House Passes Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Clean Up Marine Debris

WASHINGTON, DC [10/01/20] –Today the House passed bipartisan legislation led by House Oceans Caucus Co-Chairs Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Don Young (R-AK) along with Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to strengthen the federal response to marine debris.

Save Our Seas 2.0, S. 1982, builds on the original Save Our Seas Act to improve the domestic response to marine debris, incentivize international engagement on marine debris, and strengthen domestic waste management infrastructure to prevent the creation of new marine debris.

"We need to fundamentally change our reliance on plastics," said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, who spoke in support of the legislation on the House floor. "A problem this pervasive - a global problem of this magnitude - cannot be solved with a single bill. We cannot limit our action to removing existing plastic from the ocean, and we also cannot recycle our way out of plastic waste that ends up on our shores. We need comprehensive action. Save Our Seas 2.0 is a meaningful bill that builds on our foundation of bipartisan, bicameral efforts to strengthen the NOAA Marine Debris Program. We have significant work ahead of us to prevent marine debris, and I look forward to continuing to work with my House Oceans Caucus Co-Chair, Don Young, and our Senate Oceans Caucus colleagues to protect the health of our ocean."

"Alaska is home to more coastline than any other state in the Union, and healthy oceans are essential to Alaska's economy and way of life," said Congressman Don Young. "Serving as House Oceans Caucus Co-Chair has given me the opportunity to stand up and fight for Alaska's waters, and I am very proud of what we were able to accomplish today. Save Our Seas 2.0 builds on our successes combating marine debris through bolstering plastics research and funding needed for infrastructure improvements. Countless Alaskan families earn a living on the water; clean oceans are not just an environmental issue, but an economic one as well. I am sincerely grateful to my friend and Oceans Caucus Co-Chair, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici for fighting alongside me on behalf of marine life. Our Senator Dan Sullivan has been a strong leader on this issue, and I am confident that he will help shepherd this bill through the Senate so that we can send it to the President to be signed into law. I will continue fighting to ensure that our marine ecosystems stay healthy and productive for future generations to experience."

"Save Our Seas 2.0, the most comprehensive marine debris legislation ever to pass the U.S. Senate, is now also the most comprehensive bill on the challenge to ever pass Congress," said Senator Sullivan. "Our legislation will improve our nation's ability to respond to marine debris events, lead to greater international cooperation on preventing trash from reaching the oceans, and spark innovation to manage and possibly even reuse plastic waste—all with the goal of protecting our pristine environment, fisheries, and coastal communities across our country and, particularly, in Alaska, which has more coastline than the rest of the Lower 48 combined. I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who are coming together to address a very important environmental challenge. I look forward to SOS 2.0 passing the Senate and moving onto the President's desk for his signature, and continuing work on this important issue."

"We're one significant step closer to stemming the rising tide of harmful plastic pollution that washes up on beaches and in fishing nets along every coast," said Senator Whitehouse, who co-founded the bipartisan Senate Oceans Caucus to find common ground in responding to issues facing the oceans and coasts. "I'm grateful to our oceans allies in the House who approved the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act with strong bipartisan support. With the success of the original Save Our Seas bill, and now this step for SOS 2.0, we will keep building on our success with 3.0 and other bills, until we have truly addressed the scourge of ocean plastic waste."

"Asmarine debris and plastic waste continue to threaten public health and the economic prosperity of coastal communities, I'm so pleased to see our legislation take this giant step forward today," said Senator Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Save Our Seas Act 2.0 will bolster U.S. capacities and leadership in the global effort against plastic pollution and I am committed to continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get it over the finish line and signed into law."

Groups that support Save Our Seas 2.0 include: Ocean Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, National Audubon Society, Conservation International, Consortium for Ocean Leadership, Keep America Beautiful, The Marine Mammal Center, New England Aquarium, and Georgia Aquarium.

Bonamici and Young co-chair the House Oceans Caucus, a bipartisan group of House members committed to taking action to protect the health of our ocean. This Congress, the Caucus is focused on environmental stressors (including ocean acidification, harmful algal blooms, and hypoxia); marine debris; ocean data and monitoring; coastal resiliency; and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

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