33 USC 1952 - NOAA Marine Debris Program

View all text of Chapter 33 A [§ 1951 - § 1959]

§ 1952. NOAA Marine Debris Program

(a) Establishment of Program

(b) Program componentsThe Administrator, acting through the Program and subject to the availability of appropriations, shall—

(1) identify, determine sources of, assess, prevent, reduce, and remove marine debris, with a focus on marine debris posing a threat to living marine resources and navigation safety;

(2) provide national and regional coordination to assist States, Indian tribes, and regional organizations in the identification, determination of sources, assessment, prevention, reduction, and removal of marine debris;

(3) undertake efforts to reduce the adverse impacts of lost and discarded fishing gear on living marine resources and navigation safety, including—

(A) research and development of alternatives to gear posing threats to the marine environment and methods for marking gear used in certain fisheries to enhance the tracking, recovery, and identification of lost and discarded gear; and

(B) the development of effective nonregulatory measures and incentives to cooperatively reduce the volume of lost and discarded fishing gear and to aid in gear recovery;

(4) undertake outreach and education activities for the public and other stakeholders on sources of marine debris, threats associated with marine debris, and approaches to identifying, determining sources of, assessing, preventing, reducing, and removing marine debris and its adverse impacts on the United States economy, the marine environment, and navigation safety, including outreach and education activities through public-private initiatives;

(5) develop, in consultation with the Interagency Committee, interagency plans for the timely response to events determined by the Administrator to be severe marine debris events, including plans to—

(A) coordinate across agencies and with relevant State, tribal, and local governments to ensure adequate, timely, and efficient response;

(B) assess the composition, volume, and trajectory of marine debris associated with a severe marine debris event; and

(C) estimate the potential impacts of a severe marine debris event, including economic impacts on human health, navigation safety, natural resources, tourism, and livestock, including aquaculture;

(6) work to develop outreach and education strategies with other Federal agencies to address sources of marine debris;

(7) except for discharges of marine debris from vessels, in consultation with the Department of State and other Federal agencies, promote international action, as appropriate, to reduce the incidence of marine debris, including providing technical assistance to expand waste management systems internationally; and

(8) in the case of an event determined to be a severe marine debris event under subsection (c)—

(A) assist in the cleanup and response required by the severe marine debris event; or

(B) conduct such other activity as the Administrator determines is appropriate in response to the severe marine debris event.

(d) Grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts

(1) In general

(2) Grant cost sharing requirement

(A) In general

(B) Waiver

(C) Severe marine debris eventsNotwithstanding subparagraph (A), the Federal share of the cost of an activity carried out under a determination made under subsection (c) shall be—

(i) 100 percent of the cost of the activity, for an activity funded wholly by funds made available by a person, including the government of a foreign country, to the Federal Government for the purpose of responding to a severe marine debris event; or

(ii) 75 percent of the cost of the activity, for any activity other than an activity funded as described in clause (i).

(3) Amounts paid and services rendered under consent

(A) Consent decrees and orders

(B) Other decrees and orders

(4) Eligibility

(5) Project review and approvalThe Administrator shall—

(A) review each marine debris project proposal to determine if it meets the grant criteria and supports the goals of this chapter;

(B) after considering any written comments and recommendations based on the review, approve or disapprove the proposal; and

(6) Project reporting

(Pub. L. 109–449, § 3, Dec. 22, 2006, 120 Stat. 3333; Pub. L. 112–213, title VI, § 604(a)–(c), Dec. 20, 2012, 126 Stat. 1576, 1577; Pub. L. 115–265, title I, § 101, Oct. 11, 2018, 132 Stat. 3742.)