies. The charter also states that the committee consists of representatives from “any other federal agency that has an interest in ocean issues and water pollution prevention and control,” but does not specify the process for documenting membership or how the Secretary of Commerce, or a delegate of the Secretary, will determine that such membership is appropriate, as required by the act.

Various information sources, such as the committee’s biennial reports and minutes from quarterly meetings, have provided differing lists of committee member agencies. For example, the committee’s March 2019 biennial report and NOAA’s website as of July 2019 listed the 11 agencies identified in its charter as members. But, various meeting minutes from meetings held in fiscal year 2019 listed up to 13 members. One agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has regularly attended the committee’s quarterly meetings since early 2018 when USAID officials said they were invited to participate on the committee. USAID officials said that their understanding is that USAID is a member of the interagency committee and that this is especially important to recognize given their significant international development assistance related to marine debris over the last few years. However, USAID is not listed as a member on NOAA’s website and the agency’s marine debris-related activities are not included in the committee’s 2019 biennial report. As a result, some agencies may not be included in the required biennial reports on the committee members’ marine debris activities.

In April 2019, NOAA officials told us that USAID was a contributing member to the interagency committee. The officials said that “official” member agencies are those six agencies designated by the Marine Debris Act and that they consider other participating agencies as “contributing” members. They said it has been the practice of the interagency committee to enable participation and coordination with other agencies, including those who may not be designated as official members.

We found that NOAA does not have a documented process for determining membership on the interagency committee. NOAA officials were unable to locate records from 2006 or earlier documenting the addition of contributing agencies to the committee or the Secretary, or a delegate of the Secretary, making a determination of the appropriateness of such agencies being members. NOAA officials stated the need for the agency to establish a documented process to determine the appropriateness of federal agencies being committee members. The officials said they have started working with NOAA’s General Counsel to formalize and document the committee’s membership process, and that the process will include a step for the Secretary of Commerce, or a delegate of the Secretary to determine the appropriateness of additional agencies being members. However, NOAA officials did not have an estimated time frame for developing such a process.

Our past work on interagency collaboration has identified the importance of ensuring that relevant participants have been included in the collaborative effort. By establishing a time frame for developing a documented membership process, NOAA and the interagency committee can benefit from capturing all members’ activities, and ensuring it provides Congress a complete picture of marine debris efforts across the federal government.

In addition, the Marine Debris Act requires the interagency committee to include a “senior official” from member agencies, but NOAA has not determined the level of official it would consider senior. The interagency committee’s charter states that the committee will be composed of “federal agency managers and technical experts,” but does not define what is meant by senior official. NOAA officials said that the level of engagement from agency officials has varied over time and often depends on the specific officials participating. The officials said they have had difficulty in the past getting some member agency officials to engage during quarterly meetings and often those that do participate are not decision makers. Specifically, for some agencies, participating officials may not represent the entire agency, but rather a program within the agency, and they may not have decision-making authority, according to NOAA officials. As a result, the officials may not be able to commit agency resources, or they may be uncertain what activities their agency may be able to commit to.

NOAA officials said that it may be helpful to specify the level of official needed to represent the agencies on the interagency committee. The officials said that they have been discussing potential revisions to the interagency committee’s charter, and within that broader discussion they are looking into whether the charter should specify what level of official is needed. However, NOAA officials did not have an estimated time frame for revising its charter or determining what those revisions may entail. Our past work on interagency collaboration has identified the importance of ensuring that participants have full knowledge of the relevant resources in the agency, including the ability to commit resources for their agency. By clarifying what is meant by “senior official” such as through revisions to its charter, NOAA would have greater assurance that it has the full engagement of member agency officials who can speak for their agency and commit to activities.

Interagency Committee’s Reports Do Not Contain Some Required Elements

While the interagency committee’s biennial reports provide information on marine debris-related activities of individual agencies, our review found that they do not contain certain required elements. As previously noted, the Marine Debris Act requires the biennial reports to include (1) the status of implementation of any recommendations and strategies of the committee and analysis of their effectiveness, and (2) estimated federal and nonfederal funding provided for marine debris and recommendations for priority funding needs. However, we found that the biennial reports did not include an analysis of the effectiveness of the recommendations implemented or recommendations for priority funding needs.

Implementation of Recommendations and Analysis of Effectiveness

The five biennial reports the interagency committee issued from 2010 to 2019 lay out the committee’s 2008 recommendations along with a description of activities taken by individual member agencies related to those recommendations. Specifically, each biennial report references the 25 recommendations the committee first adopted in its 2008 interagency recommendation report, organized into categories (see app. II). The reports then provide a description of activities taken by individual member agencies that fell within the recommendation categories for each preceding 2-year period.

However, we found that the five biennial reports do not include an analysis of the effectiveness of the implementation of the committee’s recommendations and strategies as required by the Marine Debris Act. Some of the descriptions of agencies’ activities include information on the number of people reached through education or outreach efforts or other quantitative information related to specific activities, but the reports do not include an analysis of the effectiveness of those activities.

NOAA and EPA officials confirmed that the interagency committee did not include an analysis of effectiveness in its biennial reports, stating that undertaking such an effort is beyond the scope of the information-sharing focus of the interagency committee. NOAA officials said that they have attempted to bring member agencies together to discuss how the committee could analyze the effectiveness of its collective efforts, but this has been a challenge because each member has its own priorities and legal authority related to addressing marine debris. Activities to implement the committee’s 25 recommendations occur at each individual agency, rather than at the committee level, according to the officials. As such, NOAA officials said each member agency may evaluate the effectiveness of its individual activities and pointed to measures NOAA has in place to evaluate its Marine Debris Program. For example, NOAA estimates the amount of debris removed annually and the number of students it reaches through education and outreach efforts.

EPA officials said that determining a baseline and quantifying the results of specific marine debris efforts to determine effectiveness is challenging, as is the case for other broad, nonpoint sources of pollution. For example, trash enters water bodies through innumerable water and sewer system outfalls, so EPA may focus on strategies to change people’s behavior to minimize trash from entering the systems (see fig. 3). But unlike measuring emissions from a smokestack, it is difficult to determine a baseline and then measure and demonstrate progress in terms of trash reduction exiting through the system outfalls. EPA officials said they recognize the need to measure the effectiveness of their efforts related to marine debris—especially as addressing marine debris has become a high priority for the agency—but measuring progress has yet to be determined across all of its various offices and programs that carry out marine debris-related activities. Within the Trash Free Waters program specifically, EPA officials said they take steps to evaluate the effectiveness of the program through a variety of means, such as seeking feedback from stakeholders.

Our past work has shown that collaborative entities—including those addressing complex, cross-cutting issues—can better demonstrate progress and identify areas for improvement if they develop a means to monitor, evaluate, and report the results of their collective efforts. Developing such a means would help the interagency committee ensure that its member agencies are using their authorities and aligning their priorities in the most effective manner possible. Moreover, developing and implementing a process to analyze the effectiveness of the interagency committee’s recommendations and strategies, and reporting the results in its biennial reports as required by the Marine Debris Act would better position the committee to determine the extent to which its efforts are making a difference in addressing the complex facets of marine debris.

Estimated Funding and Recommendations for Priority Funding Needs

The five biennial reports include some estimates of funding for marine debris-related activities, but do not identify recommendations for priority funding needs as required by the Marine Debris Act. Specifically, we found that the reports included estimates for some member agencies’ spending related to their marine debris-related activities and estimated nonfederal spending for certain activities. The reports also state that several member agencies conduct activities within multiple programs, offices, and projects indirectly related to marine debris efforts. These agencies do not receive annual appropriations specifically for marine debris activities but instead receive appropriations to fulfill their missions or implement programs, making it difficult to estimate exact spending related to marine debris, according to the reports.

The 2019 biennial report states that the interagency committee’s recommendations for priority funding needs are reflected in the President’s budget request and operating plan for each member agency in any given fiscal year. NOAA officials said that it would be difficult to identify and communicate priority funding needs outside of these documents, particularly given the complications associated with estimating each agency’s individual spending. For example, an EPA official said that EPA’s efforts to address marine debris are decentralized and the agency does not receive an appropriation specifically for marine debris-related activities, making it difficult to determine how much the agency spends—or may need to spend—on marine debris. Moreover, NOAA and EPA officials said that because the interagency committee serves primarily as an information-sharing body and each member agency operates independently in identifying resource needs, the interagency committee has not needed to develop a process to identify recommendations for priority funding needs.

However, the Marine Debris Act requires the interagency committee to include recommendations for priority funding needs in its biennial reports, and without a process to identify such recommendations, the interagency committee cannot meet that requirement. Our past work on leading collaborative practices has shown the importance of identifying and leveraging resources, such as funding, in collaborative efforts. By developing a process to identify recommendations for priority funding needs in its biennial reports, the interagency committee could provide Congress with required information about priority funding needs across the federal government to address marine debris.

Experts Suggested a Range of Actions the Federal Government Could Take to Most Effectively Address Marine Debris

The 14 experts we interviewed with expertise in marine debris-related issues suggested a range of actions that the federal government could take to most effectively address various types of marine debris. Their suggestions included increasing or improving actions already being taken by some federal agencies as well as taking new actions. The experts stressed that there is not one solution to the growing, multi-dimensional problem of marine debris. Rather, they said that a multitude of actions involving federal agencies and nonfederal partners—such as international, state and local governments, Indian tribes, industry, and environmental groups—will need to be taken to address the issue.

Experts as well as agency officials we interviewed indicated that there would be a number of factors to consider in evaluating the suggested actions. Some of these factors are overarching, applying to most or all of the actions; others relate to specific actions. For example, several experts and agency officials said that competing priorities and limited resources would be important factors to consider related to all of the suggested actions. Several agency officials also said that their agencies may not have the authority to take some of the actions suggested by the experts, and therefore new legislation would need to be enacted before they could take those actions. Additionally, some actions could result in impacts or costs to particular industries, underserved communities, or consumer groups, and understanding and identifying ways to mitigate such impacts would be important. Moreover, several agency officials said some actions, such as those related to waste management, may be better suited for local or state governments and that those entities would be better- equipped to deal with particular aspects of marine debris.

The following are examples of actions the experts suggested that the federal government could take. We organized the actions into the following five categories, which generally correspond to the categories laid out in the interagency committee’s reports: (1) education and outreach, (2) establishment of federal requirements or incentives, (3) cleanup, (4) research and technology development, and (5) coordination.

Education and Outreach

Seven of the 14 experts suggested actions to educate or conduct outreach to the public or specific consumer or industry groups or international governments about ways to prevent, reduce, mitigate, or clean up waste that can become marine debris. A few experts emphasized that education and outreach efforts should be focused on ways to prevent trash from entering the marine environment. Examples of education and outreach actions suggested include:

Domestic education and outreach. Five experts suggested different types of education or outreach campaigns the federal government could undertake to target certain domestic groups, such as consumers. One expert suggested that the federal government develop a national campaign to educate the public about marine debris. Such a campaign would develop a single message that various entities, including federal agencies and nonfederal stakeholders, could include in advertisements, social media, and other public awareness efforts. The expert pointed to similar state-led campaigns, such as “Nobody Trashes Tennessee,” a litter campaign developed by Tennessee’s Department of Transportation. This state campaign features celebrities, such as athletes and musicians, in advertisements and involves selling stickers, hats, and other items to help spread the message. However, the expert said that securing collaboration and agreement on a single message across federal agencies and nonfederal stakeholders could pose a challenge and that a national campaign would need a long-term commitment from all parties to be successful.

NOAA officials said that national campaigns can be expensive and demonstrating results from such efforts can be difficult, especially when they are broad in nature. As a result, these officials said that NOAA’s Marine Debris Program targets its education and outreach efforts to a specific audience for a particular type of behavior change or type of debris, such as educating and training high school students to lead “Zero Litter Campaigns” in their schools and communities.

International outreach. Two experts suggested actions the federal government could take to conduct outreach internationally to promote programs, policies, or technologies that can reduce marine debris. For example, one expert suggested the federal government conduct outreach to government officials in countries that have limited waste management infrastructure to demonstrate effective waste management technologies. The expert said that the federal government could partner with private sector companies to demonstrate waste-to-energy technologies, such as gasification and pyrolysis that can convert plastic waste to fuel. According to the expert, demonstrating such technologies would provide information on its benefits, including reducing sources of waste and creating a source of energy to either use or sell.

Several agency officials we interviewed agreed that international outreach efforts are critical to successfully addressing marine debris and that emphasis should be placed on assisting countries with improving their waste management practices. However, these officials said there are many factors to consider with regard to waste-to-energy technologies. For instance, State Department officials said such technologies may not be supported by civil organizations because of environmental concerns. Waste-to-energy technologies could also entail high upfront capital investments, and waste-to-energy facilities should adhere to strict environmental standards with monitoring and enforcement to help ensure the technology is not causing negative effects, according to agency officials. As a result, they said it may not be practical for some countries to adopt such technologies. In addition, USAID officials said that promoting waste-to-energy technology presupposes that waste is already being collected in sufficient quantity and quality to serve as a fuel for such technology, but that in some countries waste is openly dumped or burned and therefore sufficient waste may not be available. They cautioned that waste-to-energy technologies can be a part of a response to address marine debris abroad, but would not be sufficient alone.

Establishment of Federal Requirements or Incentives

Microfibers are a widespread type of microplastic; they have been found on the shorelines of six continents and in oceans, rivers, soils, table salt, and public drinking water, according to scientific studies. Microfibers enter the marine environment through various pathways. For example, microfibers are shed from synthetic clothing and other materials made of polyester and nylon. These microfibers pass through to waterways because washing machines and wastewater treatment plants typically do not have processes sufficiently refined to remove the fibers. Little is known about other potential sources of microfibers, such as carpet manufacturing; the rate of generation, such as how quickly materials break down and shed microfibers; and any health impacts to humans or wildlife. federal requirements for manufacturers to design certain products to minimize the chances of material becoming marine debris. For example, two experts suggested the federal government develop design standards for washing machine manufacturers to ensure filters are designed to prevent microfibers from entering wastewater systems and then the marine environment. Three experts suggested the federal government develop design standards to require or incentivize manufacturers to use specific amounts of post-consumer material in developing certain products. For example, one expert recommended requiring the manufacturers of plastic beverage bottles to produce bottles using at least a minimum amount of recycled plastic. According to the expert, this would increase the demand for recycled plastic as a raw material, which in turn would reduce the likelihood that such plastic would end up as waste. The expert said that requiring the use of recycled plastic would likely impose increased costs on manufacturers because virgin plastic—the raw material typically used in producing plastic beverage bottles—is currently less expensive than recycled plastic. Such increases would likely be short term, however, because the increased demand would decrease the price after more of the recycled material is used, according to another expert. Some federal agency officials said that establishing such proposed federal design standards could be difficult due to limited existing statutory authorities.

Requirements for fishing gear. Three experts suggested the federal government establish requirements to mitigate the impact of lost or derelict fishing gear in federal waters. For example, one expert suggested requiring the use of modified fishing gear, such as crab traps with biodegradable escape mechanisms that allow entrapped marine life to escape if the trap is lost or abandoned (see fig. 4). Requiring the use of fishing gear with biodegradable escape mechanisms would likely impose increased costs to the fishing industry, according to the expert, but those costs could be minimized if the federal government offered a subsidy to help purchase required gear. NOAA officials said that it would be challenging to require the use of certain types of fishing gear in part because of the cost to the federal government in ensuring implementation of the requirement. On the other hand, NOAA officials said they promote innovation and voluntary use of certain types of fishing gear through various efforts such as their Fishing for Energy program.

Restrictions on single-use plastics. Four experts suggested that the federal government establish restrictions on the manufacturing or sale of certain single-use plastics. For example, the federal government could establish restrictions on the manufacturing and distribution of plastic bags in the form of thickness or material composition requirements, or production volume limits. Two of these experts also said that the federal government could review existing local, state, and international efforts to restrict single-use plastics to identify best practices so that these types of actions could potentially be scaled appropriately at the federal level. According to the United Nations Environmental Programme, 127 countries and two states have placed various types of restrictions on the retail distribution of plastic bags as of 2018. One expert pointed to research that shows that plastic bags are one of the most abundant forms of marine debris and suggested that banning them would therefore significantly reduce the amount of debris entering the marine environment.

NOAA officials agreed that restricting the sale of single-use plastic bags could help address the marine debris problem, but said that identifying an agency with sufficient legal authority to be responsible for implementing and enforcing any restriction would be important and could be a challenge at the federal level. NOAA and EPA officials said that it would be important to carefully determine and assess trade-offs or other potential impacts before considering these types of restrictions.

Single-use plastics are any plastic items— such as plastic soda or water bottles—that are intended for use only once before they are thrown away or recycled as defined by the United Nations Environment Programme. Single-use plastics can have environmental impacts when they are left in the marine environment. For example, single-use plastics may be ingested by hundreds of species of marine wildlife, such as turtles and dolphins, who mistake them for food, potentially blocking their airways and stomachs, according to a 2018 report by the United Nations Environment Programme.

Incentives for waste management. Four experts suggested actions the federal government could take to provide incentives to local governments to help them improve their waste management and recycling programs. The experts said that waste and water management is typically the responsibility of local governments, but that given the scope and scale of the marine debris problem, the federal government could use its resources to provide incentives to help local governments make improvements. For example, the federal government could provide grants or subsidies to help local governments implement best management practices, such as using trash traps to help remove debris from waterways and prevent it from becoming marine debris. In addition, the experts said that the federal government could provide local governments with resources to help purchase bins with lids to help prevent inadvertent loss of waste or to pay for infrastructure such as trucks and recycling facilities to improve the collection and recycling of waste. According to one expert, transporting materials from consumers to the appropriate waste management or recycling facilities is a significant barrier to achieving better waste management.

EPA officials agreed with the importance of local waste management efforts. The officials emphasized that it is the agency’s mission, in part, to address management of waste to prevent trash, and management of water that carries the trash to the marine environment. The officials said that this is particularly critical for addressing marine debris since an estimated 80 percent of aquatic trash originates from land-based sources. The officials said the agency has provided some funding to local governments to implement mechanisms to capture trash before it enters waterways or to remove trash from water. They added that there is no one size fits all approach, however, to working with local governments. Rather, different localities may have differing needs—such as for funding, information, or technical assistance—and EPA tries to create a climate where localities can identify and best address those needs, according to the officials.

Cleanup

Five of the 14 experts suggested the federal government support marine debris cleanup and removal activities by providing resources to organizations that coordinate cleanup projects (see fig. 5). Several agency officials said that preventing waste from entering the marine environment should be the primary focus of addressing marine debris, but cleaning up existing marine debris continues to be a critical part of the multi-faceted response to the problem, especially after severe weather events such as hurricanes. According to one expert, debris deposited into the marine environment around the Florida Keys after Hurricane Irma in 2017 included construction debris from demolished buildings, household items such as refrigerators and televisions, cars, and boats, among other types of debris. The expert suggested the federal government provide funding and technical assistance to state and local governments to help locate such debris. According to the expert, after a severe weather event, the distribution of debris can vary greatly with ocean and wind currents, and the debris can extend for miles into the ocean. As a result, the expert suggested that the federal government assist with conducting aerial flyovers to locate major concentrations of debris. The flyovers would employ mapping technology, such as global positioning system equipment and cameras, to locate and map the debris for removal. NOAA officials agreed with the importance of cleanup activities, particularly after severe weather events. In 2018, NOAA provided $18 million to states for the detection, removal, and disposal of debris after the 2017 hurricanes.

Research and Technology Development

Ten of the 14 experts suggested actions related to research or technology development. A few experts commended federal research efforts related to marine debris to date but stressed that additional research is needed in multiple areas. Examples of research and technology development actions suggested by experts include:

Research on sources, pathways, and location of marine debris. Five experts suggested the federal government support research on identifying and understanding the various sources, pathways, and location of marine debris. For example, one expert suggested that the federal government conduct a national study to identify where waste is generated, through which types of major pathways it enters the marine environment (such as rivers or stormwater), and where the waste ends up. This study could include a focus on specific pathways, such as where illegal dumping occurs, which has not been researched at the national level, according to the expert. The expert said that federal agencies and others could use the results of such a study to help target education for the public, policy makers, and law enforcement officials on how to prevent and properly dispose of the types of waste that most commonly end up as marine debris. NOAA officials said that illegal dumping tends to be localized, so it may be difficult to carry out research on a national scale, but agreed with the need to better understand sources and types of marine debris since many factors contribute to the problem.

Research on effects of marine debris. Four experts suggested the federal government support research to determine the effects of debris on wildlife and the marine environment as well as on human health. For example, one expert suggested that the federal government conduct or fund research to determine the effects of microplastics on human health to help the federal government and other stakeholders identify the most appropriate solutions. EPA officials said that this type of research is one among many competing areas related to marine debris research their agency has targeted.

Development of technology to address marine debris. Five experts suggested actions that the federal government could take to develop new technology to help address marine debris. For example, one expert suggested that the federal government fund the development of new technology to recycle hard-to-recycle plastic materials so that these materials are less likely to end up as waste and become marine debris. The expert said that, in particular, plastic materials such as packaging used to preserve food products are not readily recyclable because the technology to recycle these types of plastics is not available or is not economically viable. EPA officials said that even when there is technology to recycle these types of plastics, food contamination is a problem that may prevent them from being recycled. In addition, an increased capacity for recycling may not result in a behavior change on the part of the consumer, which is another factor to consider in evaluating whether to pursue this type of action, according to the officials.

Coordination

Nine experts suggested that the federal government coordinate with local, state, federal, and international governments and other nonfederal partners to address marine debris. Experts emphasized that because marine debris is a complex issue with domestic and international impacts, it requires contributions from and coordination across these many groups. Examples of coordination suggested by experts include:

Coordination with stakeholders on management of fishing gear. Two experts suggested the federal government coordinate to identify ways to prevent fishing gear from becoming a source of marine debris and causing harm to fish and other marine species. One expert suggested the federal government coordinate with stakeholders to identify and implement best management practices for responsible management and use of fishing gear. Specifically, the expert suggested that the federal government coordinate with state agencies, gear designers and manufacturers, fishermen, and other stakeholders to adopt best practices in particular locations such as in the Chesapeake Bay or Puget Sound where there are extensive commercial or recreational fisheries. The expert said it would be important to work with industry stakeholders to avoid the best practices being perceived as unnecessary government intervention. In addition, one of the experts said that adoption of best practices could incur additional costs for activities such as replacing gear, which could be minimized through government subsidies or other incentives. NOAA officials said these types of coordination activities align with current efforts within their Marine Debris Program. For example, in 2016 NOAA partnered with California State University and other stakeholders to encourage the adoption of best practices to prevent the loss of gear used to catch spiny lobster in the Channel Islands in California.

Coordination with international governments. Four experts suggested the federal government increase its coordination internationally such as through developing international agreements and participating in multinational forums. For example, one expert suggested that the United States and other countries enter into an international agreement to prevent further release of plastic into the ocean. Under such an agreement, each country would set a target to reduce the amount of plastic released into the ocean, develop strategies and approaches to meet that target, and measure and report on progress in meeting the target. The expert said that taking actions to meet the target would incur costs and that securing commitments from countries could be difficult. However, the expert said that allowing countries the flexibility to develop their own strategies for meeting their targets could help overcome these difficulties.

State Department officials said that in addition to coordination with international governments, coordination is needed with other key stakeholders such as waste management and marine debris experts, local leaders, private-sector industry and retail entities, and nongovernmental organizations. This is in part because so much of the international marine debris problem stems from waste management issues at the local level. In some countries, as in the United States, the government may not have the authority to work on waste management at the local level and as a result, understanding this complexity is an important factor to consider in coordinating internationally, according to the officials. USAID officials agreed that coordination with international stakeholders beyond international governments is needed and said that given the local nature of waste management issues that contribute to the international marine debris problem, stakeholders such as local and municipal governments are also important and should be a major focus for coordination and capacity building.

Conclusions

Marine debris is a global, multi-faceted problem and multiple federal agencies, along with nonfederal stakeholders such as nongovernmental organizations, industry, states, Indian tribes, and others, have important roles to play in addressing the problem. The interagency committee’s sharing of information about its members’ activities is a good first step to ensure the agencies are aware of their respective marine debris-related efforts. NOAA, as chair of the committee, has recognized the need to develop a documented membership process, but has not established a time frame for doing so. By establishing a time frame for developing a documented membership process, NOAA and the interagency committee can benefit from capturing all members’ activities, and ensuring it provides Congress a complete picture of marine debris efforts across the federal government.

NOAA also recognizes that it may be helpful to specify the level of the official needed to represent the agencies through revisions to its charter, but has not determined what those revisions may entail. By clarifying what is meant by “senior official” such as through revisions to its charter, NOAA would have greater assurance that it has the full engagement of member agency officials who can speak for their agency and commit to activities.

The interagency committee’s biennial reports provide information on the committee’s recommendations and individual agencies’ activities to implement those recommendations, but the reports do not include an analysis of the effectiveness of the committee’s recommendations and strategies as required by the Marine Debris Act. By developing and implementing a process to analyze the effectiveness of the interagency committee’s recommendations and strategies, and reporting the results in its biennial reports as required, the interagency committee would be in a better position to determine the extent to which its efforts are making a difference in addressing the complex facets of marine debris.

Additionally, the interagency committee has not identified required recommendations for priority funding needs. By developing a process to identify recommendations for priority funding needs and including such recommendations in its biennial reports, the interagency committee could provide the Congress with required information about priority funding needs across the federal government to address marine debris.

Recommendations for Executive Action

We are making a total of four recommendations, including two recommendations to the NOAA Administrator and two recommendations to the chair of the interagency committee, specifically: The NOAA Administrator, in coordination with interagency committee member agencies, should establish a time frame for documenting the committee’s membership process. (Recommendation 1)

The NOAA Administrator, in coordination with interagency committee member agencies, should clarify what is meant by “senior official” in the Marine Debris Act, such as through revisions to its charter. (Recommendation 2)

The chair of the interagency committee, in coordination with member agencies, should develop and implement a process to analyze the effectiveness of the interagency committee’s recommendations and strategies, and include the results in its biennial reports. (Recommendation 3)

The chair of the interagency committee, in coordination with member agencies, should develop a process to identify recommendations for priority funding needs to address marine debris, and include such recommendations in its biennial reports. (Recommendation 4)

Agency Comments and Our Evaluation

We provided the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, and State; EPA; the Marine Mammal Commission; and USAID a draft of this report for their review and comment. The Department of Commerce and USAID provided written comments, which are reprinted in appendixes IV and V respectively, and discussed below. We also received technical comments from the Departments of Commerce, Homeland Security, the Interior, and State; EPA; the Marine Mammal Commission; and USAID, which we incorporated into the report as appropriate. The Departments of Defense and Justice indicated that they had no comments.

In written comments from the Department of Commerce, Commerce and NOAA agreed with our four recommendations. Regarding our first two recommendations, NOAA stated that its Administrator will establish a time frame for documenting the interagency committee’s membership process and, in coordination with the interagency committee, will define the term “senior official” through revisions to its charter so that the term can be consistently applied across all federal agency structures. In forming its definition of “senior official,” NOAA indicated that it would consider seniority requirements of similarly situated advisory committees, along with related factors such as the ability to make decisions on behalf of an agency.

Regarding our third recommendation on developing and implementing a process to analyze the effectiveness of the interagency committee’s recommendations and strategies, NOAA stated that it agreed with this recommendation to the extent it can be implemented with available budgetary resources. It indicated that the interagency committee lacks the existing resources to require and routinely evaluate the effectiveness of agency activities. Instead, individual agencies are expected to work toward implementing the interagency committee’s 2008 recommendations in accordance with each agency’s legal and programmatic authorities, mission priorities, and resource limitations. Nevertheless, NOAA stated that to the extent possible it will work with interagency committee members to identify common or easily translatable metrics for evaluating the effectiveness of its 2008 recommendations and include these in the next biennial report to Congress.

Regarding our fourth recommendation, NOAA stated that it agreed with our recommendation, but noted that it does not have the authority to control the implementation of a process for identifying priority funding needs of other member agencies. It stated that the interagency committee’s recommendations for priority funding needs are already reflected in the President’s annual budget request and operating plan for each member agency. However, NOAA stated that to the extent possible, it will work with interagency committee members to develop a process for identifying priority areas, which can be reflected in each agency’s respective budgeting process and shared in the committee’s biennial reports. We agree that NOAA does not have the authority to control the implementation of a process for identifying priority funding needs of other member agencies. However, as chair of the committee, NOAA can coordinate with member agencies to develop a process that each individual member agency—under its individual authority and budgetary processes—can use to identify recommendations for priority funding needs to address marine debris. We believe that coordinating such information and providing it in the committee’s biennial reports could provide Congress with required information about priority funding needs across the federal government to address marine debris.

In addition, in written comments from USAID, the agency said it is committed to addressing the challenge of marine debris through its programs and in collaboration with interagency committee partners. USAID stated that it has significant opportunities to play an important role in the international response to address marine debris and, as the lead federal agency on foreign assistance, has several programs that target mismanaged municipal waste in the developing world. For example, USAID stated that the agency’s Municipal-Waste Recycling Program has helped reduce land-based sources of ocean plastic waste in four of the top five contributing countries—Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam—by providing small grants and technical assistance to a variety of local actors in towns and cities. USAID also stated that it greatly appreciates the work of its interagency committee partners in addressing marine debris and looks forward to continued collaboration with them.

We are sending copies of this report to the appropriate congressional committees; the Secretaries of Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, and State; the Administrators of EPA and USAID; and the Commissioners of the Marine Mammal Commission. In addition, the report is available at no charge on the GAO website at http://www.gao.gov.

If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please contact me at (202) 512-3841 or fennella@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this report. GAO staff who made key contributions to this report are listed in appendix VI.

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

This report examines (1) how the interagency committee coordinates among federal agencies and the process for determining membership and agency representation, (2) the extent to which the interagency committee’s biennial reports contain required elements, and (3) experts’ suggestions on actions the federal government could take to most effectively address marine debris.

To examine how the interagency committee has coordinated among federal agencies and the process for determining membership and agency representation, we reviewed the Marine Debris, Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act, as amended (Marine Debris Act), and interagency committee documents, including the committee’s 2008 report with recommendations, charter, and five biennial reports to Congress issued as of March 2019. Specifically, we reviewed meeting minutes from the interagency committee’s quarterly meetings from November 2012 through April 2019, to understand the topics and activities the committee has coordinated on and the federal agencies that have participated. We attended five of the interagency committee’s quarterly meetings (in May, September, and December of 2018, and April and July of 2019) to directly observe committee coordination among agencies during these meetings. We also reviewed documents from committee member agencies and interviewed and reviewed written responses from those agencies to obtain information on their coordination efforts. Agencies we included were those agencies designated as members in the Marine Debris Act as well as additional agencies identified as members in the committee’s charter (see table 2). In addition, we interviewed officials and reviewed documents from the National Science Foundation, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the U.S.

Agency for International Development, based on suggestions from interagency committee officials.

From the committee’s 2008 report with recommendations, the five biennial reports, and other member agency documents, we summarized activities conducted by member agencies. For reporting purposes, we selected examples from the 2016 and 2019 biennial reports (those most recently available) of activities the agencies have taken to illustrate interagency committee member efforts to address marine debris, to reflect a range of activities across categories of activities and member agencies. In addition, we compared information we received about the interagency committee’s coordination to leading practices we identified in our past work on implementing interagency collaborative mechanisms.

To examine the extent to which the interagency committee’s biennial reports contain required elements, we compared information contained in the committee’s five biennial reports to the statutory reporting requirements in the Marine Debris Act. Specifically, two analysts independently reviewed each of the five biennial reports to evaluate information the reports included about (1) the status of implementation of any recommendations and strategies of the committee, (2) analysis of the recommendations and strategies’ effectiveness, (3) estimated federal and nonfederal funding provided for marine debris, and (4) recommendations for priority funding needs. The analysts then compared and summarized the results of their analyses. We also interviewed and reviewed written responses from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials (in the agency’s capacity as chair of the interagency committee) and officials from other members of the committee about steps to develop the biennial reports, including the reports’ required elements. In addition, we compared information from the reports and the information we received from the officials to leading practices we identified in our past work on implementing interagency collaborative mechanisms.

To obtain suggestions on actions the federal government could take to most effectively address marine debris, we conducted structured interviews with a nongeneralizable sample of 14 experts with expertise in marine debris-related issues. We selected the experts from a list of individuals we identified through interviews with agency officials and through a snowball approach, in which we reviewed relevant literature on marine debris, such as articles the experts authored, to identify other key experts and asked experts to identify other experts for including in this review. We also identified experts through our participation in key marine debris events, such as presenting at the Sixth International Marine Debris Conference. We considered factors such as the individual’s experience with different types of debris (e.g., abandoned fishing gear or consumer debris) or association with various sectors (e.g., academia or industry).

Experts selected included: (1) academics with expertise in areas such as sources, prevalence, and transport of plastic marine debris; (2) officials representing the plastic manufacturing, food and beverage, and commercial fishing industries; (3) officials from nonprofit organizations with expertise in marine debris removal from coastal areas, litter prevention, and recycling management systems and strategies; and (4) state and local government officials from the District of Columbia, Florida, and Washington with expertise in local litter prevention efforts, derelict vessels, and lost and derelict fishing gear.

We asked the 14 experts to suggest up to 5 to 10 actions the federal government could take to most effectively address different types of marine debris. We defined the term “actions” to mean any policy, program, effort, or intervention that could be taken by the federal government to prevent, remove, or dispose of marine debris. Actions could include new actions that the federal government may not have implemented or actions the federal government may already have taken. We did not limit experts’ suggestions to actions that agencies currently have authority to implement. We do not take a position on the merits of, the necessary legal authority for, or the most appropriate entity for the actions suggested by the 14 experts.

Prior to the interview, we provided experts with background information about our review, the interview methodology, and definitions for key terms to ensure that terminology was used consistently throughout all the interviews. We also reviewed this information with each expert at the start of the interview. For each action, we asked that the expert identify:

Name of action;

Type(s) of debris: (Select any or all of the following types of marine debris that may be affected by the action: consumer-based, abandoned fishing gear, derelict vessels, and/or miscellaneous. If miscellaneous is selected, please explain);

Describe this action: (Briefly describe this action and how it will address (i.e. prevent, remove, or dispose) marine debris and if it is currently being implemented by the federal agencies);

Federal agency(ies) (Please briefly describe the federal agency(ies) that have implemented or could play a role in implementing the action);

Nonfederal partners: (Please briefly describe the nonfederal partners the federal agencies may need to coordinate with when implementing the action (such as international, state and local governments, nonprofit groups, industry, and/or researchers);

Advantages: (Briefly describe the advantages of the federal agencies implementing the action in terms of the ability of this action to address marine debris, the cost of the action, and the technical and administrative feasibility of implementing the action, or any other advantage that you believe may affect implementation);

Disadvantages: (Briefly describe the disadvantages of the federal agencies implementing the action in terms of the ability of this action to address marine debris, the cost of the action, and the technical and administrative feasibility of implementing the action, or any other disadvantage that you believe may affect implementation);

Challenges: (Describe any factors that may hinder this action from being successfully implemented by the federal agencies and how these factors may be overcome);

Examples: (In instances where the federal agencies have previously implemented the action, please provide examples of how it helped address marine debris. If other entities that are not federal agencies have successfully implemented the action, please provide examples of how the action helped address marine debris);

Authorities: (Briefly describe what legal authorities these actions would be implemented under. If new authorities are needed, please describe them); and

Support: (Provide any studies, reports, or research you are basing your responses on).

We conducted the interviews via teleconference between July 2018 and November 2018. The experts suggested over 70 actions that we organized into five categories based on common themes. Specifically, two analysts independently reviewed each expert’s description for individual actions and identified an appropriate category using decision rules the team developed. The analysts then discussed and compared their decisions. For actions the analysts categorized differently, they reviewed the decision rules together and came to agreement on the best category for a particular action. For reporting purposes, we selected several actions within each of the broader categories to provide illustrative examples of the types of actions experts suggested. Our selection of actions was based on a variety of factors, including our analysis of the number experts that suggested similar types of actions, the detail provided by the experts, and the availability of supporting information, such as instances where an action had been taken by state or local governments. Actions suggested by the 14 experts cannot be generalized to actions that might be suggested by other experts but provide examples of actions federal agencies could take to address marine debris.

We also obtained written and oral responses to questions we asked of agency officials regarding factors their agencies would need to consider in potentially implementing any of the actions identified by the 14 experts. In addition, to corroborate statements from experts and agency officials and provide additional context on marine debris, we reviewed scientific studies and documents from international organizations, such as the United Nations; academic institutions and nonprofit organizations such as the Ocean Conservancy; and federal and state agencies to understand what is known about the types, sources, and effects of marine debris. We identified these studies and documents through various means, such as recommendations from experts and agency officials and authorship by experts. We also interviewed individuals from academia, environmental groups, and industry actively working on marine debris issues and attended the Sixth International Marine Debris Conference held in San Diego, California, in March 2018, to gain an understanding of areas of emphasis in the marine debris community.

We conducted this performance audit from October 2017 to September 2019 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives.

Appendix II: Recommendations from the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee’s 2008 Report

Table 3 lists the 25 recommendations contained in the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee’s 2008 report entitled Interagency Report on Marine Debris Sources, Impacts, Strategies, and Recommendations. According to this report, these recommendations are intended to guide the federal government’s strategies with respect to addressing problems of persistent marine debris. Each of the five biennial reports the committee issued subsequent to its initial 2008 report reference the 25 recommendations; the committee has not revisited the recommendations to determine the extent to which any adjustments may be warranted.

Appendix III: Examples of Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee Member Agencies’ Activities

The following are examples of activities members of the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee (interagency committee) reported conducting—often in coordination with nonfederal partners such as nongovernmental organizations, industry, state governments, Indian tribes, and other nations—to address marine debris based on information from the committee’s 2016 and 2019 biennial reports and agency documents and interviews. These examples include activities from the categories outlined in the biennial reports: (1) education and outreach; (2) legislation, regulation, and policy; (3) cleanup; (4) research and technology development; and (5) coordination. The examples discussed below do not represent all activities conducted by member agencies, but rather illustrate the nature and type of activities the agencies reported conducting. In addition, the examples include activities from agencies that were identified in the interagency committee’s 2014 charter and were included in the committee’s most recent biennial reports.

Education and Outreach

Nine of the 11 member agencies reported conducting activities to support education and outreach related to addressing marine debris, such as developing and distributing educational materials, supporting public awareness campaigns, or partnering with or funding state, local, tribal, or nongovernmental education efforts. For example:

Online public education. The Trash Free Waters Program—a program established in the spring of 2013 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to encourage collaborative actions by public and private stakeholders to prevent trash from entering water— provides information to the public, including online information about actions that can be taken to reduce trash from entering waterways. For example, in 2017, the program produced a series of eight webinars with experts on microplastics with the goal of promoting increased knowledge of the sources, distribution, and impacts of plastics and microplastics in the environment. Additional topics included research on global waste management and mismanagement of plastics, potential replacements for plastic products, and ways to improve the design of materials and products to minimize their environmental impacts.

Grants for public awareness projects. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Debris Program awards grants to eligible entities to, among other things, develop projects to educate the public about various aspects of preventing marine debris. For example, in 2014, NOAA awarded one grant to Virginia State’s Department of Environmental Quality to develop and implement a social marketing approach to reduce balloon debris. Balloons can end up in streams, rivers, and the oceans where marine animals can ingest the balloons or become entangled by their attachments, causing injury or death. This project aimed to help educate the public about the importance of refraining from releasing balloons in parks or outside schools, churches, wedding venues, or other events where balloons may be common.

Sea Partners Program. Through its Sea Partners Program established in 1994, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary conducts education and outreach to waterway users such as boaters, fishermen, marina operators, marine industry, and the general public with information on protecting the marine environment. For example, its Sayreville, New Jersey unit reaches an annual average audience of about 10,000 people, according to a program document, including youth groups, primary and secondary education science classes, senior citizen groups, and others. Topics presented include an introduction to marine pollution and oil spills and environmental pollution and recreational boating.

Legislation, Regulation, and Policy

Nine member agencies reported conducting activities to identify noncompliance or help ensure compliance with laws and regulations and develop or encourage policies and programs to implement practices that address specific types of marine debris. For example:

Notice for offshore oil and gas operators. In November 2018, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement renewed a notice for offshore oil and gas lessees and operators in the Gulf of Mexico that clarifies and provides more detail about marine trash and debris awareness training. Specifically, the notice stated that all offshore employees and contractors active in offshore operations are to complete marine debris awareness training annually. The notice further specifies that lessees and operators are to provide the bureau with an annual report that describes their training process and certifies that the training process was followed.

Criminal enforcement of environmental laws. The Department of Justice prosecuted two shipping companies in 2017 for, among other things, falsifying records regarding disposal of garbage from a ship, in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. Specifically, the ship’s crew was instructed to throw plastic garbage bags filled with metal and incinerator ash overboard without recording the incidents in the ship’s record book. The companies pled guilty and were, among other things, sentenced to pay a $1.5 million fine and make a $400,000 community service payment.

Policies for financing waste management infrastructure in Asia.

The Department of State helped convene a meeting in Japan in 2016, under the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation framework, to discuss policy changes needed to overcome barriers to financing waste management infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region to prevent and reduce debris from entering the marine environment. The meeting brought together government officials from the economic cooperation, representatives from industry, international financial institutions, and experts. Ministers of the economic cooperation endorsed nine recommendations developed at the meeting. State Department officials said they have continued to work with Asian governments, industry, and nongovernmental organizations to encourage policy changes and spur financial support for increasing waste management infrastructure and addressing land-based sources of plastic and in Asian countries. For example, at a 2017 meeting on waste management, State Department officials informed Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation officials of the social and economic impacts of marine debris resulting from mismanaged waste in the region. Officials also said they used the meeting to connect economic cooperation officials with private sector stakeholders to encourage policy changes intended to enable private investment in waste management.

Cleanup

Eight of the 11 member agencies reported conducting a variety of activities to support the removal and disposal of marine debris, often in partnership with others, such as state governments. For example:

Debris removal grants. In 2016 and 2017, NOAA’s Marine Debris Program awarded $2.4 million in grants to 25 entities such as state and tribal governments in 17 coastal states and U.S. territories for projects including community cleanups, crab trap recovery, and derelict vessel removal. For example, in September 2017, the program awarded a grant to the Makah Indian Tribe to remove three sunken vessels from the Makah Marina within the Makah Tribe Indian Reservation on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

National Park cleanup. National Park Service staff conducted coastal cleanups across the various regions of the National Park System during 2016 and 2017. For example, in fiscal year 2017, park officials from Biscayne National Park, located off the coast of Southern Florida and comprised mostly of water, partnered with the Coastal Cleanup Corporation, a nonprofit organization, to organize 252 volunteers in removing 14,000 pounds of debris from the park.

Maintaining navigation channels. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has authority to remove accumulated snags, obstructions, and other debris located in or adjacent to federally-maintained navigation channels. The Corps’ operations and maintenance appropriation is available to pay for the removal of obstructions to navigation, and the Corps is sometimes directed to use this appropriation for drift removal. For instance, in fiscal year 2018, the explanatory statement accompanying the Corps’ annual appropriation directed the Corps to use about $9.9 million of its appropriation for drift removal in New York Harbor. Debris the Corps removes typically consists of lumber, trees and branches, large waste items like tires, and large plastic items, according to Corps’ officials.

Research and Technology Development

Five of the 11 member agencies reported coordinating activities to conduct or sponsor research to monitor, understand the sources of, prevent, mitigate, or reduce the effects of marine debris or to support developing new technologies such as using more sustainable or recyclable types of materials. For example:

Research grants. Since 2006, NOAA’s Marine Debris Program has supported at least two marine debris research projects that address questions such as monitoring marine debris, identifying fishing gear improvements and alternatives, or better understanding the environmental or economic impacts of marine debris. For example, in 2016, NOAA awarded a contract to a private research and consulting firm to conduct an economic study on how marine debris affects the economies of tourism-dependent coastal communities around the United States. The purpose of the project was to evaluate changes in tourism spending based on changes in the amount of marine debris to help prioritize areas of the United States where future prevention and removal efforts may be needed. NOAA officials said they expect the final report to be issued by the end of 2019.

Microplastics workshop. In June 2017, EPA hosted a Microplastics Experts Workshop that convened experts from academia and other federal agencies, including NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Food and Drug Administration, to identify microplastics research needs. The effort resulted in a 2018 report that identified four main areas where additional research is needed: (1) standardization of research methods, (2) debris sources and fate, (3) ecological risk assessment, and (4) human health risk assessment. EPA is using the report to consider how the agency can best address these high- priority microplastics research needs as it develops the agency’s larger environmental research agenda, according to EPA officials.

Development of new fishing gear. In 2016, the Marine Mammal Commission awarded a grant to the New England Aquarium to test a ropeless fishing gear prototype intended to prevent whale entanglements in fishing gear. According to a document from the Commission, entanglement in fishing gear is the number one direct cause of marine mammal injury and death, including the endangered Northern Atlantic right whale. The Commission has used the results of this effort to emphasize the potential for ropeless gear to reduce and prevent entanglement in meetings with lobster and crab fishermen on the east and west coasts.

Coordination

Seven of the 11 member agencies reported conducting a variety of activities to foster coordination among member agencies and with nonfederal partners, such as international, state, and local government agencies. For example:

Global Partnership on Marine Litter. In 2012, the United Nations launched the Global Partnership on Marine Litter, a voluntary network of international governments, nongovernmental organizations, academia, private sector companies, and others with the goal of protecting human health and the global environment primarily by reducing and managing marine debris. Interagency committee members, including NOAA and EPA, are partners to the global partnership. For example, from 2012 through 2017, the NOAA Marine Debris Program Director served as the Steering Committee chair of the global partnership. EPA has coordinated with the global partnership in Latin American and Caribbean countries to help develop a regional strategy for addressing marine debris in those regions and through in-person meetings and with other global partnership staff and NOAA colleagues through the steering committee.

Sister Cities initiative. In 2015, the State Department announced the creation of a “Sister Cities” initiative with China to share best practices related to waste management and preventing marine debris. As part of the initiative, in November 2016, a Chinese delegation, comprised of central government officials and officials from Weihai and Xiamen, visited Chicago, New York City, and San Francisco to study U.S. practices in addressing marine debris. In November–December 2017, a U.S. delegation comprised of U.S. government officials and a New York City official, visited Xiamen, Weihai, and Beijing to learn about Chinese waste management practices. The partner city relationships were formalized with a memorandum of understanding between San Francisco and Xiamen in July 2016, and New York and Weihai in December 2017 to work together to address marine debris.

State emergency response guides and regional action plans.

NOAA’s Marine Debris Program has coordinated with coastal managers, nongovernmental organizations, industry, academia, and other groups to develop state marine debris emergency response guides. For example, in 2016 and 2017, NOAA coordinated with Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina to develop individual guides for those states. According to NOAA officials, federal, state, and local officials used the Florida response guide during the 2017 and 2018 hurricane seasons to inform responding agencies which agency has jurisdiction and to better coordinate marine debris removal efforts after an event. In addition, NOAA coordinated efforts to develop, enhance, and implement regional action plans for the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Maine, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, California, Florida, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington regions. The purpose of the action plans is to bring stakeholders together to prevent and reduce marine debris throughout the United States, according to NOAA documents. For example, NOAA officials said that under the Hawaii action plan, several federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations worked together to purchase and maintain bins to collect used fishing line for recycling.

Appendix IV: Comments from the Department of Commerce

Appendix V: Comments from the U.S. Agency for International Development

Appendix VI: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments

GAO Contact

Staff Acknowledgments

In addition to the contact named above, Alyssa M. Hundrup (Assistant Director), Mark Braza, Jeanette Soares, Jason Trentacoste, and Lisa Vojta made key contributions to this report. Eric Charles; Kim Frankena; Ellen Fried; Karen Howard; Edward J. Rice, PhD.; Dan C. Royer; Anne Stevens; and Sarah Veale also contributed to the report.