An Act To Address and Mitigate the Effects of Marine Debris
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 0427
Committee Amendment CA_A_H531 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 294, L.D. 427, Bill, "An Act To 
Address and Mitigate the Effects of Marine Debris" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'Resolve, Directing Certain State Agencies To Consider the Effects of Marine 
Debris' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the title and inserting the following: 
'Preamble. Whereas, the ocean environment and its resources are vital to the 
economy, cultural identity and daily lives of many Maine citizens and communities; and 
Whereas, coastal residents and communities in Maine depend on healthy and 
abundant ocean resources for their livelihoods, recreation and ways oflife; and 
Whereas, the oceans annually receive an estimated 4,800,000 to 12,700,000 metric 
tons of plastic waste; and 
Whereas, there is a projected increase in the amount of plastic marine debris based 
on current production and consumption; and 
Whereas, plastics of all sizes have been shown to adsorb rnicropollutants and 
organic contaminants in the environment; and 
Whereas, large pieces of plastic, including plastics from recreational and 
commercial fishing, marine vessels and marine fishing gear, degrade into progressively 
smaller fragments through chemical and physical processes, eventually resulting in 
microscopic particles of plastic that remain in the environment indefinitely; and 
Whereas, plastics are a recognized contaminant of concern that threatens wildlife 
and human health; and 
Whereas, a wide range of organisms, from zooplankton to mussels to fish to baleen 
whales, are capable of ingesting contaminated rnicroplastics; and 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to H.P. 294, L.D. 427 
Whereas, consumption of contaminated species is thought to increase the potential 
for harm to human health from hazardous chemicals; and 
Whereas, Maine persons who fish commercially land approximately 305,500,000 
pounds of seafood annually for human consumption and one study estimates European 
shellfish consumers consume between 1,800 and 11,000 microplastics per year; and 
Whereas, marine debris can be large but difficult to see in the ocean if partially or 
totally submerged, and a vessel that encounters marine debris at sea can suffer costly 
damage, either to its structure or through a tangled propeller or clogged intake; and 
Whereas, marine debris can be a vector for invasive species, which can have a 
devastating impact on local fisheries and ecosystems and can be costly to manage or 
eradicate; and 
Whereas, increasing marine debris has the potential to threaten livelihoods and 
activities that have been at the core of Maine's coastal communities for hundreds of years; 
now, therefore, be it 
Sec. 1. Department of Marine Resources, Department of Environmental 
Protection, Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Department of 
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to consider the effects of marine 
debris. Resolved: 
That, until January 1, 2019, when the Department of Marine 
Resources, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Inland Fisheries and 
Wildlife or Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry takes any action, that 
department shall consider the marine debris that may be generated by that action, the 
effects of marine debris that may be generated by that action and how the potential 
marine debris may be managed and mitigated.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, replaces the bill, 
which was a concept draft, with a resolve that directs the Department of Marine 
Resources, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Inland Fisheries and 
Wildlife and Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to consider the 
potential for the generation, management, mitigation and effects of marine debris related 
to actions of those agencies. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT