House Passes Bonamici Bill to Improve Marine Debris Prevention, Clean-up

WASHINGTON, DC – Today the House passed bipartisan legislation led by House Oceans Caucus Co-Chair Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) to help remove marine debris from the ocean and waterways.

The Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act updates the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act and Marine Debris Act to provide NOAA with greater flexibility to deliver federal resources and enter into cooperative agreements to conduct marine debris prevention and clean-up.

“Today we have an opportunity to build on our foundation of bipartisan, bicameral efforts to strengthen the NOAA Marine Debris Program and enhance the work of the Marine Debris Foundation,” Bonamici said on the House floor. “The bipartisan SOS 2.0 Act—which I worked on with the late Congressman Don Young and Senators Sullivan and Whitehouse—is the most comprehensive legislation Congress has ever passed to address the marine debris that threatens coastal ecosystems and communities.

“We have significant work ahead of us to clean up and prevent marine debris, and the Save Our Seas 2.0 Amendments Act continues to build on our bipartisan foundation to protect the ocean,” Bonamici continued.

Video of Bonamici’s full remarks can be viewed here.

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